Cause for concern? Die Hard Gold Battery -pic-

[BBuzecky]

Funny enough, I posted on another thread seen here...

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2011847#Post2011847

to help the OP since I own a Mazda 3. Anyway, I took a look at my battery and this is what it looks like...

The yellow stuff has always been there, I assume some sort of anti-corrosive agent the installer put on. The battery is a Die Hard Gold, installed about 3.5 years ago. My concern is the leaking (darker stains) near the caps on the battery. I'll be the first to admit I don't check the battery on a regular basis, but I have never noticed this in the past.

Is this something I should be concerned with? Please give me your opinion. Also, to check the water level do you just pop up those caps on the top of the battery? Die hard claims it's a maintenance free, but that's likely a myth. Thanks guys.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Eating a ham sandwich with lots of mustard while installing a battery is not something I want in a battery installer.

I used to use Autozone batteries with removable caps. I would always top them off with distilled water every month. Weird that yours are leaking like that.

 

[Kuato]

It could be a leak from the battery, or it could be from another source. I'd clean the entire top of the battery with a solution of baking soda and water (a base, to counteract any acid) and keep an eye on it every week or so. Also, Chris' idea of topping off with distilled water is spot on.

 

[daves66nova]

Originally Posted By: BBuzecky

The battery is a Die Hard Gold
Is this something I should be concerned with?
Is this something YOU should be concerned with?YES!It's leaking the"GOLD" from inside!!LOL

 

[BBuzecky]

To fill with water, just pop open those caps with a screwdriver?

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Originally Posted By: BBuzecky
To fill with water, just pop open those caps with a screwdriver?


Yes.

 

[FL_Rob]

Yes,watch your eyes,stand back a little,or pop'em off with a rag over top.We used to have to do this all the time before maint.,free batts.

 

[BBuzecky]

Just popped them off. There were 3 holes below each cap. The holes are maybe an inch deep, then you can see the main guts of the battery. The main guts of the battery is covered with water, right around to where the holes start to come up.

Does anyone know what the right level of water should be on these batteries? Obviously there is no line as it's supposed to be maintenance free. If the water has to be up to near the cap tops then I could fill it a little, but I don't want to overfill. Any input?

 

[Colt45ws]

http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/carfaq3.htm

 

[RnR]

Sure, first of all the most important thing is to ensure the cells are always covered, and if they aren't - bring them up (to where the water surface appears to "warp" when in contact with the bottom of the plastic column). The manufacturer gives you a little wiggle room by virtue of the column height, but any overfilling may eventually be evidenced by out-flow as you have observed. Just do your best in keeping any debris (and especially that baking soda mix) OUT of the cells. You may have to devise an accurate way of getting the distilled water into each cell (or just buy a battery "bulb" at the auto store) - but you'll get it I'm sure. When complete make sure you hear the caps snap back into place and are visually parallel with the top of the battery as you take a close look at it when you are done (through safety glasses if you please).

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: RnR
Sure, first of all the most important thing is to ensure the cells are always covered, and if they aren't - bring them up (to where the water surface appears to "warp" when in contact with the bottom of the plastic column).
+1 and I only use distilled water.

 

[The_Eric]

Cause for concern? No. It's typical of a Johnson Controls battery or an Exide for that matter. Just spray some cleaner on it and hose it off, making sure to thoroughly saturate the area below it.

 

[spasm3]

i would clean that battery off, all that dust and so forth can cause a battery to lose charge over time. I spray my engines off at least a couple of times a year. Plus if that is acid leaking down, its eating at your battery box clean it off every now and then to prevent rusting out the battery holder.

 

[bdcardinal]

Johnson Controls makes the batteries for Sears. When I worked there they told us to tell customers to never top off as it would void the warranty on the battery.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Johnson Controls makes the batteries for Sears. When I worked there they told us to tell customers to never top off as it would void the warranty on the battery.

If Johnson Controls does not want their batteries top off with distilled water or any other fluid, they should seal the caps or at least put a warning on top of the battery. Verbal warning does not hold up in the court of law.

 

[Vizzy]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Johnson Controls makes the batteries for Sears. When I worked there they told us to tell customers to never top off as it would void the warranty on the battery.

If Johnson Controls does not want their batteries top off with distilled water or any other fluid, they should seal the caps or at least put a warning on top of the battery. Verbal warning does not hold up in the court of law.



Yep....unless the battery has instructions either supplied with the battery and given to the customer or printed on the battery itself it is perfectly fine to add distilled water or better electrolyte fluid.

You can usually get electrolyte fluid at any chain parts store but you have to ask for it. They may even want to be the ones to fill the battery .


I would be concerned about that fluid on the battery....first use baking soda and water to clean the ENTIRE battery and surrounding area in case acid made its way to other parts of the engine compartment....then keep an eye on it...

Could it be that the battery is being over charged?

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

If Johnson Controls does not want their batteries top off with distilled water or any other fluid, they should seal the caps or at least put a warning on top of the battery. Verbal warning does not hold up in the court of law.


Johnson Controls does make batteries with caps that are not designed to be removed. I suspect that they lock into place and can't be removed without destroying them. Some Ford vehicles do or did come with these batteries from the factory.

 

[Eddie]

Johnson controls has probably found out by experience that too many customers use dirty water, tap water and anything that looks like water and frequently over fill. This leads to leaking complaints, poor long term service and warranty claims. If you are going to check & top up if needed, then you should know how to do it and used demineralized water.

 

[AuthorEditor]

That type of moisture is usually an indication of overcharging, which boils off some of the battery fluid which is in turn vented through those caps that you pulled to inspect the water level. However, if the level of the fluid was not below the tops of the plates that indicates you haven't experience serious overcharging. Your voltage regulator may be a bit out of spec. You might want to have it checked for max. charging voltage which is likely to be around 13.8 volts. Since car regulators are pretty dumb, you can experience mild overcharging when you do long highway miles with not much electrical load on even if the regulator is working right. The amount of moisture in your photos looks to me just about like mild overcharging as a result of long runs. On the other hand, I've had batteries that got wet from splashing when driving in the rain that looked pretty much like that too.

 

[BBuzecky]

Well thanks to everyone who helped me out with my questions.

The battery cleaned up nicely and has been topped off with distilled water. Of the six holes, all of them needed a bit of water, but the last hole (extreme right of my photo) the water barely above the cell, any movement would expose the cell to air.

I guess I may have had a false sense of security, as when I bought the battery I was promised it never needed any maintenance, it was better to just leave it alone. It seems I corrected the water just before the cells were exposed, so it surely needs some attention once in awhile. Thanks again for helping me out.