MT2000 - leaking battery - cause?

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g8tzl2004
Posts: 1128
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:13 am

MT2000 - leaking battery - cause?

Post by g8tzl2004 »

I recently acquired a few VHF model 2 MT2000's for just a few $ each.

The radios had obviously been stored in a very damp environment, probably for years!!!

The accessory connector cover was still in place on all radios but there was blue/green corrosion on all the accessory pins BUT these cleaned up real nice with little effort.

The battery pogo pins on some radios had also seized up and were corroded but I managed to release most of they with a few dabs of WD40 (I ran out of my lubricating spray!!).

The back of the radios chassis' (ie behind the battery) were all a bit wet...I was not sure whether the seller had used a damp cloth to clean the radios, or the batteries had leaked or whether he had used "car interior shine"...there appeared to be more "wetness" than you would get with a leaking battery and it looked like "water".

Anyway, of the 4 radios, after a real good clean 2 worked immediately and 1 worked after a day "drying out". I checked the batteries. One was a genuine Motorola - 10 years old but charges OK and works OK. The other 3 were third party - 2 were badly corroded but the "Multiplier" battery only looked slightly corroded. I was not sure whether this was due to the battery leaking or just corrosion due to the damp environment. I cleaned up the battery which seemed to charge OK. But after a few hours I could see "wetness" appearing around one of the inside battery contacts...so I guess the battery is leaking.

Anybody know what is actually coming out of the battery and why? Why do genuine Motorola batteries not seem to leak? Are they made using different materiels? Is there anything you can do to recondition a leaking battery...it seems to charge OK with the red light staying on for 1 hour rather than just a few minutes with a high resisitance faulty battery.

Thanks
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