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Porsche boxster 2002 3.2s battery

H

heathview

New member
Hi Guys,

Can anyone put an in sight to what happened to me yesterday morning.
I got in the garage and sat in the car turned the ignition on and there an enormous
bang smoke coming from the bonnet. I lift the bonnet and found the battery has
literally exploded. The saving factor was the cover of the battery had taken the brunt
The battery is a Porsche Mol installed by the previous owner exactly 4 years ago. The
AA came out within the hour cleaned all the accessible area and poured soapy water down
the area beneath the battery. I'm going to remove the battery today and take the battery
tray out and try and clean the area. I've never ever in 50 years of driving know this to happen
in that time I must've owned 30 cars. Can anyone shed a light on this?

Regards,

Martin
 

Wow, that sounds really serious Martin. Glad you weren't hurt.

When a battery is being charged, hydrogen gas is generated which in certain concentrations in air is explosive and I can only presume that this is what's happened in your case.

Sounds as though there was an internal short in the battery which ignited the gas.

A very lucky escape for you and hope that you get the problem sorted.

Jeff
 
Very very unusual, but the Moll does have a reputation for sudden failure though normally they fail to hold charge - they go from a good battery to a dead lump overnight.
It does sound like an internal short that caused the battery to explode, however, you should take a look at the charging just to ensure your alternator is not overcharging the battery - overcharging will produce more gasses which are ignitable, also check the connections were tight - it could be that they were a little loose and when you turned the ignition on and made a demand in power this could have caused a spark from a loose connection and the gasses ignited.
Was the vent pipe connected? if not then gasses would have built up in the battery box making ignition easier.

Just a few suggestions to check - the most probable cause however would be the internal short
 
Thanks for all your replies the battery terminals were
Tight and the overflow was connected to the battery.
The AA man checked the alternator charging and it was
As it should be. He was speaking to the technical staff
And was told it was an internal short.
Hopefully now with a different battery I rest easy. I have
Been with the AA for over 20 years and their service is
Impeccable.

One other thing that also got damaged was the plastic
Trim at the base of the windscreen the passenger side end
Got damaged as well as the battery tray.

Regards,

Martin
 

Thankfully, not too much damage Martin and sounds as though everything has been resolved satisfactorily.

Since it was a Moll battery, do you plan to contact the supplying PC to inform them of your experience?

Glad to hear that you're sorted.

Jeff
 

ORIGINAL: Motorhead

Since it was a Moll battery, do you plan to contact the supplying PC to inform them of your experience?
Click to expand...

Jeff, as Porsche supplied Moll batteries only have a 2 year warranty, it's unlikely that a PC will take much interest. I'm amazed that it lasted 4 years. Bosch or Varta seem to be much more reliable than these apparently troublesome Moll products.
 
I've just fitted my second Bosch Silver since buying the car used in June 2008 and the first one died just as suddenly as the Moll I had before it.
 
As I've had a battery for 4 years I can't grubble but I don't mind a battery dying on me I've had quiet a few over the years doing that but not exploding!

Regards,

Martin
 
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