Car battery smoking causes
A smoking car battery is an abnormal condition for your car's electric systems. Suppose you don't pay attention or get your car inspected quickly by a certified technician. In that case, this could result in a catastrophic situation from your car battery.
Yes, conventional lead-acid car batteries are filled with a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water. As the battery wears, some of the acid and water may evaporate, which will disturb the mixture.
It may cause the battery to overheat or boil, which will produce an unpleasant smell like rotten egg, and even smoking in more severe cases. So, why is my car battery smoking ? Here are several causes for car battery smoking.
1. Overcharged car battery
Overcharged car battery is the most car battery smoking causes. Overcharged can overcome by a bad charging system, mainly is from a bad alternator. The alternator is a charging system component that produces and provides electrical energy while the car engine is running.
The alternator used an IC regulator (or cut out for an older car) to keep the proper charging voltage and current. The IC regulator managed the output voltage, so the battery and other electrical components in the car are safe from damage because of higher voltage. If the IC regulator is going bad, then you may have an overcharged car battery.
The overcharged means that the output voltage from the alternator is at a higher rate than normal. A higher charging rate will impact the car battery as well. In many cases, the battery water starts to boil repeatedly, so the acid water will evaporate, steamed, and pushed outward from the vent like smoke.
If you have a car battery smoking just like steamed water were flow throughout from the vent, this is a sign that your car charging system in an abnormal condition. It's better to check your car's charging system with a certified technician.
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2. Massive electric discharge in a short time
The second cause for car battery smoking is massive electric discharge from a car battery in a short time. This electric discharge would cause car battery smoking. From our experience, the appearance of this smoke is generally caused by several conditions, including :
A. Starting the engine in a long term
For most general cars, the maximum time to start the engine is 10 seconds. After that, you have to take time before starting back the engine. A longer time (more than 10 seconds) would take a massive electric discharge from the car battery.
Usually, heat will appear from the battery terminals, both negative and positive terminals. In some cases, the battery terminals started to smoke.
B. Use to jump-start another car battery with a larger capacity.
Car battery smoking can happen from the battery used to jump-start another car with a larger battery capacity. The smoke mostly comes from cable jumper clamps to the battery posts. Reminder: When jumpstarting a car always remember to connect jumper cables with proper order.
C. Some short circuits on any components in your car
An electric short circuit can make massive electric discharge in a short time. It's better to check any electrical components in your car with a shorts circuit by checking the fuse blown from the fuse box.