A dead battery is not a rare situation for motorists, and everyone will want to know how to extend the life of the battery.
First aid for a dead battery
If you urgently need to travel and your car does not start, you can ask another motorist to recharge your battery from his battery, usually drivers are very accommodating.
It is important to correctly connect the terminals “+” to the plus, and the minus is connected to the minus, and make sure that the engine “helper” is off. It is allowed to start the donor motor for a short time, if your battery has died almost to zero. Such procedure will help to start the engine, but when starting the helper’s motor, you must necessarily shut it down, so as not to burn the electrical equipment.
After driving a day on a half-drained battery, be sure to put it on charge at night.
Causes of rapid battery discharge
Electrolyte vapors often oxidize terminal outputs and pins, and if rust is found it should be urgently removed with sandpaper and apply a layer of grease.
The battery case may burst and the electrolyte may leak out. To solve the problem, the rest of the electrolyte is drained, the crack is eliminated with glue and the electrolyte is poured again.
A dirty battery discharges itself quickly and therefore it is important to keep the battery clean and occasionally wash it with water and baking soda.
If the battery is completely discharged, there is a short circuit between the plates. If the battery has been left idle, it is impossible to repair it.
The white deposits on the surface of the battery plates are lead sulfate crystals which prevent the electrolyte from penetrating, build up its temperature, disturb the gas release and voltage. The battery quickly discharges and becomes unusable. Several stages of charging and discharging are performed to reduce sulfation.
Ways to rehabilitate a battery
A battery can quickly discharge due to its dirty surface, which should be washed regularly to remove the dirt effectively using a brush soaked in a soda solution. After this procedure, the battery is wiped dry and degreased with gasoline.
To protect the battery from degradation, you can coat it with epoxy. Parts should be free of traces of oxidation. Sometimes the battery frame is wrapped with duct tape.
Sometimes dirt gets into the electrolyte. To solve the problem, all the liquid is drained, rinse the charger with distilled water until it becomes light. Then pour the water back in, leave it for an hour, and connect the battery to the charger for 24 hours. After this time, the water is drained out and the battery is topped up with electrolyte. It is important to make sure that the density of all cells corresponds to 1.27 g/m2.
In some cases, self-discharge is caused by current leakage. This is caused by damage to wires or automotive devices. This can be checked by touching the plus terminal to the fixing point, having previously disconnected all electrical appliances. If there is a spark, look for a solution to the fault.