Just got outbid on a bio rad PS on ebay...was it someone on this site?

 

My Battery Conditioning

Took about 2 hours to charge up to 185vdc from 168vdc

Started discharging at 1:15pm

1:15pm 185vdc
2:00pm 155vdc
2:45pm 105vdc
2:50pm 100vdc


2:50pm reconnect charger and in just a few minutes went from 100vdc to 154vdc

2:50pm 100vdc
2:55pm 154vdc
4:00pm 179vdc
5:00pm 184vdc
5:20pm 185vdc

5:20pm started second discharge

5:20pm 185vdc
6:05pm 167vdc
6:50pm 109vdc
7:00pm 100vdc


7:00pm reconnect charger

7:00pm 100vdc
7:35pm 175vdc
8:00pm 178vdc
8:30pm 181vdc
9:00pm 183vdc
9:30pm 185vdc

Weighed the battery on my bathroom scale @ 67.6 pounds
Re-installed the battery in the car, pulled the negative battery cable from the 12 battery system for 10 seconds and by 10pm I was on the road for a test drive.
When I first started the car it started a recal. By the time I put the code in my Navigation System and drove out my gate it was done. While driving, stop and go, for the first mile or so I never saw the green charging bars. It had plenty of pep. I drove surface streets for more than 20 miles and never had a single recal. Usually by then I’d have 2 or 3 recals. The battery graph stayed between 6 and 8 bars the whole time. It seemed to go from 6 to 7 bars quickly when coasting or coming to a long stop. I can’t wait to put more miles on my car tomorrow and see if I get the same results.

 

Sounds very encouraging. keep your fingers crossed.H

 

Just won a power supply on ebay for $50 by using "best offer." Hopefully I can fix my battery shortly...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...#ht_628wt_1165

 

Jeep thats great that you completed the 'conditioning' and I'm looking forward to hearing good news on your normal driving.

I can't believe the battery is 67lbs. I've been carrying them up and down my basement stairs thinking why am I so weak..haha

 

Bad News -
I withheld saying anything until I drove the car for a few days but on Saturday and Sunday I had one recal at the beginning of my first journey for each day. But Monday, today, it was much worse. I had 4 recals. I can't say that it is any better off now then it was before the conditioning process.

Ross & Hunter, please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that both of you have had your success by first conditioning a battery that you purchased used from an auto dismantler. By doing so, you may have purchased perfectly good pre-owned batteries that have never exhibited symptoms like we are all presently experiencing. So now the question begs "how will your original batteries fare after this same conditioning process and they are back in service in the car"?

We await details.

 

Sorry about the news...The other question would be would additional equalizing and discharges help?

 

It may help and I think next week I will pull the battery out again and do the same thing. I may try a little higher amps to charge it a little faster. And I may try discharging it down to 50vdc or so.

 

Jeep - thats a bummer that it didn't help with the re-cals. It may be that you have a bad cell that really shot.

If you go in there again, try is to leave the 190V with 350mA for 12 to 18 hours and have a small fan blowing across the battery.

I still have my old battery, and I plan on installing it on Thanksgiving week to see if the re-cals are gone.

Whats amazing to me is the old battery is STILL showing 167 volts after WEEKS. Before I conditioned it, it would drop to 158V in a couple days, so I hope thats a good sign

 

Yeah, I think holding a certain voltage and continuing to charge is key. Just because the overall voltage is a certain number doesn't mean every cell is charged. One cell could be low still and need the additional time to come up. Unless you do what ross did and take the battery apart and check each cell you have no idea. You just have to hold the voltage long enough that you can be assured every cell is at it's max ICV.