6 volt battery

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dyoungs
Posts: 158
Joined: November 12th, 2003, 5:28 pm
Body Type: AA
Model Year: 1931
Location: Vestal, New York

6 volt battery

Post by dyoungs »

Anyone ever drained and restored a 6 volt battery... I have one that has been sitting in the truck and just does not have enough umf... to turn the truck over... I got the truck to start with the charger on it but it just does not want to keep the charge... I took it to Advance auto and they did the load test with it and said that it just has low voltage but the cells are still good...
So for the $5 core charge and the $9.99 for 32 ounces of Sulfric acid I think I want to try and restore this one, since they charged me $100 for a new battery. This one will be a spare and hope to be able to hang onto it and save myself the $100 down the road.
Dave
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TomH
Posts: 181
Joined: September 16th, 2009, 2:11 pm
Body Type: pickup
Model Year: 1928
Location: Eastern PA

Re: 6 volt battery

Post by TomH »

Dave,
When I was a youngster I was told not to drain and refill with new acid. But that was a long time ago.
I think you should have a full charge on the battery before you do a load test. If the voltage is low try to charge it slowly at the lowest setting. If the battery doesn't hold a charge when it's in the truck, maybe you are drawing voltage with the switch off. If that's the case your new battery won't last long.
JMHO
Tom H
Need rear fenders and running boards for 1932 131" single wheel Express Body
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gunmetal
Posts: 304
Joined: August 21st, 2010, 7:28 am
Body Type: 188-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Milford, Indiana

Re: 6 volt battery

Post by gunmetal »

Some battery company's will redo them with new inside parts.
E.Moore
Posts: 439
Joined: April 15th, 2005, 5:35 pm
Model Year: 1930
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Re: 6 volt battery

Post by E.Moore »

One cannot simply drain the water/acid mixture out of an old battery and add new sulphuric acid & water to re energize a lead acid battery. The cells will oxidize over time (Sulphate), and small bits of the cell outer layer will peel off every time a battery is charged & discharged, whether it is being charged by a generator/alternator or an attached battery charger.

Those bits of battery cell outer layer drop into the bottom of the battery case, where there is a space made for their accumulation. If the cells wear out fairly evenly, the accumulation of cell outer layer will simply lay on the bottom of the battery case and cause no problems, but when one cell wears faster than others, the accumulation at the bottom of that cell can build up to the point where it touches the bottom of several cell plates simultaneously and will cause that cell to short out.

Each cell in a lead acid battery will hold 2 volts when fully charged. A volt meter can be used to test each cell by placing one voltmeter lead to one of the posts, and inserting the other voltmeter lead into the water/acid solution in each cell and reading the volt meter. Be caureful not to touch any of the cell plates.

A dead battery is often the result of the accumulation of cell plate sulphation at the bottom of the battery, which will cause that cell to show a zero , or almost zero reading on a voltmeter. Electron flow through a battery with a dead cell becomes excessive at that dead cell when it is charged or discharged, causing excessive hydrogen gas bubbles to float up to the water/acid solution in the dead cell.

It sounds like your battery has worn out evenly and will hold a partial charge for a short period of time.

Ford used to sell individual cells, and cell plates for owners to rebuild their batteries. I'm sure the old lead acid was poured on the ground before the top cover tar sealer was removed by owners who rebuilt their batteries.

If you get your battery apart without cracking the case, cells of the same dimension of the battery case will have to be located and installed. Battery companies these days will often refuse to sell individual internal components for liablility reasons.

For practical application to know how your battery is made, disassemble it with safety glasses and rubber gloves on and take the lead acid solution to a disposal place instead of pouring it in a sewer drain which will end up in a nearby creek and back into the groundwater. Examine the sludge buildup in the bottom of the battery case and take apart the cells to see how the battery is constructed.

Then go get a new battery and make sure all of the ground and power points are in good clean condition and test your generator to make sure it is charging sufficiently. A little bit of baking soda on the top of the battery will help prevent the accumulation of battery gasses which often leave a moist film on the top of the battery. This film will allow a slow discharge of the battery over time, because the moisture connects the negative to the positive posts, which allows a slow electron flow that will discharge the battery.
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elfox
Posts: 167
Joined: January 27th, 2011, 8:56 pm
Body Type: 88-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Port Orchard, WA

Re: 6 volt battery

Post by elfox »

Wow - very nice explanation. Well done!
Dave
Port Orchard, WA
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spectria
Posts: 1874
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 9:53 pm
Body Type: Mail Truck, Stakebed
Model Year: 1931
Location: Quincy, Ca.

Re: 6 volt battery

Post by spectria »

I want to add to the really excellent post by E.Moore.

When I was at Community College in the AA Program for Auto Tech at De Anza JC in Silicon Valley in 70-72, we did a section on batteries and the process to resuscitate a weak or old battery.

WARNING, Batteries create Hydrogen Gas when Charging AND AN EXPLOSION IS VERY VIOLENT AND DANGEROUS.

I was standing over a battery with a group around an open hood and somehow one of the guys sparked at one of terminals and the next thing we new, two guys were on the ground and the battery was just cells and acid was everywhere, luckily we were all wearing safety glasses as required and we had an emergency shower right there for us all to stand under (freezing!).

As far as saving a battery, the technique was this, first fill to normal and put on 10-20 amps charge for at least one hour. (caps off, and a ventilation fan away but on clearing the hydrogen gas).

Then seal the caps with plastic and force them on very tight. Then (this is my personal method) gently roll the battery across the lawn repeatedly but gently to get the settled material in the bottom of the battery into solution, I have even picked up a battery after that and shook it gently upside down (NOT PAINT SHAKER STYLE, THIS WOULD DESTROY THE CELLS), and then set it down, unseal the caps and in good ventilation again, put the charger on, then turn it on minimum charge over night.

The theory put forth back then was the cell material would reattach itself if put into solution.

After the overnight charge, drain out the old h20/sulfuric acid mixture, and put in new always with high ventilation.

I have successfully "rebuilt" batteries this way 40 or more times over the years, but it has also NOT worked many times, sometimes the short Eric talked about will destroy that cell and it won't clean up.

The keys here are safety with the acid and gases and never dispose of the old material in the sewer or on the ground, and it's always acid into water, never water into acid when mixing solution. If you can safely shake the settled material in an old battery, and then charge it at a slow rate overnight, you may be able to save the battery.
JMHO
Dave in Quincy, Ca. I love Pics!!!! Post them All!!! :)
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scl009
Posts: 194
Joined: August 22nd, 2009, 10:02 am
Model Year: 1931
Location: New Orleans, LA

Re: 6 volt battery

Post by scl009 »

what about battery chargers with desulphator modes. I have a "BatteryMinder" charger that claims to desulfate. It has brought back an old dead battery I had lying around, I don't know if the claim is true, but it brought back a battery that my other chargers wouldn't

Scott
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spectria
Posts: 1874
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 9:53 pm
Body Type: Mail Truck, Stakebed
Model Year: 1931
Location: Quincy, Ca.

Re: 6 volt battery

Post by spectria »

scl009 wrote:what about battery chargers with desulfator modes. I have a "BatteryMinder" charger that claims to desulfate. It has brought back an old dead battery I had lying around, I don't know if the claim is true, but it brought back a battery that my other chargers wouldn't

Scott
Don't know about this type of gadget, but getting the settled material in solution before charging is the key to my method.
Dave in Quincy, Ca. I love Pics!!!! Post them All!!! :)
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