Help - Melted Battery Post

I was giving almost new batteries that somebody dropped the wrench across the positive and negative of one of each batteries and melted the top post so I was thinking about maybe putting a screw or something to hook on the cable what do you think that I can do safely thank you again Dan d a n

Dan Shelby wrote:I was giving almost new batteries that somebody dropped the wrench across the positive and negative of one of each batteries and melted the top post so I was thinking about maybe putting a screw or something to hook on the cable what do you think that I can do safely thank you again Dan d a n

Hey Dan. I think if there was enough current to melt the battery post (yikes!), the battery itself may be damaged internally.

If you are using it to start a vehicle, then putting in a screw would not be a good idea. There has to be a big chunk of conductive metal to safely move a surge of current to the starter without causing the wiring to overheat and catch fire.

Can you post a picture? If you are using the battery for a solar panel or a "light duty" job, then perhaps a screw and solid connector could work.

Sorry to hear that, Dan — a wrench across the posts can dump an enormous amount of current in a fraction of a second, and as Douglas said the battery itself may have taken damage even if the case looks fine. I'd charge it up, then put a real load on it (headlights on for ten minutes) and watch whether the voltage holds; if it drops fast, the internal plates are probably warped and the battery is unreliable. If it does hold, clean the melted post down to bright metal, seat the clamp tight, and keep an eye on heat at that terminal for the first few cycles.

Don't give up yet!
I melted a battery post on a huge old 4v solar cell a few years ago, due loose connection/corrosion, not sure. Was in the lake cabin, not used much, therefore was not paying enough attention. Could have been worse.
I took a large old fishing sinker, built a mold out of sheet metal, and recast the lug on top of the remaining stump. Not perfect, but it didn't show voltage drop that I could measure, battery lived on until the whole bank died couple years later. Bank was almost 30 years old at the time, very expensive to replace, so very much worth the effort.
Took a couple photos of the process, if I can find them, I'll put them here.
As for you battery, if there is enough post left to charge and the battery will put out current, then it is worth trying.

Depending on how long the wrench was on the terminal could really affect the batteries condition. Recasting a terminal isn't that difficult. However the gasses that come from charging a battery are very explosive so proceed with caution. Side terminal batteries actually have a 3/8 nut within the lead surrounding it and a repair with a soldering iron should it spin free from overtightening. Here is a video of recasting the terminal. https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=299&q=recasting+a+battery+terminal&cvid=c797789a520c4ee2a0a53dc152b53231&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQABhAMgYIAhAAGEAyBggDEAAYQDIGCAQQABhAMgYIBRAAGEAyBggGEAAYQDIGCAcQABhAMgYICBAAGEAyBggJEAAYQNIBCTE1MzU5ajBqN6gCCLACAQ&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=U531

Is this a battle born battery by chance ?

If so look up Will Prowse on youtube, he has demonstrated that this is a danager that these batteries have, and what to do about it.

Cheers,

Mart

When it comes to recasting battery terminals, I can't imagine doing that safety without draining the electrolyte (hey, let's boil some sulfuric acid for fun!).

I also think the lead in the battery posts is an alloy rather than pure lead, so it's important to join like with like -- say a battery post sawn off another old battery.

Is the job worth the candle? Anything is possible, but is it worth the effort? That's the calculation.

I wish Dan Shelby (OP) would chime in. If there's half a battery post left, I think there are options.

There was plenty of battery post available in the video above. Personally I would have stripped it to the actual post and put on a proper connector.

It's for a bike though, and that doesn't suck as much starter juice as a car/truck. I wonder how the patch will hold up. Would a resistance test between the actual post and the patch reveal useful information over time? It's good to know these things in case of zombies etc.