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Thread: Nothing quite says 'I Love You' like an exploding battery....

  1. #1
    Registered User Bigglezworth's Avatar
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    Mech Nothing quite says 'I Love You' like an exploding battery....

    I've had a lot of unfortunate and unsual things happen to me over the years with various rides, and also seen a number of things with friends rides. While I know it's possible, I have never personally had a battery explode on me. I was swapping out my winter ride for the summer ride today after work and when I went to start the car in garage - BOOM!! Loud like a gun shot or a tire expoding. My ears had a ring in them for a couple of minutes following....

    I quickly got out of the car and looked around the car to see if a tire had in fact expoded and everything was fine. Confused, I then got back in the car and tried to start again. This time no power to crank over. Then it donned on me I had a battery problem. I opened the trunk and a plume of smoke billowed out along with that swell smell of battery acid.... Yes. how to make ones day in a matter of seconds....

    Pieces of battery casing strewn about on three sides where the casing had ruptured and obivious acid spray. Unhooked the leads and removed the hulk as best possible without spillling more fluid. The photos don't well depict the carnage, but the trunk carpet took a good chunck of things. The remainder was spray on back of seats and along the side panel and across the rear bulkhead. The clean-up took an hour and consumed a number of litres of water along with three full packages of baking soda. I finally got to the point where I had no bubbling and a spare wheel well full of water.

    Battery was 5 years old and had never had any problems. I keep my cars on a 0.5A battery tender over the months when they aren't out and about and strive to start them up for a half hour run every could of months. This same battery has started the car a number of times this spring after I did all the engine and drive train work without problem.

    I entirely understand why and how a battery explodes, and guess the level of acid was low on one of the cells permitting the plates to warp and touch to create a spark that ignited the hydrogen gas. What confuses me is that these batteries are vented and hook up to a vent tube to ensure they don't build up that gas to support an exposion.

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    Last edited by Bigglezworth; March 27th, 2018 at 05:50. Reason: typos
    '02 S6 Avant Silver - Pokey | Carbon Black/Ebony RS6 w/ stuff - darn quick | '03 Daytona Grey/Ebony RS6 w/ more stuff - quicker yet | '91 NSX CDN issue with 6spd & BBSC - quicker yet and then some | '87 Buick GNX OEM clone w/ lots of stuff - quickest hands down

  2. #2
    Registered User MaxRS6's Avatar
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    Wowza- Dang good thing you weren't running a moonshine load..;0
    210K miles rolled

  3. #3
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    Wow! :O

  4. #4
    Registered User ttboost's Avatar
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    Man, all these RS6's turning on their owner's...not a good sign...watch your backs people!!!
    2013 Audi S8

  5. #5
    Registered User Aronis's Avatar
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    WOW, you ok????

    Did you have the cover off the battery???

    Mike
    '18 BMW M5, '19 Porsche Boxster GTS
    (prior '94 325is, '97 M3, '00 A6 4.2,'03 RS6,'08 A4 Cab,'13 A8L,'15 Q7,'16 BMW M2,

  6. #6
    Registered User ttboost's Avatar
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    Oh look...speaking of someone who has a car that hates them...
    2013 Audi S8

  7. #7
    Registered User Aronis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ttboost View Post
    Oh look...speaking of someone who has a car that hates them...
    My car runs GREAT! Who needs to see the buttons at night, wimps thats who, know thy car and you can find the correct button. HA!

    Mike
    '18 BMW M5, '19 Porsche Boxster GTS
    (prior '94 325is, '97 M3, '00 A6 4.2,'03 RS6,'08 A4 Cab,'13 A8L,'15 Q7,'16 BMW M2,

  8. #8
    Registered User ttboost's Avatar
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    Easy there, Disco Dash...
    2013 Audi S8

  9. #9
    Registered User Aronis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ttboost View Post
    Easy there, Disco Dash...
    you and your fancy bang and olfsen stereo and your massage seats and your 6,000,000 horsepower...dam it.....

    Mike
    '18 BMW M5, '19 Porsche Boxster GTS
    (prior '94 325is, '97 M3, '00 A6 4.2,'03 RS6,'08 A4 Cab,'13 A8L,'15 Q7,'16 BMW M2,

  10. #10
    Registered User Bigglezworth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aronis View Post
    WOW, you ok????

    Did you have the cover off the battery???

    Mike
    Yes I did as I had the battery on a tender. I don't like to have items inclosed in any type of housing while they are charging - be it a high amp boost or a miniscule low amp for a tender. Certainly would have lessended the collateral damage.....
    '02 S6 Avant Silver - Pokey | Carbon Black/Ebony RS6 w/ stuff - darn quick | '03 Daytona Grey/Ebony RS6 w/ more stuff - quicker yet | '91 NSX CDN issue with 6spd & BBSC - quicker yet and then some | '87 Buick GNX OEM clone w/ lots of stuff - quickest hands down

  11. #11
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    Looks like you had the rear seats up - that would have been horrible... I almost always have the seat down when doing anything with the battery. I have not actually had it happened but have seen the aftermath of a few 24V batteries - terrible mess.

  12. #12
    Registered User Corbett's Avatar
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    I had a Braille lithium battery in my Rs6 on a Braille battery tender and the same thing happened. Luckily my garage was open and I was out front playing with my kids when I smelled something weird and found the battery melting in the trunk.
    2004 Sportec RS600 + 6MT + e85
    Fastest RS6 in the USA

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