One of the common problems of Russian car owners in the winter is the car’s battery. There can be many options, and the verdict is always one. The battery should be diagnosed and decided what can be done with it. There are already more options. The device can simply be changed to a new one, or you can return it to a healthy state.
This article will discuss the options for diagnosing batteries, ways to return to life and how to do it all yourself. We also consider general information about the device and the operation of the battery and their types of performance.
General information
To better determine the cause of the malfunction, knowledge of the battery device and how it works is useful. As part of any battery, there are 6 pairs of oppositely charged plates. The so-called galvanic pairs can both accumulate an electric charge and give it away. When the car starts, there is a peak discharge of the battery required for the starter to work. At sub-zero temperatures, the starting process is the main test for the battery.
During the movement of the vehicle, the on-board network receives power from the generator, and all the excess goes to charge the battery. With all serviceable elements, the charge-discharge process operates in the optimal mode. But with an increased load, when the high beam headlights are turned on, the heater and wipers are working, the power from the generator may not be enough. In this case, the battery will be discharged. Diagnosis of the car battery is in any case necessary. About its options - a little later.
And how many amperes are in the car battery? To characterize the battery, information about how many amperes / hours it will work is more important. This figure ranges from 50 to 100. But specifically, the number of amperes issued by the battery will depend on the loaded resistance.
Design
The nominal voltage of the battery is known to be 12 volts. This corresponds to 2 volts for each of the 6 galvanic pairs connected in series. Between themselves, pairs of oppositely charged plates are separated by insulating partitions. The car battery diagram is shown in the figure below.
The battery itself is structurally made in the form of a parallelepiped, in which there are blocks of plates filled with electrolyte. The upper part is represented by a cover with deduced "plus" and "minus" contacts. Depending on the type of battery in the lid, there may be access to the possibility of adding distilled water or corrective electrolyte.
For trucks with a power supply voltage of 24 volts, it is planned to install 2 batteries of 12 volts. Starting current is significant and battery capacities differ significantly from analogues for cars. Hence the increased dimensions of the products. Selecting a battery for a car involves knowing the required battery characteristics for a particular car.
Battery Diagnostic Options
There are several ways to diagnose a car’s battery. Something you can do with your own hands, without even stopping at the service. So, let's take a closer look. Battery troubleshooting can be divided into several stages:
- checking the electrolyte level in each block or, according to the people, “in the bank”;
- checking the density of the electrolyte;
- determination of the level of electric charge.
The third stage can be performed in various ways, or rather, using different diagnostic equipment.
Checking Electrolyte Levels
Testing the car battery begins by checking the electrolyte level. This is done in a simple visual way. First, access to the inside with the plates opens. In different batteries, this is implemented in various ways. Most often, a special cap is removed in the top lid, which can be common to all 6 "cans", or maybe separate. Visually, the electrolyte should completely cover the battery plates. To accurately determine the level, you can use a simple glass tube. The handset is lowered into the battery, after which the upper hole is pressed with a finger, and it goes out. Here the level can be easily measured with a ruler.
A column of electrolyte above the plates of 12-15 mm is considered normal. If less fluid, it must be added. And if the electrolyte level is above 15 mm, this is also bad. The excess will need to be removed with a syringe or the same "diagnostic" glass rod. And what if there are maintenance-free batteries? Fault diagnosis in such cases is limited to testers.
Electrolyte Density Check
A hydrometer is used to check the electrolyte density. This is a special device for determining density. It is a glass flask with a pear from one end and a tip from the other. Inside there is a mobile level. The electrolyte is measured in the following way. The tip of the hydrometer is immersed in the battery and with the help of a pear, they collect electrolyte into the flask. Depending on the density, the level of the hydrometer is unambiguous. The normal density of the electrolyte ranges from 1.24 to 1.29 g / cm 3 . Here, the maximum density corresponds to the winter period, and the minimum to summer.
Any diagnosis of a car’s battery begins with a visual inspection. Externally, the density of the electrolyte can also be estimated. If the color of the liquid is darkish or has red hues, then most likely the battery plates began to collapse - such a device cannot be restored. The electrolyte must be transparent.
Determining the battery level
There are several ways to determine the battery charge level. Depending on the equipment used, the following checks are distinguished:
- using a multimeter;
- by means of a loading fork;
- using special equipment.
The simplest and most affordable of them is the use of a multimeter or voltmeter. Measurements must be made on the battery disconnected from the car and at least an hour after the car was plugged. This is important - for greater accuracy. The rated voltage indicator on a working battery is 12.5-13 volts. In this case, the upper value corresponds to a fully charged, and the lower - to half discharged.
