Just Boiled My Battery!

[MrG 3]

OK whilst doing my heroics at Marham today the battery started to boil? It was basically bubbling out of the caps and had obviously thrown fluid out around it. Now its been a bit iffy for some time with lacking charge etc but this is the first time its done this, so do I need a new alternator as well as the battery? I'll replace both I think but is there anything else I may need to look into?

 

Thanks

 

Oh and Marham was good, straight still boring but the rest was fine.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Either a cell gone short circuit, or the alternator is overcharging your battery.

[MrG 3]

cheers Tom I'll have to have the alternator checked to see what the output is, but the battery is definatley fubar.

[large 33]

yer the battery has had it

[MrG 3]

that's for sure, I heard the spitting sounds but it wasn't till I actually had a good look that I saw the fluid around it and bubbling around one of the cells!! Still it got me home OK.

[MerlinGTI 3]

Clean any battery acid up really well, will badly mess up your paint and cause rust. Nasty stuff.

 

Ate through my overalls and two teeshirts + made a hole in my jeans lol.

[MrG 3]

hmm, good point. I'll do that.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Get some bicarb of soda (baking power) and mix it with some water, this makes an alkaline solution which will neutralise the acid, water will dilute it but will not neutralise it.

[MrG 3]

cheers Tom, I think I've now managed to get out of tidying the garden up tomorrow!

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Result!