battery exploded!!
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Joined: Feb 2015
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From: hawkesbay
battery exploded!!
Just come back from a drive and parked the car up in the driveway and gave her the customary wash.i was just starting to chammy it off when it started to spit a few spots of rain so I thoughgt I would run the car into the garage to finish it off.Went to start it up and it cranked over good as and then there was an almighty bang and smoke coming out from the right hand bonnet corner,popped the hood and went to grab an extinguisher and lifted the hood up.Both battery tops were off and there was a bit of smoke/fumes etc floating around.put the tops back on and ran abit of water around to flush any fluid away which lucky there was not much except on the corner of the inside bonnet where one top must have popped up to.No power of any sort at the go button.I took the whole battery out and gave it another good rinse all around just incase.When I got the battery out the whole top has a crack across it.
Does anyone know any tricks to get the car out of park and into neutral so I can push it into the garage?it has an ac delco 85-6YR.I will get a new one and get the charging system checked over too I guess?
Does anyone know any tricks to get the car out of park and into neutral so I can push it into the garage?it has an ac delco 85-6YR.I will get a new one and get the charging system checked over too I guess?
Racer
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 306
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From: Twain Harte CA
Glad you and the car are OK. . . .
Sound like there was an internal problem with the battery (perhaps a loose post?) or a poor external connection to the battery, a build-up of hydrogen gas, and a spark set it off. . . . Hope you're able to figure out what caused the explosion.
Steve
Sound like there was an internal problem with the battery (perhaps a loose post?) or a poor external connection to the battery, a build-up of hydrogen gas, and a spark set it off. . . . Hope you're able to figure out what caused the explosion.
Steve
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Joined: Feb 2015
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From: hawkesbay
got it sorted,took the battery out of wifes car and connected jumpers to the cables,opened the door and got it into neutral so I could push it into the shed.will get a new battery and get it checked over.thanks.
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From: Akron Ohio
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From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
I just completed a short trip in my other car and early one morning I ckd under the hood. There was corrosion over the batt. holddown clamp. Cleaned it with water only. When I got home a week or so later, I looked and more corrosion, same place. Took it apart, used baking soda, then dried and put on some corrosion protector (vaseline).
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Southern Utah
This is a normal occurrence when the water in a battery gets low and the top of the plates is exposed to the air. When a heavy load is then put on the battery, like starting the car, a spark can jump across from plate to plate and ignite the hydrogen that is always inside the battery. Be sure to do alot of rinsing to get all the acid off the areas directly below the battery...lots of important wires and connectors there.
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From: T-Town WA
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Oceanside CA
In an old Ford F150 the battery exploded. Very dangerous to get sulfuric acid (H2SO4 for you purists
) on your skin or in your eyes. A classmate of mine had a battery explode in his face and he had acid burns for a couple weeks.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Central MO
Yep, we had a 1992 Grand Caravan that did the same thing many years ago. Of course, it was when the wife was out of town on a trip. She shut it down, filled up with gas, and when she restarted the battery exploded. Luckily there was an auto parts store across the street so it was relatively painless for them to replace it. It appeared to me that the battery had run low on water, and between that and the high summer temperature, it probably shorted out with the current surge.
When she returned home I immediately sprayed the whole underside of the hood with baking soda/water mix. Never did have any paint or wiring issues so I guess it worked out OK. We drove that car for another 7 or 8 years after the explosion - we put right at 200k miles on it and only had routine maintenance in the 14-1/2 years we owned it.
When she returned home I immediately sprayed the whole underside of the hood with baking soda/water mix. Never did have any paint or wiring issues so I guess it worked out OK. We drove that car for another 7 or 8 years after the explosion - we put right at 200k miles on it and only had routine maintenance in the 14-1/2 years we owned it.