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Battery

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DNK

DNK

Great Pumpkin
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About 8 years ago I bought a battery for the 6. Never used it,though, it has been sitting in it for most of that time. Just put a volt meter to it and it registered a whopping 0.537 volts.
Do you think this thing is saveable?
 
Probably not. Best chance would be a "desulfator" of some sort. They are available commercially (though the price is likely as much as the battery is worth), or there are lots of plans on the 'net for building your own. Here is one example: https://www.instructables.com/id/Desulfator-for-12V-Car-Batteries-in-an-Altoids-Ti/

I have had some success using just a higher voltage DC supply (my bench supply will put out 60 volts) and a big dropping resistor. Let me know if that idea appeals, and I'll post more information.

Although I have not tried it, I suspect that a suitable diode (from Radio Shack) and an ordinary light bulb would work about as well, too.

With any of these approaches, it will likely take multiple days to get results. And I'd say your chances of success are no more than 1 in 3.
 
I've never had more than very temporary luck with any lead acid battery that has been drained to nothing...even when they were brand new when it happened.

I also don't trust any battery over 3 years old...and replace them at 5 years. A lot of batteries can go much longer, but every time I've kept one longer than 5 years, I've been sorry I did.

Just my experience...

John
 
I installed the AGM battery Moss sells, made by WestCo, Miata replacement I think. It's about 5 years old now, regularly sits for 8 month stretches over the non-summer months. Still fires right up.
 
What are you out if you stick it on a 2 amp charger and let it sit for couple of days. Then drop it in something and see what happens. Worse case it goes dead again in a few days and you have to buy a new battery. Best case is it works and you get a couple years out of it.

My bet is that the battery is toast and you will have to get a new one.
 
Lead acid batteries will sulfate (crystalize) when left sitting that long. If it had been on an automatic maintainer, it may still be good, but chances are, its' not good for anything but a 'core' charge. Just 3 years of sitting will kill a new battery completely, and that's from experience. Even after running it through a desulfator it would only hold enough charge for maybe one start, if i was lucky.
 
My boat battery has sat for a year and a half outside w/ no charger and fires right up. A had a deep cycle battery that was the same way. I think it sat three or four years w/o any attention and worked great.
 
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