Here is a trick to extend the life of an old battery.

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

Like many of you, I have bought MVs from GL and GSA with weak or dead batteries. For a battery that won't take a charge at all, there is little you can do. But if the battery is weak and just won't hold a deep charge, there is a little trick you can try. Go to any grocery store or drug store and get a small box of Epsom salts. Heat up about a quart of distilled water hot enough to completely dissolve about 10 heaping teaspoons of Epsom salts in it.

Now, pour out about half the acid then refill the battery with the Epsom salt solution. Charge it as you normally would and you are done.

I was skeptical about this until I tried it about 7 months ago in a 6TL and it brought it back to life and it is still cranking.

 

[davidkroberts]

well thats neat, you really dont have anything to loose in a battery you were getting rid of anyway

 

[goodguyzy]

sounds good, what do you do with the waste acid?

 

[jaxsof]

sounds good, what do you do with the waste acid?

Im Sorry, I just had too.

 

[Atwater]

sounds good, what do you do with the waste acid?

good question

 

[197thhhc]

Waste acid makes a great weed killer.






Just kidding.

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

If the battery has discharged, there won't be any waste acid as the sulfuric acid converts to water and lead sulphate as it discharges and back into lead and sulfuric acid when it charges. But around Tennessee it isn't hard with all the limestone I just pour it in the driveway and the limestone neutralizes it naturally. However, a battery that is weak won't fully convert the water back to acid. You can just flush the acid away with water (it will quickly be diluted to the point of barely acidic) or you can neutralize it with baking soda.

 

[jatonka]

This post brings us back to David Doyle and EDTA, a chemical that removes sulfate from the lead plates in a 6TL battery. I have treated two batteries with EDTA and they are both still starting trucks. The rub is that it is a lot of work. If a person had a 5 gallon paint shaker, it would be easy. JT out

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

The think about EDTA is I think that it removes the lead sulfate, not just the sulphate. And where do you easily and safely dispose of lead sulphate?