How to Rebuild a Car Battery
Automotive batteries are manufactured much the same way they were 50 years ago. They contain metal plates with paper or synthetic inserts between them, saturated in a bath of sulfuric acid. As the battery operates, it acts like an electrolyte "pool", where a charge can build up and be stored for future use. As the plates become corroded, or the acid rises in pH levels, the battery will not sustain a charge and must be reconditioned.
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Instructions
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Reconditioning a Car Battery
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1
Test the battery for charge capacity and acid ratio. Most auto parts stores will test the charge capacity of any battery for free, as they can sell you a new one if it tests bad. They place the battery on a load test machine for a few minutes (as if the car's starter were activating), and measure the results. The acid ratio tester is a small dropper filled with colored balls. Removing a cap from the top of the battery will give access to the plates and acid, where a small amount is drawn into the dropper. The float level of the various balls will indicate the acid level, which in most batteries is about one-third of the total fluid.
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2
Drain the acid from the battery case. Proper handling equipment must be used, as the sulfuric acid is highly corrosive. The top of most lead-acid car batteries will come off with two plastic plates, covering six holes. Some smaller units will have six individual hole plugs. Each plug hole is an opening into one cell of the battery, and there are three cells in two cell banks in each 12-volt car battery. Draw this acid out completely, and use a bright light to inspect the level from the side of the battery case, if it is translucent.
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3
Refresh the acid in the battery. Add a mix of one-third sulfuric acid to two-thirds distilled water to the battery through the six openings until it is 90 percent full. Leave a small amount of air in each cell, as hydrogen from charging can cause a buildup of pressure. Replace the caps or cap plates, then let the battery sit without a charge for about 30 minutes.
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Charge the battery for 24 hours on a 1- to 5-ampere trickle charger. Do not put a load (lights, accessories, running automobiles) onto the battery until it is fully charged.
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Tips & Warnings
Gel-cell batteries are sealed, and not reusable.
Adding water does not improve a battery's charge level; rather, it damages it.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit www.aa1car.com
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Comments
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i want to start a battery biz. selling used batteries for a low cost. can you give me some info?
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Adding distilled water to the battery does not damage it. It's recommended to add battery because the water evaporates on non sealed batteries and the acid doesn't , so adding water returns the water/acid ratio to normal. This article is misleading. What you need to do is remove the old acid , add a product to remove the sulfation from the plates, charge it, discharge it, drain it again , rinse it with distilled water and then replenish acid and re charge it.
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hkbravo34
Mar 24, 2010
"this battery started both my v6 engines and my neightboro's 460 v8 dodge" without recharging BTW.
