posted
Not just died, the thing actually blew. Cracked the caps and the case and sprayed acid all over my engine.
My mechanic, who's been professionally fiddling with cars for 40 years, says he's only ever seen that happen once before. (He is also super-nice and didn't charge me for the labour of installing a new battery.)
What would make a battery blow up? Has this ever happened to anyone else?
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Batteries can explode for a number of reasons, the most common being (it seems) either shorting the battery (a short circuit in the starting circuit or jumping the + and - terminals) or a low resistance bridge inside the battery, which can lead to a spark igniting the (flammable) gases inside the battery cells. Some of the risks associated with exploding batteries are really old batteries, really cold batteries, and improper jumping techiques.
Google it for plenty of examples.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
My dad had a battery blow up and spray acid in his face while jumping it. Luckily, he wasn't hurt bad, and had no permanent damage. He ran into our apartment yelling and jumped in the shower.
After seeing that, I became a lot more cautious when giving jumps. I always turn my head away when making the final connection.
I think it used to be more common when batteries had ports to add water. Now most batteries are sealed, and gases can't escape and pick up a spark.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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