Battery woes

[blue_myriddn]

Let me preface this post by saying that I am very new to ownership so please feel free to put things simply.

Situation:
Hopped in the car today, turned the key and no go. No lights or anything. Essentially a dead battery.

History
MT35 Interstate battery was purchased and installed on Jan 16. Car was driven locally and then a few days later took a long trip from New Jersey to DC with no problems at all. Car started up easily after refueling. It was out again for a short trip for inspections and then garaged until for a week due to cold weather (Virginia cold, so not all THAT cold).

The battery was not on a battery tender unfortunately, I needed to rewire an outlet in the garage first.

When I popped the hood and took out the spare to get a good look, two things struck me as odd (see attached photos):
[1] there were drops of condensation on the sides of the battery and no where else in the engine. The car hasn't been washed, so it isn't left over from a bath.
[2] there was white powder on the right hand side of the metal pan under the battery.

Seems to me like the battery may be leaking? I am thinking that I should perhaps remove the battery and get a better look, but that is a little time consuming and I am a rookie.

Any recommendations?

 

[pgilliam1]

I've never seen a battery sweat like that. It almost looks like the holding bracket is overtightened causing the sides of the battery to bulge outward. Maybe the battery wasn't fully charged to begin with. Have you checked the dash guage or put an ohm meter on the battery terminals when the engine is running to make sure the alternator is charging?

 

[stevieray122854]

It's never good when a battery bulges like that plus I don't think you can tighten the brackets enough to make it bulge. If that's the deal, that's an awfully thin case for a battery. IMO, get that thing out of there, take it back and get a replacement since it's practically new.

 

[warrenw]

Could this battery have frozen?
I have seen batteries bulge like this when they have little charge in the cold and freeze.
A fully charged battery will seldom freeze, except extreme cold. Doubt if VA gets that cold. (it does here in Edmonton)

Is it possible that the battery got that cold? If not, return it. Batteries have great warranties.

 

[blue_myriddn]

Could this battery have frozen?
I have seen batteries bulge like this when they have little charge in the cold and freeze.
A fully charged battery will seldom freeze, except extreme cold. Doubt if VA gets that cold. (it does here in Edmonton)

Is it possible that the battery got that cold? If not, return it. Batteries have great warranties.

Extremely unlikely. Temperatures only got down to the low 30s or high 20s at worst and the car was in a garage. Not a heated garage, but a fully enclosed garage.

Thanks all for the thoughts, as a new owner I appreciate some experienced eyes on this. Looks like I will be taking the battery out as my first DIY project

 

[Thunder]

Probably a problem of the charge controller alternator (voltage regulator) should be monitored (page 23/100 of the technical manual):smile:

 

[Doc308]

I'd replace the battery . I had a brand new battery in my '92 when I first got the car and it would keep discharging. After all of the fret over what could be killing the battery, it turned out to be nothing more than a defective battery.

When you install your new battery, be careful not to overtighten the hold-down things and be real careful about not letting the front mount of the hold-down bracket get too close to the battery terminals. On my car, the bracket was a fraction of an inch from touching the postive terminal, so I shimmed it out .

 

[robbiedawg]

one side of the hold down bracket is narrower than the other.if you make sure that side is mounted horizontally towards the terminals,the bracket will be less likely to contact them.

 

[blue_myriddn]

update.

Pulled the battery out, was very easy to do. The battery itself doesn't appear to be overly bulged, but it is definitely leaking water. I turned it a bit and could see water leaking out, so I think a replacement is in order. I personally don't think it is worth recharging this battery, but I am open to more experienced owners pointing me in a different direction.

I included a shot to show how much water has already drained out as well. Pretty weird.

Sadly, the battery was purchased in New Jersey and I am not making the trip back up to take it back so it will just be a new purchase.

 

[Briank]

I if you have the receipt you should be able to take it back to any interstate dealer. I you sure it electrolyte that has leaked, does it foam when baking soda is applied ?

 

[Doc308]

You're right--forget about recharging it; it's shot.

 

[ralph cerbone]

Get rid of it , forget about it being overtighten ,the bracket is just not that strong to break the case . Is it possible the battery was dropped in when it was replaced ? even then I doubt it, but I have seen case failures before .

 

[blue_myriddn]

I if you have the receipt you should be able to take it back to any interstate dealer. I you sure it electrolyte that has leaked, does it foam when baking soda is applied ?

I was pleasantly surprised to find that you are correct when I bought the new battery, they told me to bring the old one back in and they will refund me for the battery I bought.
My father in law asked the same question and recommended this baking soda rinse, going to head down and do that now.

New battery worked like a champ and the wife got to go for her first ride around after I put everything back together. Thanks all for the comments, made me feel better about my course of action.