Got an old ranch truck thats a 94 dodge diesel and everything was working as usual and then all of a sudden one of the batteries had the tops blow off spraying everything with battery acid. Thought it was just a random bad battery at first but after putting another one in she started surging and acting funny and we were afraid we were going to pop another top so we ended up towing it back. Has anyone heard of something like this happening before and what ended up being the problem?
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anyone had a battery explode before?
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Last: 9 days ago by Ribeye-Rare
Yeah, back in the early 90's I had a battery go dead on my '84 ranger. It was a manual transmission, so we push started it and got it back home. When I tried to crank it at home, it exploded. I think it has to do with being an old battery and leaking hydrogen gas... the spark probably came from a poor connection at the terminals and boom.
Lead acid batteries can form hydrogen gas if the solution inside gets low and the electrodes are exposed too much air, I believe. Then any short circuit in the battery that sparks it can blow off the battery cover or blow it out. I think an overvoltage from a bad alternator or generator can make this more likely.
some additional info from my buddy who was actually driving it at the time
it started to rev down like it was going to die, I went and started giving it some throttle and it wouldnt rev all the way up, seems like not all cylinders were hitting, then i started to limp it along, had zero power and was rolling thick grey smoke. the battery gage kept fluttering too. finally just died. when we were towing it back the flashers would come on and off, and alarms and dings. like it was possessed. dad told me that a week ago he realized it had overcharged the battery and thought the alternator was going bad, he took it over to the mechanic and they changed the lead that connects both the batteries, thinking that it was just a connection issue. so, it could have been the alternator i guess but it escalated to other problems too
it started to rev down like it was going to die, I went and started giving it some throttle and it wouldnt rev all the way up, seems like not all cylinders were hitting, then i started to limp it along, had zero power and was rolling thick grey smoke. the battery gage kept fluttering too. finally just died. when we were towing it back the flashers would come on and off, and alarms and dings. like it was possessed. dad told me that a week ago he realized it had overcharged the battery and thought the alternator was going bad, he took it over to the mechanic and they changed the lead that connects both the batteries, thinking that it was just a connection issue. so, it could have been the alternator i guess but it escalated to other problems too
Mom's car died at the hair dresser once... Back in the 90's. I was still in HS. Dad and I showed up to give her a jump. Hooked the cables up and let it sit for a minute then I hopped in and went to give it a crank. BOOM!
get a meter and test what the charging voltage is
Does a 94 Dodge even need a battery to run?
ought1ag said:
some additional info from my buddy who was actually driving it at the time
it started to rev down like it was going to die, I went and started giving it some throttle and it wouldnt rev all the way up, seems like not all cylinders were hitting, then i started to limp it along, had zero power and was rolling thick grey smoke. the battery gage kept fluttering too. finally just died. when we were towing it back the flashers would come on and off, and alarms and dings. like it was possessed. dad told me that a week ago he realized it had overcharged the battery and thought the alternator was going bad, he took it over to the mechanic and they changed the lead that connects both the batteries, thinking that it was just a connection issue. so, it could have been the alternator i guess but it escalated to other problems too
Did the horn start honking all by itself?
yes
Maybe the bearings went bad in one of the pulleys and started to eat the belt? Seems like the only thing that would make everything go to hell like that.
My mother had a Peugeot back in the early 80's and her battery randomly blew up outside IAH. I was there as a teenager - it was pretty startling.
Saw it happen on a forklift in the late 80s/early 90s. Scared the hell out of the guy driving the lift.
Yeah, and it can be very bad news if you're not protected when it blows.
I had a forklift battery on a non-auto-shutoff charger and forgot about it after getting a call about a family emergency that required I go out of town right then.
When I got back the next day I remembered that damn thing was still on the charger and went to take the cables off it.
Big mistake. Something sparked, and the big-ass forklift battery exploded with me standing right next to it at waist level.
It sounded like a gun went off right next to my ear. I was partially deaf for a few days, and the battery acid was all over the side of my jeans. It totally destroyed the jeans.
I count myself extraordinarily lucky that the acid wasn't blown up onto my face and into my eyes.
My takeaway -- I saved a few bucks by not buying the auto-shutoff charger. Penny wise and pound foolish.
I had a forklift battery on a non-auto-shutoff charger and forgot about it after getting a call about a family emergency that required I go out of town right then.
When I got back the next day I remembered that damn thing was still on the charger and went to take the cables off it.
Big mistake. Something sparked, and the big-ass forklift battery exploded with me standing right next to it at waist level.
It sounded like a gun went off right next to my ear. I was partially deaf for a few days, and the battery acid was all over the side of my jeans. It totally destroyed the jeans.
I count myself extraordinarily lucky that the acid wasn't blown up onto my face and into my eyes.
My takeaway -- I saved a few bucks by not buying the auto-shutoff charger. Penny wise and pound foolish.
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