Paul Dobbin Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) I know " If is sounds to good to be true, it probably isn't" However, I see this infomercial on the Internet for "EZ Battery Reconditioning." It's a long infomercial and I've never made it to the end where i suspect he'll offer to sell me the secret. In Florida there was big battery rebuilder who rebuilds car batteries and sold them under the name "Electro Batteries", lots of folks swore by them because they were cheaper than anything else available. How do you rebuild a battery? My neighbor has a golf cart that needs 6 new batteries to replace his 6V Interstate Batteries that are 5 years old. It can ho;d a charge to the mail box and back on flat ground, but dies immediately on a hill Edited January 25, 2018 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave39MD Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Years ago Delco offered new plates and parts and the battery case could be reused. In recent history many times the "rebuilt" battery is one that was not really bad but ended up as a core or warranty. Once charged, tested, and cleaned up it became "rebuilt". I am very skeptical on the EZ claims, but I have not seen the information, as all these type fixes in the past have proven very short term or of no value. It sounds like your friend needs new batteries if all the connections are clean and tight. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 There are lots of videos on Youtube showing ways of reviving old batteries. I haven't tried any of them. But if the batteries are at the end of their life what do you have to lose? Most of them are cheap to try, using epsom salts and other common items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 49 minutes ago, Paul Dobbin said: How do you rebuild a battery? You go to your local NAPA store. You give them your old one. In return they give you a brand new one. It will be "good as new"............Bob 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) I bought one of these Genius charges and used it to de-sulfate my old winch battery that would not take a full charge. Several sizes are available for 6, 12, & 24 volt batteries. Within 24 hrs., it came up to 100% charge. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=desulfation+battery+charger+%2bgenius&&view=detail&mid=4F0341707872A382471E4F0341707872A382471E&&FORM=VDRVRV Edited January 26, 2018 by Mark Shaw (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Yep they do work,saved a few Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 2 hours ago, Paul Dobbin said: I know " If is sounds to good to be true, it probably isn't" However, I see this infomercial on the Internet for "EZ Battery Reconditioning." It's a long infomercial and I've never made it to the end where i suspect he'll offer to sell me the secret. In Florida there was big battery rebuilder who rebuilds car batteries and sold them under the name "Electro Batteries", lots of folks swore by them because they were cheaper than anything else available. How do you rebuild a battery? My neighbor has a golf cart that needs 6 new batteries to replace his 6V Interstate Batteries that are 5 years old. It can ho;d a charge to the mail box and back on flat ground, but dies immediately on a hill My Grandfather many years used to have business in The Bronx that rebuilt Delco batteries,. That is the reason why batteries had the tar tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61 Sport Sedan Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 I have heard of people taking an old battery and dropping it on the floor to de-sulfate it but never seen it done. Probably another old wives tale,lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 The type of battery in the golf cart is the determining factor on whether or not it can be saved. When I was young and poor there was a local company that rebuilt lead acid batteries and sold them at good prices. As mentioned, these were the tar top batteries where new plates could be put in. They were cheap and came with a two yr warranty that was just fine for my needs. Newer battery technology did away with this option. Perhaps a battery shop can determine if all are bad or if some can be salvaged. In motorcycles, where batteries were always a big problem due to their small size and the vibrations produced by the engine and road conditions, the introduction of AGM or glass mat batteries solved a lot of these problems. Batteries now lasted for several years instead of just one or two. Probably a similar design battery replacement is available for the golf cart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 i ordered a genius charger. i have an old optima 6 volt battery to hopefully get functioning again along with a couple of old dead 12volt regular batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 4 hours ago, Mark Shaw said: I bought one of these Genius charges and used it to de-sulfate my old winch battery that would not take a full charge. Several sizes are available for 6, 12, & 24 volt batteries. Within 24 hrs., it came up to 100% charge. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=desulfation+battery+charger+%2bgenius&&view=detail&mid=4F0341707872A382471E4F0341707872A382471E&&FORM=VDRVRV Will the Genius work with the OPTIMA battery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazycars Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 My question is: did the charge last? I have bought near dead batteries close to 100% but the charge dies within 24 hrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 With older lead-acid batteries, the plates disaggregated into a pile of little bits when they were tired. It was obvious when this had happened: the battery swelled, either the sides, ends or top bulged. Time for the recycler to have it. After charging to apparently 100%, put a hydrometer into each cell. If the density in any cell is in the red, that cell is dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Genius will work with an Optima and so will a standard charger if you know one trick. An Optima that is completely dicharged will not take a charge from a standard charger BUT if you connect a regular battery in parallel it will. