[Rocketscience]

Team,

I was cleaning up my bike today (r15 v3), when i took the seat out i noticed a slight smell around the battery, it was not substantial but it was there , it smelt like a sewer, i didn't think much of it, and that was it.

However, i remembered it later and with the loads of free time in hand i decided to google it, i got to know it is hydrogen coming out of battery which smells like this and this can be potentially dangerous, very very dangerous, since the battery is dead below where i actually sit on the bike i want to know, is this a cause for concern or is this like googling one of your symptoms for an headache only to find out you have a life threatening ailment and can die any moment!

P.S The battery in my bike is a sealed VRLA type (which i have learnt has a valve and an outlet that releases hydrogen) which came with the bike and is about an year old at this point.

[utkarsha87]

So after a lot of running around it turns out the the battery has actually gone bad. Jump start, 1 hour charging by the alternator, charging using power source, all have failed. The battery is not supplying sufficient power for the car to start. Seems first casualty of lockdown. I strongly advise that if your vehicle has accessories that keep drawing power, such a parking cameras etc, keep it charged otherwise you may end with a battery which is spoilt for good.

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

How old is the battery?

Your best bet is to get it bench-charged at a battery dealer. That will also serve as a precautionary check whether any specific cells have issues with holding charge.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Aren't there any battery dealers near your house? Maybe another car with a healthy battery, jump start the car and then go to any battery dealer in your city (if you know anyone) and ask them to charge the battery overnight.

I will be removing the battery from the car and take it to a battery dealer tomorrow to get it bench charged.

[zaheermk]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

I will be removing the battery from the car and take it to a battery dealer tomorrow to get it bench charged.

I presume you would have already got your battery back, bench charged by now. But, still, why didn't you try jump starting with a neighbour's car?

I made a jump-starting cable kit myself, for that purpose. It had cost around ₹250.

The list of items I bought, from a local electrical shop, are:
1. wire, 5m (2.5m each for +ve & -ve)
2. clamp, 4nos.

If you request the shop guy, he himself will strip the wire, clamp it and give it to you.

If you don't want to go the DIY way, it can also be bought online from
https://www.flipkart.com/automotive/...place=FLIPKART

Saves the trouble of removing the battery from the vehicle and taking it to the bench-charging/battery shop.

Obviously, all precautions need to be taken before undertaking a jump-starting activity, which have been documented well in the thread,
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...d-battery.html (How to Jump Start your car (dead battery))

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by zaheermk

I presume you would have already got your battery back, bench charged by now. But, still, why didn't you try jump starting with a neighbour's car?

I made a jump-starting cable kit myself, for that purpose. It had cost around ₹250.

The list of items I bought, from a local electrical shop, are:
1. wire, 5m (2.5m each for +ve & -ve)
2. clamp, 4nos.
......................
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How thick was the wire (in mm.sq or gauge)?

Is not 2.5m too short?

[zaheermk]

Originally Posted by Aroy

How thick was the wire (in mm.sq or gauge)?

The electrical shop guy said 10 gauge. Must be ~5mm in diameter, with insulation. For clarification, the wire thickness is measured only of the metal strands, not including the insulation. There is a conversion chart for the wire thickness @ https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/s...ge-d_1779.html

I initially thought it is too low for jump starting. But I have done jump starting twice with this cable and both times, it started in the first crank/try. But on the online site I referenced in my earlier post, it is showing 10 gauge for the cheaper cables and 4 gauge for the costlier ones. I say, please go for 4 gauge. It would be of use, when our cars don't get started in the first crank and needs 2-3 tries, else the cables might get heated up.

Originally Posted by Aroy

Is not 2.5m too short?

In my apartment car park, our cars are parked parallel, with only a gap for a person to walk in between. So, for me, this 2.5m is enough. Again, on the online site, lengths offered are 6ft, 7.5ft and 10ft. 2.5m = 8.2ft. Please go for 3m (= 9.8ft), for applicability in more use cases.

The battery resides at the left side in most cars. So, when we park our cars side by side for jump starting, this 2.5m is very well sufficient. But imagine, if it is a single lane with boundaries, and the cars are parked front to front, then the batteries would be at their farthest position and there a 3m/10ft cable could come to be of use.

