Revive old batteries?

94turbocrewcab-lb

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So I know this isn’t IDI specific but I’m not sure this post will get a response else where on the site?

I went to start up the truck to get my hood put back on. My traveling diesel mechanic friend thinks it’s got a leaking injector..just a gray/white smoke once heat up and a slight knock.

But I had to jump the batteries. They only sat for two days maybe? Have you all seen the videos of guys reviving dead batteries with the stick welder? Uncle Tony’s garage on YouTube has a pretty promising test..my batteries were good until this spring when the motor seized.
 

94turbocrewcab-lb

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I haven’t checked yet..they sat unused from March till a week or two ago.

But I also have some left over duralasts from a previous 7.3..maybe those can be brought back to life?
 

12pilgrim

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I use this to keep my truck batteries (and all my lawnmower/motorcycle) up to speed when they wont be used for awhile. Maybe it's trickle charge would bring your batteries to life?

 

franklin2

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As batteries age they get a coating, much like a corrosion, on the plates. That reduces the acid touching the plates, so that reduces the power of the battery. When the batteries sit around a long time discharged, this corrosion is accelerated.

People try all kinds of tricks to knock this corrosion off the batteries. Dropping them on concrete, shocking them with a high voltage, etc. Nothing is fool proof and if it does knock some of the corrosion off, it will not knock it all off.

I have found the best thing to do is go to your local autoparts store, and ask them if they sell used batteries. One of my local Autozones sells "used" batteries for $50 each. They are not really used, but they are brand new batteries that sit on the shelf too long and they cant sell them as new. I have had good success with these batteries, and have saved quite a bit of money. You never know what they will have on this "used" shelf, sometimes none, sometimes batteries that you can use and make work.

We have a interstate battery guy that comes around work every couple of weeks, and I said something to him about it, and they do the same thing. He admitted to me that is all he runs in his personal vehicles.
 

Brian VT

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I buy all my batteries from Interstate.
I go to one of their stores and ask for the "blemished" ones. They're "in the back".
They have no label and no warranty. But they are much cheaper and all the ones I've bought have lasted longer than the vehicles that I bought them for.

That said, a good battery charger has a "recondition" function that can revive/burn off a sulfated battery if it's not too far gone.
 

Nero

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All answers so far are good ones.
To try and save a battery as is, what I've done with pretty good success is trickle charge the battery with a 1.5 Amp charger. Usually takes 3-5 days, but it helps prevent the plates from scaling and reducing the life of them.
 

WrenchWhore

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I'd start by charging them full and doing a load test on them to see which ones are better and more likely to be saved since you have an extra set of Duralasts. What are the date codes on them?
 

Clb

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Try the easy riders barstow battery trick.
.
Dump out contents into a clean container and thoroughly clean the inside of the case with fresh water rinse out all the sludge then rinse with distilled water, refill by straining thru paint strainers or tee shirts to top it up.
This will keep you going for some time.
I've kept a triumph and a shovel alive in excess of 5 years on batteries that would last for 3ish seasons...
Ymmv
 
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