Car battery diagnostics. Maintenance and restoration of car batteries

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

One of the common problems of Russian car owners in the winter is the car battery. There may be many options, but the verdict is always the same. The battery should be diagnosed and decided what can be done with it. There are more options here. The device can simply be replaced with a new one, or you can return it to a working state.

This article will discuss options for diagnosing batteries, ways to return "to life" and how you can do it all yourself. We will also consider general information about the device and the operation of the battery and the types of their execution.

General information

To better determine the cause of the malfunction, knowledge of the battery device and the principles of its operation will be useful. Each battery contains 6 pairs of oppositely charged plates. The so-called galvanic couples can both store electricalcharge, and give it away. When starting the car, there is a peak discharge of the battery required for the operation of the starter. In sub-zero temperatures, the startup process is the ultimate test for a battery.

While the vehicle is moving, the on-board network is powered by a generator, and all the excess is used to charge the battery. With all serviceable elements, the charge-discharge process works in the optimal mode. But with an increased load, when the high beam headlights are on, the heater and wipers are working, the power from the generator may not be enough. In this case, the battery will be discharged. Car battery diagnostics is in any case necessary. About her options - a little later.

How many amps are in a car battery? To characterize the battery, information about how many ampere / 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 resistance being loaded.

Design

Nominal battery voltage 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 lid with displayed "plus" and "minus"contacts. Depending on the type of battery, the cover may have access to the ability to top up with distilled water or correction electrolyte.

For trucks with on-board network supply voltage of 24 volts, it is planned to install 2 batteries of 12 volts. The starting current here is significant and the 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

Diagnosis of the car battery is possible in several ways. Something you can do with your own hands, without even stopping by the service. So, let's take a closer look. Battery troubleshooting can be broken down into several steps:

• checking the electrolyte level in each block or, according to the people, "in the bank";
• check electrolyte density;
• determining the level of electric charge.

The third stage can be performed in various ways, or rather, using different diagnostic equipment.

Checking the electrolyte level

Checking a car battery starts with checking the electrolyte level. This is done in a simple visual way. First, access to the inside with plates is opened. Different batteries do this in different ways. Most often, a special plug is removed from the top cover, which can be common forall 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 tube is lowered into the battery, after which the upper hole is pressed with a finger, and it gets out. Here the level can be easily measured with a ruler.

A column of electrolyte over the plates of 12-15 mm is considered normal. If there is less liquid, it must be added. And if the electrolyte level is above 15 mm, this is also bad. Excess will need to be removed with a syringe or the same "diagnostic" glass rod. But what if there are maintenance-free batteries? Fault diagnosis in such cases is limited to testers.

Checking electrolyte density

A hydrometer is used to check the density of the electrolyte. This is a special device for determining the density. It is a glass flask with a pear at one end and a tip at the other. Inside there is a movable 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, electrolyte is drawn into the flask. Depending on the density, the level of the hydrometer is located in an unambiguous way. The normal density of the electrolyte ranges from 1.24 to 1.29g/cm3. Here, the maximum density corresponds to the winter period, and the minimum - to the summer.

Any car battery diagnosis begins with a visual inspection. The density of the electrolyte can also be externally estimated. If the color of the liquiddarkish or has red tints, then, most likely, the battery plates began to collapse - such a device cannot be restored. The electrolyte must be transparent.

Determining the battery charge level

There are several ways to determine the battery charge level. Depending on the equipment used, the following checks are distinguished:

• using a multimeter;
• via load fork;
• using special equipment.

The easiest and most affordable of them is to use a multimeter or voltmeter. Measurements must be made with the battery disconnected from the car and at least one hour after the car has been turned off. This is important - for greater accuracy. The nominal 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 - 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 spread 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 performance of the car's generator.

Using a load fork

Diagnosis of battery charge using a load plug is a fairly simple event that takes a minimum of time. For greater accuracy, the measurement is best done on a disconnected orbattery removed from the vehicle. First, the nominal voltage is measured, and then the load is applied for 5 seconds. During this time, the tension naturally decreases. A good indicator would be to reduce the parameter to 10 volts. If, after 5 seconds under load, the battery shows less than 10 volts, there is a clear malfunction.

Variety of diagnostic equipment

In addition to standard testers and load plugs, there are various devices for battery diagnostics for batteries. In addition to the functions of a multimeter, such devices measure the starting current for a cold engine, the capacity of each individual "can", battery chargeability and allow you to diagnose the entire engine starting system. Such diagnostic devices include the MICRO-768A tester. The product is convenient both in operation and in carrying in a compact case.

Causes of battery failure

There are not many reasons why a car battery needs 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 external contacts. The former are treated with plastic patches or a complete replacement of the product. Contacts are simply cleaned with fine sandpaper, and then lubricated with contact lubricant.

Internal battery problemsmay also be of different nature. Among the most notorious problems:

• sulfation of battery plates;
• plate closure;
• shedding plates;
• electrolyte boiling off;
• drop in electrolyte density.

The last item in severe frosts can lead to a complete failure of the entire product. This happens due to the freezing of the electrolyte of low density and damage to the "cans" of the battery due to the expansion of the freezing composition.

Methods for battery recovery

There are several options for helping you restore your car's battery. The simplest option is available to anyone who has an ordinary charger, these are several charge-discharge cycles. The important points in this case are as follows:

• before charging, check the electrolyte level in the battery and, if it is low, add distilled water;
• charging should start with a small current, about 1-2A;
• you can discharge the battery with an ordinary incandescent lamp, but you must not allow a discharge of less than 10.5A.

Good results are given by special chargers with a pulsed mode and a desulfation function. Diagnostics and battery recovery in this case is the simplest. I connected it to the device, and after a certain time I took the finished result. Everything works in automatic mode. If that doesn't help, the option is to replace the battery. At the same time, do not forget about the selection of the battery for the car.

The only downside of such a recovery isone is the cost of a pulse charger. The market price of a good desulfator starts from 10 thousand rubles. That is, buying a new battery will cost much less.

Using a special solution

It is much more difficult to “treat” the battery if the plates are shorted. Diagnostics of the car battery, of course, could be erroneous. However, if a short circuit has occurred, then in some cases a simple flush helps. After all, it could close from the sediment at the bottom of the “can”. The battery is washed with both distilled water and special solutions, such as Trilon B solution. By the way, it can also be used to desulfate the battery. This is done as follows:

• electrolyte is pumped out with the help of a pin;
• trilon B is poured so that the plates are completely covered with it;
• The battery is left for about an hour, while there is a rather violent boiling reaction and all sulfates dissolve;
• using a syringe, everything is drained and washed several times with distilled water;
• after washing, ready-made electrolyte is poured into the battery and charging is performed.

Among the disadvantages of such flushing is the threat of plate destruction in old batteries. And when washing, it is also easy to close the plates together with pieces of lead. Accuracy in working with batteries must be very high.

For lovers of experiments

There are more extreme ways for regular serviced batteriesrecovery. For example, to clean the plates from sulfates, a simple cleaning is done by taking out 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 require this 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 deposit in the "bank" of the battery or pieces of lead from a crumbling plate are visible, 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 solved at the stage of maintenance and prevention. Simply following a few rules will prolong the life of the battery and remove many future issues. First of all, it is worth checking the level and density of the electrolyte regularly. In case of shortage, you need to add distilled water, and in case of insufficient density, put the battery on charge. In severe frosts, it is better to keep the battery density at 1.4 g/cm3. And if there is no confidence in a good density, it is better to remove and bring the battery into a warm room.