Battery blew the top!

[Jacek]

Hey Guys, I need a bit of help here.

Here is the story - I drove 450 miles to a cabin and parked the truck for a week.

The temps dropped down to -30f or so, but then it warmed up into the teens.

There is no power there, so I couldn't plug the truck in, but after some coaxing it finally fired up. We drove for another 300 miles and poof - I see some steam from the front left headlight. Then the smell got pretty bad in the cab. I pulled over and opened the hood and the cell covers on top of the battery were off and acid was all over the place. I pushed them back on and a mile later it happened again. I disconnected the negative terminal and drove the last 100 miles to Anchorage.

So, now I have a couple of questions - what damage under the hood was caused by the acid? Is the hood liner (now soaked with acid) toast? How about the radiator hose? I sprinkled baking soda all over, and will get some more in the morning.

And I guess the big question is - was it a faulty voltage regulator, or a battery? How do I test the voltage regulator? When battery was unplagged it was showing two bars less than 18 volts on the factory voltage gauge.

Thanks in advance!



Jacek

 

[1stgen4evr]

just a guess

But if the battery didn't explode, look for the problem somewhere else. The sort of temperatures you are experiencing are very different from here but I have had a battery to explode from an internal short. The hydrogen gas that is generated from hard cranking or charging can be ignited from an internal spark. But there was no question because I heard the pop.



I would think that you need to soak the material under the hood with baking soda solution. Otherwise, you will be seeing through the hood some time later. The rubber parts won't be hurt by the acid but any crack or seam that the acid gets into will need a dose of baking soda. Do a good job and check it over the next few weeks. It may need several doses of soda.



James

 

[moparguy]

I'd pull the pad out. And this suggestion might be tough with the temps you've likely got, but I'd try to find a place where I could flood anything I suspected might have been splashed with acid with lots of water. Then mix up a baking soda solution like James said and drench the same areas. After a few days I'd rinse again and spray down with some type light oil (WD40).



Good luck, RJR

 

[DPinkston]

WASH, WASH, WASH, and WASH again, NOW! Don't waste any time! Use the baking soda as suggested or you can get some battery acid neutralizer in a can. I just paid big money to rebuild my P pump due to battery acid weakening one of the barrels causing it to split.

Danny

 

[BigEasy]

That sure sounds like a Voltage Regulator gone bad to me...

 

[bgilbert]

Intercooled - internal voltage regulator? Bad alternator? How old was your battery?

 

[Jacek]

The battery was about a year old.

Should I change the voltage regulator before getting a new battery?

Is there a way to check it without the engine running? And is it located on the alternator? Easy to change?

The truck is just sitting in the snow now, I better get going on the hood liner. Can't really wash with water because of the temps, though.



Jacek