Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon or is it just me, when batteries leak the chemicals travel up the wire and come out the other side, have a look at this remote I have just been trying to repair.
It's been known to happen in automotive environments, particularly around fuel injectors but also around oil leaks.
Would it be capillary action on multi - strand wire? As Mike says it can be a problem on vehicles.
A friend had many intermittent problems on a Citroen van, the main dealer said it was beyond economic repair as the "engine loom" was faulty and the cost of replacement prohibitive or not available, they didn't want to know in any event.
This was a common fault on the direct injection engines by all accounts. The van was about seven years old in good condition and about 50K so it seemed a shame to scrap it. Working on the principal we had nothing to lose I said I would have a go.
Corrosion like you have experienced was on all of the injector loom wires and a couple of other sensors. travelling up the wire for some distance, the wire was either green or black with corrosion. We took the whole loom out of the engine bay, luckily it unplugged at the bulkhead. I clipped it to a large panel of MDF, cut out the defective wires and replaced each one with silicone wire. I had to replace some of the connectors as the grot had rotted them. That was 7 years ago and the van has changed hands but is still going...I'm not sure if it was the plastic insulation on the wire reacting to moisture or fumes that had caused the problem but clearly not fit for purpose.
Battery fumes are known to cause problems on those 50's valve portable radios, I had a Vidor that the batteries had been left in. They hadn't corroded so at first I was pleased to have them then I found all the valve holders were falling apart, the IF and speaker transformer open circuit... The box made a good housing for my 'bulb bopper' though... 😮
I have also seen this, solar powered garden lights suffer from it! The little nicad battery grows fur round one end, and as if by magic the wires all drop off the PCB!
My biggest project was a Sony ICF-2001D, that had some batteries left in it, and of course they leaked! The vast majority of the damage was on the ‘computer’ PCB, which has the LCD and keypad, lots of the keys were dead as the battery goo had managed to get under the carbon key contacts where they joined the copper tracks, making them all high resistance. I spent a lot of time scraping away the ends of the carbon contacts, and remaking the connections with conductive silver paint, it looks a right mess, but it works! I also had to repair rotted tracks with fine wire, and the through hole connections were remade with more silver paint. Every so often I find another row of keys go dead, and I have to hunt down the duff connection to repair it with conductive paint. The corrosion seems to get under the solder resist, and travel along the tracks, occasionally eating right through in places. I’m finding it better now to just scrape away the solder resist completely, and tin the tracks with solder, any areas that won’t tin turn out to be open, so get a length of fine wire to repair them.
Duracell alkalines are notorious for leaking.
I've even seen new Duracell alkalines leaking in their sealed packs when well within their use-by date. Dreadful rubbish. Energiser alkalines are similarly bad. I won't have anything to do with either brand, I hate the cynical cost-paring and price-gouging that all too often ensues when someone decides to exploit an established reputation with all sorts of consumer products. Those two brands were also two of the most expensive in the market-place, but I've noticed them running price-cutting offers recently- maybe the word is getting around and people are turning to other brands instead.
I have used Varta batteries for years with no problems.
I get lots of black copper wire problem on boats.The wire goes black all along a length from the terminations. As to leaking cells, I agree that Duracell are the pits. I buy GP batteries from HK and they have never leaked on me.
Boater Sam
Electrics on boats is a challenging environment.
Stainless steel terminals? Solder everything?
They say the two best days you own a boat are:
- The day you buy it and
- The day you sell it.
@lloyd I applaud your patience! I'm sorry to say I would have launched that!
Battery corrosion can be a real problem with vintage toys, I have bought the odd one from time to time why do people store things with the batteries in them? Meet "Elvis Pig", almost written off by Everotten batteries!
The rot had eaten the battery contacts and springs and had travelled up the wires to the circuit board where luckily it stopped.
If the wiring on boats is a common problem that suggests that it is the proximity to water maybe water vapour from evaporation ? That causes problems?
I've even seen new Duracell alkalines leaking in their sealed packs when well within their use-by date. Dreadful rubbish
Yet I've never seen that with the ProCell variant? However, these days I sort of prefer Varta.
@slidertogrid it was touch and go as to whether or not it was going to live again! I thought it worth saving as those radios are quite highly regarded. Here’s a link to its revival, sorry it’s on another forum!
oh, Elvis pig looks brilliant! 🤣
@cathovisor we had some Procell’s eject their bodily fluids at work, and I had some of their PP3’s blow themselves apart whilst sat on a shelf!
At the moment I’m trying Amazon basics AA’s, got them cheaply for a big pack last Christmas to power all our little strings of led Christmas lights, so far so good! Not had any ‘do a Duracell’ yet!
I've found the ones that Aldi sell are quite good. A set of 216 9v clipped together and two D cells will power my 1949 AWA Personal Portable for two years, used for about an hour a day.
Elvis is cute! Think I can top it tho.
Ready for the surf! No batteries needed!
@lloyd As I type, I'm listening to an "Elpico" branded convertible radio (read: car or portable use) that, after a LOT of detective work on RMx.org, was determined to actually be a Hitachi in order for me to repair it after batteries had leaked into it - it wasn't all straightforward eaten tracks. It's powered by Varta cells.
