What happened to make my battery melt?

[ouichaise]

TL;DR

hi what can have caused that ?
bad connection while charging or driving .
on side has melted.
this is gel battery
is it still safe to use?
https://imgur.com/xSTVRTI

hi what can have caused that ?
bad connection while charging or driving .
on side has melted.
this is gel battery
is it still safe to use?

 

[Baluncore]

It looks like a corroded connection between the battery terminal and the cable connector became resistive and generated sufficient heat to damage the insulation.

Alternatively there was a short circuit between the positive connector and the vehicle chassis.
Where is the battery clamp ? Did that cause the short circuit ?

Clean or replace all corroded connectors. Replace the battery clamp.

 

[Rive]

Based on the image I suspect those screws are not the original equipment used for those connections.
Try to find out how it was connected originally and restore it as much as you can.

Regarding the damaged negative pole... That'll be tricky. Unless you have some experience with high current electrical connections (with lead involved) you better replace the battery.

 

[sophiecentaur]

It looks like a corroded connection between the battery terminal and the cable connector became resistive and generated sufficient heat to damage the insulation.

But that negative post (= electrical terminal) is seriously knackered. To connect to it would require it to be filed to provide two good parallel, clean flats on it or possibly built up with plumbing solder* to make it look like the one on the left of the picture. Without a good area of contact with the leads you couldn't sustain a heavy current. You can always test any repair by feeling the terminals after starting the engine (not during!). If the contact is adequate then they will both feel the same temperature.

I am bit concerned that the Red insulation has been burned (??). We need a picture of the two cable ends / connectors. Have they suffered overheating? It seems that both ends of the battery could have over heated due to bad connections. Was the high resistance due to a failed connection between the cable end and its termination?

But all is not lost, if you could find a use for a healthy battery that would involve just a few tens of A then a much less meaty terminal would do the job. Perhaps a stand by lighting system in your garage??

*Some skill and experience required here - plus a big, high power soldering iron. Needs to be done very quickly to avoid melting the plastic lid of the battery. Not a job for a casual DIYer and you need to be prepared to chuck it away if the mending fails.

 

[Baluncore]

There is a kit available that includes battery terminal molds, a lead filler rod, and what look like carbon gouging rods to strike an arc ? to melt the lead. It does not show welding gogles.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/363050412581

 

[sophiecentaur]

Brilliant! I wonder if any PF members have used one successfully / at all.
The beauty is that uses its own power to do the 'welding' with.

 

[pbuk]

The beauty is that uses its own power to do the 'welding' with.

Yeah, what could possibly go wrong?

 

[sophiecentaur]

Yeah, what could possibly go wrong?

But how many people have their own welding gear or alternative 12v many Amp as upply.
I’m waiting for someone to report using one. PF has a few whacky DIYers, you know.

 

[berkeman]

Thread is closed temporarily for Moderation...

 

[berkeman]

Thread is closed temporarily for Moderation...

After review, the thread will remain closed. The advice to replace the battery (and recycle the old one) is the best way to go, IMO.