Reviving car batteries

[Stealthbomber]

I've been having problems with car batteries recently.

The battery for my motorbike has died, the battery for my Porka has died and the battery for my MR2 has died as well.

Obviously, this is not a good thing.

 

A bit of googling has revealed that one cause of battery failure is Sulphate formation on the battery plates (we're talking about lead-acid batteries here) and there are ways to reverse this.

 

FWIW, it should be noted that there are a few different reasons why a battery can die but apparently sulphate formation is usually the result of having a battery go flat and then remain flat for extended periods.

Cos neither my bike, Porka or the MR2 have seen much action recently it seems reasonable to assume sulphate formation IS the most likely cause.

 

I've read a bunch of web pages about it and they all seem to suggest that either filling your battery with Tetrasodium EDTA or zapping them with strange electrical things can remove sulphates.

 

First thing is, I read that Tetrasodium EDTA is one of a number of EDTA compounds.

I was wondering if there's any reason why Tetrasodium is preferable to all the others if they all have the same properties?

 

Beyond that, I was just wondering if any of you guys have ever managed to ressurect a dead battery using this sort of thing?

 

Given that a decent battery is £100 or more and the bike battery is almost as much, I think this might be worth a shot before replacing them all.

[MCXL]

At the same time though, you could get some really nice batteries that wont do this kind of garbage.

 

Good luck!

[Stealthbomber]

Just got around to trying this with a couple of my dead bike batteries and the results were SPECTACULAR.

 

All the plates were a chalky white colour and, after 3 days soaking in a solution of distilled water and EDTA they were like new.

Flushed the battery out with more distilled water (removing a heap of sulphate-porridge) and refilled the batteries with acid and they're working perfectly.

This works 100% as advertised. Definitely not snake-oil.

 

Obviously, it'll only restore a sulphated battery. It can't help if the plates are damaged but, if you're prepared to spend a few quid on distilled water and the EDTA powder, it's far cheaper than a new battery.

[Spacemonkey]

Prevention is better than cure, so I use an Odyssey red battery on my Ducati as it is a deep discharge and higher capacity battery. Solves the problem starting in the first place. Not cheap, but cheaper than the usual Yuasa every couple of years. Mines been on it for 8 years now without problems at all. My cars that are hibernating get those solar cells from maplins and these work enough to keep the battery tip top. Good to hear about the EDTA though, might try that if other batteris die. Where does one source it from?

 

 

ps what Porka do you have? I'm thinking of a 996 cab next year once my wedding dress shop gets off the ground, so any advice would be welcome. Been a Porka owner before and fan forever but no Jack Squitt about the 996..

[Stealthbomber]

Prevention is better than cure, so I use an Odyssey red battery on my Ducati as it is a deep discharge and higher capacity battery. Solves the problem starting in the first place. Not cheap, but cheaper than the usual Yuasa every couple of years. Mines been on it for 8 years now without problems at all. My cars that are hibernating get those solar cells from maplins and these work enough to keep the battery tip top. Good to hear about the EDTA though, might try that if other batteris die. Where does one source it from?

 

 

ps what Porka do you have? I'm thinking of a 996 cab next year once my wedding dress shop gets off the ground, so any advice would be welcome. Been a Porka owner before and fan forever but no Jack Squitt about the 996..

Alas, 2 of my cars and 3 bikes are parked up in garages that don't have a leccy supply.

Ages ago I did try fitting a solar panel to one of the roofs but somebody nicked it.

I was considering building a window into the roof and mounting a panel behind it but, meh.

I do currently have a plan to leave a battery in the garage to piggyback to all my toys. That way, when the voltage in piggyback battery begins to drop I can take it home, charge it up again and replace it before the batteries on the various cars and bikes go flat.

 

FWIW, it seems batteries get sulphated purely when they're allowed to go flat and stay flat for long periods so it really only happens if you've got a "summer toy" stashed in the garage.

 

Incidentally, I read that batteries are now sold claiming to contain EDTA in the acid.

Funny thing is, the stuff on tinternet all seems to suggest that the EDTA doesn't work very well unless it's mixed with water (rather than acid) so I'm not sure how well those fancy batteries will fight sulphates.

 

I bought a 1kg bag of EDTA off of eBay for about £20. You can also buy small 100g bags for £5 but I figured I might as well buy a big bag since I have a few batteries to revive.

IIRC, it came from Poland or Hungary or somewhere but it arrived through customs ok... even though it looks like heroin or summat.

 

No real idea about the Porka 996.

By all accounts it's a very competant vehicle but, given that a pukka 911 should be air-cooled, it has no soul.

I still prefer the older 993 911s myself.

I bet a 996 is a lot quieter and less hassle to drive though.

[Spacemonkey]

Agreed... I was after a mint black 964 cab C4 and found such a beast, but for the same money I could get a 996 cab C4 in black... Such a dilemna. never really liked the new ones, as I agree with you, but after extensive study I do think the 996 IS such a better more accomplished car and much easier to maintain in the long run. I do a LOT of miles and my own maintenance (unless the odd stamp is needed or silly jobs) so this is a big factor. Now the 996 has grown on me so just gotta drive t'bugger. tried a new shape Alfa Spider but didn;t fit in it. For such a small car (with sod all storage space) it's bleedin heavy at over 1900 kg!! So that was that one forgotten..

 

FWIW, my Kamper had two solar cells on the dashboard facing the sun that kept the batteries up, and that's what I do, but normally for outdoor cars. My MX5 has one sat on the roof in the garage and enough sun comes in the skylight to make that viable. It;s still running the original factory gel battery from 1993.. I like the idea of a daisy chain battery in the garage.