Symptoms of a Sulphated Car Battery
- A car battery is an integral component of a vehicle's ignition system.dead battery image by Katrina Miller from Fotolia.com
Sulfated car batteries have been allowed to form hard lead sulfate crystals which block the electrical pathways from the battery to the rest of the ignition system. Drivers can actually do a lot to prevent this process from happening by adopting responsible driving habits and through increased monitoring of a vehicle's performance. Running multiple electronic accessories using a car's battery while in stop-and-go city traffic will greatly increase the chances of battery sulfation. - Pop the hood. Lead sulfate, a non-conductive compound, is the main culprit in car battery sulfation which crystallizes around the battery's electrode plates and reduces the surface area necessary to produce an electro-chemical reaction. White or near translucent crystals formed around the battery's electrodes is a definite physical sign that sulfation is occurring or has occurred.
- A car battery that is sulfating will be unable to recharge while the vehicle is running (as it is intended to do). A vehicle operating several electronic devices may experience diminished functionality as the battery is drained of power and the on-board computer attempts to keep the vehicle running by using the remaining electrical charge to run more integral systems like the fuel pump. Headlights may also dim or not work at all if the battery is sulfating.
- A battery that has enough lead sulfate crystals hardened around its electrode plates will be unable to start. The lead sulfate crystals will entirely block any electro-chemical reaction which may mean the battery will resist jump-starting and all recharging efforts until the crystals are removed or the battery is simply replaced. Once the battery is sulfated, even if it is recoverable, its maximum energy capacity will be greatly reduced and will require a replacement in the short term.