I usually keep the jump starter cable in my car boot itself. If not for us, it could be of use, when another car on the way/mall needs to be jump started.

[Chhanda Das]

Top 10 reasons why batteries of most consumer cars do not last long and how to maintain them properly :-

1) The electrode plates in the individual cells were damaged due to extreme rash driving on bad roads. Sadly, there is no going back once the plates are damaged and the battery would indeed need to be replaced with a fresh one. The solution is to drive slowly as per road conditions.

2) The electrolyte dries up and its level goes down inside the battery exposing the plates. The solution is to check on a regular basis and increase the level of the electrolyte solution by adding distilled water to each of the individual cells as and when necessary.

3) The individual cells have been overfilled with distilled water leading to swelling of the battery and/or loss of electrolyte from the gas vent/s. Sadly, there is no solution for this and you have to replace the battery in case of swelling or if too much electrolyte has been lost.

4) Non-distilled water or impure distilled water was used to increase the electrolyte level inside the battery. The solution is to use a cheap TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) testing device to test the quality of the distilled water before buying. Ideally, the TDS level should be zero for distilled water.

5) The individual cell covers of the battery had not been tightened properly. The solution is to check whether they are tight or not and take necessary action. A suitably sized coin can be used if no tools are available.

6) You do not clean the corrosion on the battery terminals leading to loss of electrical conductivity and eventual failure of the battery. The solution is to clean the battery terminals with a (baking soda + water) mixture. In an emergency, you can also use soft carbonated drinks to clean the battery terminals.

7) The battery terminals are loosely connected resulting in the battery not getting recharged properly. The solution is to tighten the battery terminals.

8) The alternator is not generating enough current to recharge the battery. The solution is to get the alternator checked and replaced if necessary.

9) There is an electrical leakage somewhere within the electrical system leading to the battery getting drained. The solution is to find that electrical leakage and fix it.

10) You are buying batteries that have been manufactured more than 3 months ago. The solution is to buy batteries that have the latest manufacturing dates.

Bonus : You are not using a battery of a suitable range/type. The solution is to get a battery properly matched to the setup of your car.

Note : Sealed Maintenance Free (SMF) is mostly a misnomer. A more accurate term would be Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA). Most SMF/VRLA batteries too need maintenance but less than regular lead-acid ones.

I hope you found this useful. Wish you all happy and safe drives ahead

[Ritz2010]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

My Polo GTI's battery seems to be dead. It was cranking slowly since the last few days for the first crank of the day. After a small run it would crank fine.

It's a 12V 70AH EFB battery from Moll, Germany.

Most people go for outside batteries only.

I did some digging on the internet and learnt that only EFB and AGM batteries are suitable for cars with Auto Start/ Stop feature. Looks like Exide has a battery that matches the spec.

https://www.exide.com/eu/en/node/42386

Edit : Above is Exide EU site. I doubt this battery is available in India :(

I'm in the same situation as you were in when my Duster 1.3 Turbo battery failed couple of days ago with similar behaviour.

I found Vatra and Exide Technologies (EU & US) not an Indian one selling lead acid batteries. I chanced up on Exide India mini EFB but even the exide guys are clueless about it and recommend me ISS battery which is advance of EFB technology.

Attaching battery picture for reference - 12V L2 EFB 60Ah 510A battery it is from OEM.



Can you please share how it panned out for you and how is the perfomance. Also please share cost and warranty details of your new battery.

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Noob Questions!

When idling and running the AC, where is the power drawn for the compressor from? I'm assuming that if the AC runs in the ignition on position without the engine running, it's drawn from the battery directly.

Also, does fan speed have a great effect on battery current drawn?

These have been questions asked to me in the past, to which I wasn't able to answer to the point! In my defence, I'm not an engineer!

I have a small problem in my car. I have a BMW 520d F10. When running the AC works only intermittently. Even the fan. Works for 20 seconds. Stays off for 6 7 minutes and this cycle repeats. Any pointers on this? My thought process is either the battery is weak cause the fan itself is not running. Or the FREON gas is low causing the sensor to freeze and cut the compressor off, amd when it thaws out the AC comes on until it freezes over again