The serviceability of the battery can be judged not only by the level of voltage at its terminals, but also by the color of the electrolyte in the banks. Of course, such diagnostics can only be performed with a serviced battery model. If you are the lucky owner of such a battery, then in case of a timely detection of a problem, save the battery.
Content
What color should the electrolyte be?
Before proceeding with troubleshooting, it is necessary to find out what color the reference mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water used in modern rechargeable batteries should be. As you know, water is a transparent liquid, concentrated sulfuric acid also has no color and odor.
When acid and water are mixed, a colorless liquid is formed, therefore, if this mixture is colored during battery operation, the reason for this phenomenon is the substances that make up the internal plates.
Reasons why electrolyte is getting dark
There may be several reasons for staining the acid liquid in dark shades. Most often, the following breakdowns lead to a change in the color of the mixture:
- Destruction of the filler plug, loose screwing or other kind of tightness of the housing. The change in color of the electrolyte in this case is due to the ingress of dirt, grease or coolant into the battery.
- Adding low-quality distilled water to the battery. To restore the level in the serviced battery, during operation in the summer, the driver often has to add water to the banks of the battery, so instead of distilled water, by mistake, tap water can be filled. Also, a similar situation can occur when servicing the battery by a novice driver. No one is safe from acquiring a poor-quality mixture of sulfuric acid and water in a store.
- Buying a poor-quality battery, and if the battery was supplied in a dry-charged state, then the unsatisfactory quality of the acid mixture. In any case, it is better to purchase such goods in proven places.
- Severe battery overheating during charging can also lead to a discoloration of the electrolyte. The reason for the occurrence of overcharging the batteries can be different, but usually this is a malfunction of the relay regulator or the charger operating from the mains. Incorrect charging current and charging too long.
- Deep discharge of the battery also leads to a discoloration of the acid mixture. In order to exclude the possibility of a strong discharge, it is necessary to carefully monitor the absence of included consumers of electricity when the car is parked.
Knowing the main causes of the color change in the liquid, you can try to prevent the occurrence of a battery malfunction.
What to do if cloudy electrolyte
If the prevention of breakdown did not bring the desired result and the electrolyte in one bank or in all significantly dimmed, then depending on the color of the liquid, certain actions are performed to restore the battery’s performance.
Gray electrolyte
If the acid mixture has turned gray, then the most likely cause of the discoloration of the liquid is a strong discharge of the battery. To restore battery performance, it is recommended to carefully drain the electrolyte and fill in a new acid-aqueous liquid.
Then make a cyclic charge of the battery recommended by the manufacturer voltage and current.
Cloudy electrolyte
If the electrolyte becomes cloudy, the most likely reason is the use of a poor-quality acid mixture or ordinary tap water was mistakenly poured into a jar. If a color change is observed in all banks, then a poor-quality battery may have been purchased.
In many cases, in the presence of a cloudy electrolyte in banks, the battery can be fully restored to working capacity as a result of replacing the acid mixture and fully charging the battery.
Brown electrolyte
The brown color of the electrolyte acquires with a strong overcharge of the battery. Also, such a change can be observed with very bare plates during standard battery charging.
If the shade of the acidic liquid has a not too saturated color, then after adding the necessary amount of the acid mixture to the problem banks, you can almost completely restore the battery’s performance. If the brown color is darker, then you will need to replace the electrolyte with a new one and recharge the battery.
Black electrolyte in battery
If the acidic liquid inside the cans has turned black, then most likely the battery will need to be replaced. The electrolyte turns black when the plates are destroyed, and lead is scattered on the bottom of the cans, which stains the liquid in a dark color.
If such a sign of a battery malfunction is observed only in one bank, then you can try to replace the electrolyte in it. In this case, a partial restoration of the operability of the electric current element is possible, but only if there is no short circuit between the plates.
Why does a cloudy electrolyte appear when charging
If the electrolyte darkens during charging, then almost always the cause of the color change of the liquid is the incorrectly set value of the current level on the charger. Batteries for cars are recommended to be charged with a current of not more than 10 percent of the nominal capacity of the device.
The battery should be charged for 10 hours, therefore, leaving the connected charger for a longer period of time can lead to clouding of the acidic liquid.
Still have questions about cloudy electrolyte or have something to add? Then write to us about it in the comments, this will make the material more useful, complete and accurate.
