Pictures are worth a thousand words. On Saturday I went to take the truck out for a spin. I disconnected the charger and turned on the key and stomped on the starter. The battery was clearly not charged as the starter was barely engaging the engine. Suddenly a loud explosion and a "ping" off the hood was heard. My first thought was, "I hope that wasn't an engine breaking apart " I opened the hood to reveal a strong odor and smoke. Everything looked intact, no fluids, or fire was present. Glancing at the battery I could see that one of the plastic cell covers was missing and smoke was drifting out of those holes. I found the missing cover laying on the distributor.
The battery was from 2008. NAPA Power 65. My father-in-law threw it into the truck before he gave it to me. Although it worked, we had to keep it on the charger all the time. I could start the truck up several times without concern, but if I left the charger off for a day or more the juice would be very limited if available at all. I knew that I was on borrowed time.
Well Saturday seemed to be the day. As you can see the blast did not produce any acid. The battery is clean. The plastic cover blew off, and a section of plastic on top ripped open as well as a crack in the top of the case edge.
Purchased a new/used battery from Interstate for $35 with a 90 day warranty. Hopefully this new battery will last longer.
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