I am trying to remove the battery with out taking floor out and all on top of it... I have a 1961 1 ton Boyertown Ford parcel truck P350 customized battery box where I would have to take all out of seating area floors... lots of work . The battery box came off of a 1940 Plymouth and welding in so in order to take out floor boards must come out.. But I can get and see the battery box under the truck IF I cut (grind) the front 12 inches or so I could take the battery out and add a side bar . Could I wet towels cover the top f the battery make a shield and use a small grinder to cut the metal or I am taking to big of a chance Thanks for the info DANiel
Issues would be hitting it with the cutting wheel. Acid all over you. Fumes from the battery can explode. But to me a fan behind you to protect your breathing and a wet towel would be good. That's only an old mans opinion.
ANY time you cut and/or grind around a battery you are taking a chance. Wet rags covering the battery and plenty of ventilation may help but still not advisable. I would recommend taking the long way, remove everything properly to access the battery, remove it then modify the box for future battery work.
Ever see a Deka 8D AGM battery explode? I have. It was supposed to be sealed, but it had a little leak. One little spark, and up it went.
Anyone who has had a battery explode anywhere near them does not want to do it twice!....Get it out of the way before sparking up anywhere near it.
yeah when I was an apprentice the old fella there put a battery on charge under a bench RIGHT NEXT to the bench grinder, I went to use the grinder, the battery went off , I got covered in acid..... as did the Mercedes next to the bench, totally ruined my day and gave him a lot of things to fix take it out!
The noise is the least of your worries! When a top post goes off it pulls the plates and acid with it and showers the area. The shrapnel goes like ......well a BOMB. I seen one that went off under a closed hood and it buckled the hood and creased it.
Yep .......take it out. Heard/saw a battery powered scissor lift on a job one time with a guy welding above it go off, needless to say it was not pretty, and luckily no one close enough to get hurt. "KABOOM" Acid, lead and sulfuric smoke everywhere.
sign up with state farm that way when mayham strikes your family may have funds to put up a plaque to stupitity in your honor
Once you get it out you can change it to your liking. I would put a remote battery connection on for charging without removing. Starting with a fresh battery you should only have to remove it every 5 years or so.
one thing for sure, if you are going to make sparks to get to it, be sure and video the whole thing for our future enjoyment.
Many years ago I jumped started a frozen battery in a customers car{I didn't know it was frozen}.Man it blew up. I couldn't hear right for a day and I washed my shirt bur it still was in shreds after the acid got on it.Dont take any chances and good luck. Bruce.
Thanks for the Reply s hers a picture of my 40 Plymouth battery box in my 1961 Boyertown P350 Parcel Truck , the battery fit in perfect but taking out was a a pain SO I had to cut the side out .. Now anybody can replace it if needed it took my @ 6 hours to take the equipment out on top but was worth it .. in the end .. Only reason I question is some guys at the junk yard and some mechanics said to use wet towels and a shield I had my doubts and asked the ? here and got my gut feeling answered THANKS. DANiel
We had a worker that used his lighter for light to check the fluid level in a battery. At least he had his safety glasses on when it exploded.
Wow, I was under the impression batteries only give off explosive fumes when being charged ( alternator/charger).
Don't take any chances! Had a battery "pop its lid" once.... didn't know exactly what had caused that to happen, it just decided to let loose..... The only thing I can recall is that the hood was open and I had a screwdriver in one hand (not the Vodka kind)....other than that, a mystery. Must've shorted something.
Keep the electrolyte topped off by adding water if necessary. I seem to remember reading that with exposed plates, internal arcing can occur. You can guess the rest. Also, a dead or flat battery can freeze solid. Never attempt to charge a dead battery. I'm as chea... er thrifty as the next guy and like to get at least 8 years out of an auto start battery but wringing every last electron out of these things seems like too much risk for little gain. NO smoking around batteries, NO sparks, and always take rings and jewelry off when working around them. Always remove the ground/earth first and reconnect last. There is tremendous potential energy stored in a lead-acid automotive battery, they are nothing to fuck with.
Truck64,thats why I don't wear a wedding ring. Almost lost that finger years ago. Too close for comfort .So I let my wife put a ring thru my nose like they do to bulls. JUST KIDDING. LOL. Bruce.
Yes, they produce Hydrogen gas when being charged. That does not mean that they only release Hydrogen gas when they are being charged. Some batteries are fully vented, others are pressure vented, some batteries are not vented at all. If you have a fully vented battery, the Hydrogen gas will be released quickly, and will dissipate quickly. If you have a battery that depends on positive pressure to push open a release valve, or you have a partially restricted vent, or you have a sealed battery with a small crack or other defect in the case, you can have a slow Hydrogen gas leak, backed up by potential pressure inside the case (aka: Hydrogen bomb).
Yes but in a pinch, if the plates are exposed any clean drinkable water is fine. See where I'm goin' with that?
Late one night about fifteen years ago I was unlocking a car at a movie theatre (I used to drive a tow truck) for a customer after the place had closed up for the night. A bunch of employees were standing around the lot talking. One guy went to leave and when he turned the key on in his Mazda the battery exploded. It sounded like a shotgun and all the theatre employees dove on the ground thinking there was a drive-by shooting or something. I also witnessed batteries in three different Lexus 300's blow up. I never did hear if there was something wrong with that specific model (other than the fact that it's a Lexus) but I always warned the new guys to be extra careful with those.
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