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 If the golf cart batteries were dormant for a lengthy period of time they would have become sulfated. In this condition, attempts to recharge may result in the charger rejecting charging and kicking out. If the batteries have removable caps, check each cell with a hydrometer, obtainable at places like NAPA for under $10. Check with a volt meter also. If all the cells are all within reasonably close proximity (despite reading low) place the battery on a charger capable of charging at a 1 amp or lower rate for several days. Test again, and if an improvement is shown keep charging until no improvement is shown, then cycle the battery down again with a seal beam headlight unit until it is flat dead. Then recharge again, and if some further improvement is detected then repeat as before. The process may need multiple repeats. Patience is the key word, this won't work if time does not permit. I have had favorable experiences rescuing batteries this way that others had given up on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 13 hours ago, Mark Shaw said: I bought one of these Genius charges and used it to de-sulfate my old winch battery that would not take a full charge. Several sizes are available for 6, 12, & 24 volt batteries. Within 24 hrs., it came up to 100% charge. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=desulfation+battery+charger+%2bgenius&&view=detail&mid=4F0341707872A382471E4F0341707872A382471E&&FORM=VDRVRV Just wondering what happened once you put an actual load on the battery with 100% charge? Did you run your winch for a few minutes 3 or 4 times in a row then check the charge? I have tried a couple different de-sulfate procedures on a battery that would not take a full charge. That battery appeared to be 100% charged but after a load was put on the battery it revealed that the battery only appeared to be fully charged but was not. (ie the charge dropped like a rock under load). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 7 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: Genius will work with an Optima and so will a standard charger if you know one trick. An Optima that is completely dicharged will not take a charge from a standard charger BUT if you connect a regular battery in parallel it will. Thanks Rusty_O'Toole, I've also used the "Parallel Battery" approach, and it does work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emjay Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Just go to J C Penney auto stores and buy a lifetime warranty battery. Oh, yeah that didn't last. By the time I bought one the warranty was changed to a $20 or so refund, not another battery. They must have counted on people not keeping the car or forgetting to go back to Penney's. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that all of the customers were auto collectors and virtually all of them were returned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnchev Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Years ago a friend worked for a battery rebuilding service. They made their money by selling "rebuilt" batteries cheaply and rebuilding the old battery core that the purchaser of the rebuilt battery turned in. (If you didn't have a core to turn in they charged you 50% more.) My friend told me that they rebuilt the batteries by pouring the old acid out, dropping the battery about 3 times from a distance of about a foot onto a concrete pad. They then used a pressured water "jet" on a small wand to wash out each cell and let the battery sit upside down for several hours to dry out, then refilling the cells with fresh acid. After charging and checking the battery it was ready to be sold. My friend said that about 80% of the batteries that they got as cores would check out good and perform like a new battery. Of course that was before the EPA got on their backs for pouring the old acid out on the ground. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 5 hours ago, emjay said: Just go to J C Penney auto stores and buy a lifetime warranty battery. Oh, yeah that didn't last. By the time I bought one the warranty was changed to a $20 or so refund, not another battery. They must have counted on people not keeping the car or forgetting to go back to Penney's. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that all of the customers were auto collectors and virtually all of them were returned. Bad news, they should be made to "sleep in the bed they made"... wonder if we should form up and have a class action suit. I'm on my 4th replacement J. C. Penney lifetime battery, and it's an Interstate still going after 11 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Remember the Midas muffler commercial where the guy kept coming back with his 1920s car? I wonder if they still do lifetime warranties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 (edited) Know a guy who bought a lifetime exhaust system from a local muffler shop. After coming back for 4 or 5 free replacements over 20 years they cut him off. Edited January 26, 2018 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 1 hour ago, TerryB said: Remember the Midas muffler commercial where the guy kept coming back with his 1920s car? I wonder if they still do lifetime warranties. I know they did in the 90's but you had to be original purchaser of mufflers. It didn't transfer to the next owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 13 minutes ago, Bleach said: I know they did in the 90's but you had to be original purchaser of mufflers. It didn't transfer to the next owner. Cars (newer ones) don't seem to go through exhaust systems like they used too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Rusty posted what I was going to,Thanks Rusty. How did we get on exhaust,so fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Our local Interstate distribution center sell "blems" for $43 with an exchange. I have been using them for about 20 years. I have been checking for a couple of group 27's every couple of weeks. I made one exception. After 12 years the original Delco in my truck went bad. I bought the exact battery as a replacement. I think it totaled $100. Oh, my newest charger is from NAPA, a smart one. It has a mode for Optima type batteries. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 10 hours ago, charlier said: Just wondering what happened once you put an actual load on the battery with 100% charge? Did you run your winch for a few minutes 3 or 4 times in a row then check the charge? Yes, and it still works fine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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