Battery Testing

[Kenobi]

Ive got a couple of batteries 1 of which i suspected had a problem.

on my desk right now is a car battery with removable caps so you can top it up.

When i look inside how do i know if theres enough (water??) in there?

I dont have a multi meter.

any quick tests to see if battery is dead? as in wont hold a charge?

[JRP]

Ive got a couple of batteries 1 of which i suspected had a problem.

on my desk right now is a car battery with removable caps so you can top it up.

When i look inside how do i know if theres enough (water??) in there?

I dont have a multi meter.

any quick tests to see if battery is dead? as in wont hold a charge?


Wet your hands, then hold a spanner between the terminals if its sparks its ok:scared:

[J$£5GTT]

well if the plates are covered it will be ok for now,but ideally you want to fill up to just below the fill hole.

then try an charge it up...or take it to s'where where they can test it,a mate or a local tyre an battery place.


:)

[tiff_lee]

Charge it up leave it a day or so then try starting your car with it?

[stevo clio]

to top it up use deionised water ideally so it al least covering the metal plates in side. you can get propper battery testers bujust using a multimeter fully charge the battery then either put a slight load on it (eg a car bulb) for 20-30 seconds or leave it a couple of days to loose its surface charge and test. you should see around 12.6v. not the best way to test but it gives you an idea

[MFaulks]

Basically you don't want to leave wet lead acid cells discharged for any period of time, plates form surface oxides and dendrite crystals form between the plates and short cells. To recover give it a short hard discharge as JRP mentions if any capacity (burns the crud off the cells) and then trickle recharge. If in a bad way and if you have nerves of steel, can explode on you – need to judge the point to stop … reverse charge it hard until (depending on your charger and how much current it can deliver, but more is better, say in "start charge" if you only have a weedy charger :devil:) you see the current shoot right up, let it gas off and then normal charge, repeat cycle for real bad specimens – don’t show this to kids… :wasntme:

[Tony Walker]

Wet your hands, then hold a spanner between the terminals if its sparks its ok:scared:

And if it melts your hands to the spanner its a really good battery lol :)

[Sparkie]

just get a desulphinating charger.- does it all for you....