2yr old jeep battery dead (sits a lot)


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Old 11-01-07, 12:18 PM
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2yr old jeep battery dead (sits a lot)

I'm trying to charge battery, using an older Schumacher 2/6 amp charger that I just charged a riding mower battery with;12 volt/2amp. When using it on 12 volt/6 amps it stays at zero and hums. Called Schumaker tech...they think the battery may be (sulfide?) coated. He said to charge for 3 hrs and see if it moves off of zero. He also cautioned of possible explosion! Any suggestions??
 
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Old 11-01-07, 02:26 PM
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Get a new battery......
 
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Old 11-01-07, 02:45 PM
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Yay, a battery question! My specialty.

By the way it's lead sulfate they were talking about. This builds up on the plates when you let the battery sit around in a discharged state.

Do you have a multimeter/voltmeter? What is the voltage reading on the battery? To measure this you need to take it off the charger and let it sit for a half hour or so. A much longer resting period would be required for an accurate reading but I'm just looking for a ballpark figure.

What I'm trying to determine is how "dead" this battery really is.

Also, is this 6/2 amp charger the only one you have? Your options are quite limited if so.

Is this a maintenance free battery, or do you have caps that you can open to examine the battery? If so, open it up and make sure there is enough electrolyte in there to cover the plates. Add distilled water if necessary. [This is, among other things, to prevent an internal explosion.]

If this is a sealed battery then yes you do need to be a bit more careful, but I think they were being overly cautious. In general assuming your water level is ok the danger of explosion comes primarily from the hydrogen gas that forms when you are charging the battery. So no smoking, flame, or sparks near the battery. When removing the clips make sure the charger is first unplugged to avoid sparks.

After getting back to me on the voltage and type of battery, yeah stick it back on the charger for several hours. Monitor the battery temperature. If it starts to get quite warm turn off the charger for a bit.

-core
 
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Old 11-01-07, 03:18 PM
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Forgot one thing: Is the battery case bulging at all?
 
 

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