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flat battery

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  • 20-02-2006 10:14am
    #1
    rondeco
    Registered Users Posts: 860 ✭✭✭


    Battery is flat and car wont start this morning. Now I know very little about cars but I opened the little black lids on top of the battery and most of them are empty. I presume it is water that goes in there. Can I put in tap water or is there something else required. Appreciate any help I can get. its a 96 nissan almera.


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    #2
    redman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭redman


    Ideally use Distilled water only.

    It was a very low specific conductance and ordinary tap water will shorten the batterys life as it contains minerals and chemicals.

    Now as it's 96 and I presume its the original battery, it could do with replacing anyway, so maybe use ordinary water if you are gonna buy a new one anyway.

    Also if you do full recharge the battery and it dies again, it may be your alternator(which recharges the battery when you are driving).

    When(if) using jump leads go for red/live from host car to red/live to yours. then black leads from host and to yours. When removing the leads do the reverese.


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    #3
    rondeco
    Registered Users Posts: 860 ✭✭✭rondeco


    redman wrote:
    Ideally use Distilled water only.

    It was a very low specific conductance and ordinary tap water will shorten the batterys life as it contains minerals and chemicals.

    Now as it's 96 and I presume its the original battery, it could do with replacing anyway, so maybe use ordinary water if you are gonna buy a new one anyway.

    Also if you do full recharge the battery and it dies again, it may be your alternator(which recharges the battery when you are driving).

    When(if) using jump leads go for red/live from host car to red/live to yours. then black leads from host and to yours. When removing the leads do the reverese.

    You're a gentleman. Thanks for the help.


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    #4
    AMurphy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭AMurphy


    You'll need distilled water for starters, but that is no guarentee that the batt will recover or perform well thereafter.
    But it's a cheap fix if it works. You should be able to get distilled water at any pharmacy.

    Do not completely fill the cell, fill about half way between the top of the plates and the bpttomside of the cover, reason, the "water" expands when the battery heats up, and if already full, will overflow acid, which in turn will strip and rust the paint and steel. And you need some room for the Gasses to expand and escape without pusing out liquid.

    However, if after all this, one cell tends to fiss and "boil" excessively, you have a dead cell and consequently a dead or dying battery.


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