Battery acid or is it water?

Battery acid or is it water?

Author
Discussion

david010167

Original Poster:

1,397 posts

278 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
had a bit of an odd one last night took the Griff out for a drive to a friends for dinner, and on the way as it became darker, I realized I had no lights, I had also noticed an odd smell in the car, that I recognised, but could not quite place.

I pulled over to a car park and as luck would have it I had a spare pack of fuses, so I crossed my fingers and hoped it was a fuse. When I pulled the carpet away in the foot well, I noticed the smell was a bit stronger, but the carpet was quite dry. I pulled the carpet away and pulled out the wiring loom with the ECU and it had some white liquid on it, and some light corrosion on the relays, very odd.

Hoping it was the fuse, I pulled fuse 11 out, and yippee it was blown, put a new fuse in, and great I had lights. Better still they worked all evening.


Now my question/thought is this. The car has not been in the wet for a while, and it has never had a leak in the past, and as far as I know there is no fluid bearing pipes in that area, or is there?

My only thought is battery acid, could it be battery acid? If it is it must of splashed out on the Surrey run on the last section.


Does anyone have any thoughts as to what the problem could?

David M5 TVR

Lance

567 posts

278 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
CAREFULLY dab a TINY ammount on the side of your tongue having a cup of water to hand. If it's sour wash your mouth out quickly! And then go to Halfords...

P7ULG

1,052 posts

298 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
Could be just condensation

shpub

8,507 posts

287 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
The heater pipes are in the footwell and contain..... water!
The battery should be sealed and if it is acid there would be a hole in the carpet by now.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

RichB

54,073 posts

299 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
quote:

CAREFULLY dab a TINY ammount on the side of your tongue having a cup of water to hand. If it's sour wash your mouth out quickly! And then go to Halfords...

Don't be such a woossy. Have a taste and if it's battery acid y ou'll know. It won't rot your mouth but will give you diorhea that evening! R...

GreenV8S

30,882 posts

299 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
If it's battery acid, even a tiny amount will eat holes in clothes within a couple of days. Hope you weren't wearing/haven't touched anything expensive!

MikeG

148 posts

299 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
Dave,

Sounds like it may be water from the heating/cooling system. The motorised heating control valves are close to the ECU and it is not unknown for them to leak either from their valve stems or the hose connections.

Mike

david010167

Original Poster:

1,397 posts

278 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
Thanks guys, it does sound more like water than acid, as it has not eated through anything.

I will have a poke arround this weekend and see if I can find the leak.

David M5 TVR

apache

39,731 posts

299 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
you'll need to get the engine warm and turn your heating on to get hot water running through the pipes

simpo one

89,088 posts

280 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
Amateurs! I stuck a chisel through the side of a battery once...

david010167

Original Poster:

1,397 posts

278 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
Why?

David


quote:

Amateurs! I stuck a chisel through the side of a battery once...

Midnight Blue

96 posts

293 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
It's also worth considering that a battery can get very hot if massively overcharged (by a faulty alternator) or suffers an internal short. They will generate enough heat to boil the electrolyte (sulphuric acid). The vapour will escape through the breather and condense on surrounding items.

Your blown headlight fuse could point to a higher system voltage causing increased current through the lights, or could be purely coincedental.

simpo one

89,088 posts

280 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
'Why?'

They let me out too soon

david010167

Original Poster:

1,397 posts

278 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
I think I need a dam good look with daylight and a bright light in the footwell. I had assumed that the fuse went due to a short caused by the liquid, but you suggestion says the liquid maybe caused by a bigger issue.

gulp.

Thanks

David M5 TVR

quote:

It's also worth considering that a battery can get very hot if massively overcharged (by a faulty alternator) or suffers an internal short. They will generate enough heat to boil the electrolyte (sulphuric acid). The vapour will escape through the breather and condense on surrounding items.

Your blown headlight fuse could point to a higher system voltage causing increased current through the lights, or could be purely coincedental.

Ballistic Banana

14,704 posts

282 months

Friday 13th September 2002
quotequote all
I was quite suprised(Shouldnt of been,it is a tvr) that the pipes for the heaters that run behind the dash just above the Battery had the wiring loom attached to them with cable ties.

Now i Know that these pipes get Bloody hot so i wouldnt be surprised if they might of melted through some wires, shorting them somewhere, worth a quick gander.

I have used some new cable ties on mine dropping the wiring loom down and away from these pipes.

Simon

david010167

Original Poster:

1,397 posts

278 months

Thursday 19th September 2002
quotequote all
The problem is solved, my heater matrix is bust. I discoved this this morning attempting to drive round the M25, when my temp gauge went very high, and steam came out of the glove box.

She is now booked into Mole next week for the needed repairs (gulp).

But I have to say thanks to the Griff 500SE who stopped and chatted, and the ex-chim owner (now has a Lotus Esprit) who also stopped to see if I was okay.

Also excellent work from the police and the RAC, for comming to my aid, on what was a nasty bit of road, as I had no hard shoulder, as I had just come off the M25 onto the A3 sliproad.

David M5 TVR