To determine the voltage under load, the battery is again connected to the car and checked on a running car. In this case, the voltage indicator should not be lower than 13.5 volts. The scatter of measurements should lie within 13.5-14 volts. If the voltage on the voltmeter is less than 13.5, then you should think about the operability of the car generator.
Using a load fork
Diagnosing the battery charge with a load plug is a fairly simple measure that takes a minimum of time. For greater accuracy, measurement is best done with the battery disconnected or removed from the vehicle. First, measure the nominal voltage, and then give the load for 5 seconds. During this time, the voltage naturally decreases. A good indicator would be a decrease in the parameter to 10 volts. If after 5 seconds under load the battery shows less than 10 volts, there is a clear malfunction.
A variety of diagnostic equipment
In addition to standard testers and load forks, for the battery there are a variety of devices for diagnosing batteries. In addition to the functions of the multimeter, such devices measure the starting current for a cold engine, the capacity of each individual "can", the chargeability of the battery and allow you to diagnose the entire engine starting system. These diagnostic tools include the MICRO-768A tester. The product is convenient both in operation and in carrying in a compact case.
Reasons for battery failure
There are not many reasons when a car battery requires special handling or even replacement. How to make battery diagnostics quickly and efficiently? First you need to highlight external damage and internal problems. External factors include physical damage to the case, as well as strong oxidation of the external contacts. The first are treated with plastic patches or a complete replacement of the product. The contacts are simply cleaned with fine sandpaper, and then lubricated with contact grease.
Internal battery problems can also be of a different nature. Among the most famous problems:
- sulfation of the plates of the battery;
- plate closure;
- shedding of plates;
- electrolyte boiling;
- electrolyte density drop.
The last item in severe frosts can lead to complete failure of the entire product. This occurs due to freezing of a low-density electrolyte and damage to the “cans” of the battery due to the expansion of the freezing composition.
Battery Recovery Methods
There are several options for helping you restore a car’s battery. The easiest option is available to everyone who has an ordinary charger, these are several charge-discharge cycles. The important points in this case are as follows:
- Before charging, it is necessary to check the electrolyte level in the battery and, if there is a shortage of it, add distilled water;
- charging should start with a small current, about 1-2A;
- The battery can be discharged using an ordinary incandescent lamp, but at the same time, a discharge of less than 10.5A must not be allowed.
Good results are obtained with special chargers with a pulsed mode and a desulfation function. Diagnosis and restoration of batteries in this case is the simplest. Connected to the device, and after a certain time I took the finished result. Everything works in automatic mode. If this does not help, the option of replacing the battery remains. In this case, do not forget about the selection of the battery for cars.
There is only one minus of such recovery - the cost of a pulse charger. The market price of a good desulfator starts at 10 thousand rubles. That is, buying a new battery will be much cheaper.
Using a special solution
It is much more difficult to "treat" the battery if the plates are shorted. Diagnosing a car’s battery, of course, could be wrong. However, if a short circuit occurs, then in some cases a simple flushing helps. After all, it could be closed from the sediment at the bottom of the "can." Rinsing the battery is carried out both with distilled water, and with special solutions, such as Trilon B. Solution. By the way, it can also be used to desulfate the battery. This is done as follows:
- with the help of a spitz, the electrolyte is pumped out;
- Trilon B is poured so that the plates are completely covered by it;
- The battery is left for about an hour, while there is a rather rapid boiling reaction and all sulfates dissolve;
- with a syringe, everything is drained and washed several times with distilled water;
- after washing, the finished electrolyte is poured into the battery and charging is performed.
Among the minuses of such washing is the threat of destruction of plates in old batteries. And when washing, it is also easy to close the plates between themselves with pieces of lead. Accuracy in working with batteries should be very high.
For lovers of experiments
For ordinary serviced batteries, there are more extreme recovery methods. For example, to clean plates from sulfates, simple cleaning is done by removing each plate. This must be done very carefully due to the high fragility of the products. If the top cover of the battery does not imply such an approach, brute force and tools are used. The main thing is that after such a process of removing the plates, all the holes obtained should be sealed until the previous tightness is obtained.
If there is a black precipitate in the “bank” of the battery or pieces of lead are visible from the crumbling plate, it is better not to restore such a battery, but immediately replace it with a new one.
Fault Prevention
Many problems that arise during the operation of batteries are resolved at the service and maintenance stages. Just following a few rules will extend the battery life and remove many future issues. First of all, it is regularly worth checking the level and density of the electrolyte. In case of shortage, add distilled water, and in case of insufficient density, put the battery on charge. In severe frosts, the battery density is best maintained at 1.4 g / cm 3 . And if there is no confidence in a good density, it is better to remove and bring the battery into a warm room.