What are the effects if a car battery gets soaked in water?
2 Answers
It can cause engine failure, circuit short circuits, damage to the driving system, and other effects. If a car battery is soaked in water and not treated promptly, it may become unusable. Although there is water inside the battery, it is different from ordinary water. The water inside the battery is usually distilled or high-purity water, with very low conductivity and is essentially non-conductive. However, the water commonly encountered in daily life contains various metals and trace elements, making it conductive. Therefore, water ingress can lead to phenomena such as short circuits in the battery. What to do if a car battery is discharged: A discharged car battery can cause sulfation. If the discharge is severe, it may even render the battery unusable. A discharged battery means deep discharge, where the voltage drops below 10.50V, and sulfuric acid reacts with the lead plates to form lead sulfate. If not recharged promptly, the lead sulfate can crystallize. Prolonged crystallization makes it difficult to decompose during recharging, a condition known as sulfation. After a car battery is discharged, it should be recharged immediately using a battery charger. If a regular charger fails to recharge it, a repair device with high-resistance repair should be used to raise the voltage above 10V to enable successful charging.
Last time after driving through water in the rain, my battery got soaked - what a headache! Water seeps into the gaps around the terminals, and over time it'll definitely rust and form that green copper corrosion. That's exactly what happened to me when I didn't deal with the accumulated water under the battery cover - a week later the engine struggled to start. The worst scenario is if the battery case has cracks, as the electrolyte mixing with water can cause leakage current and overheating. Quickly remove the battery, dry the casing thoroughly, especially cleaning any oxide from the terminals, then let it air dry for two days before reinstalling. If you notice the battery getting hot or small bubbles forming, don't force charge it - you must replace it! This isn't something to take lightly, as it could potentially fry your car's computer.
