Can I save or repurpose this Pelican 2AA

[spur0701]

New guy here looking for advice......was issued this Pelican 2AA back in the day and after it became somewhat dated I put in my wife's SUV. Fast forward to now and I re-discovered it while cleaning up her car, the batteries (CR123s) corroded and I can't get them out from the rear and it looks like the head is soldered in. Anyway to save this and or could I repurpose the body as a project? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[bykfixer]

Looks like the duracell batteries turned into dura-leak and are now dura-stuck.

Probably best to contact Pelican and see if they'll replace the light under their warranty.

 

[louie]

Usually I think it's the battery manufacturer who could replace a product damaged by their leak. And I'll assume you misspoke about CR123 batteries in a 2AA light.

I don't know this light, but my guess is that the LED disc is corroded into the body, and usually stays with the head. If you get a free replacement, or prefer to work on the light for fun, you can try driving a large screw into the end of the battery and see if you can extract it. I might consider some soaking in water or water/vinegar in hopes it might loosen things (careful, the alkali will eat away the anodizing). If the LED disc is just corroded, a few light taps on the batteries might loosen things. Some people will just drill out as much of the batteries as they can, then work with other tools and abrasives. Eventually, I am sure you can destructively remove the batteries, but you may still have too much corrosion on the LED disc to make it work again. A lot of work, maybe for nothing.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Contact Duracell before trying anything drastic that could further damage the light and see what they will do about it. It is possible that they will replace the light or reimburse the cost of replacement but not knowing the procedure you may have to mail the light as is to them as I've never dealt with Duracell on battery issues or any battery company but I have dealt with Rayovac on lanterns and they replaced two faulty lanterns one I had to mail to them paying for shipping to them but received a brand new lantern each time. I do however know Rayovac is now owned by Energizer. As much as the battery makers charge for alkaleaks they likely already have allocated money for dealing with leaks and you may find the process not much of an issue for the results.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Chuck it and consider lesson learned. Go buy something exciting, or at least more capable. You have our permision.

 

[spur0701]

Thanks for the advice....I'll try Duracell first, it's worth the effort of a web form submission. Can you guys tell that the battery is a Duracell? I can't tell....and you are right, I misspoke in that it was a CR123 and not AA. If I try Pelican what model number would this be, it doesn't have a model number on it, it's just labeled PEILICAN 2AA and that it's.......I've got a couple of these, not sure from what year but it's what the supply dude ordered but the other works fine.

 

[Vemice]

I had Duracell send me the cost of a new light a few years ago after one puked in one of my lights. It was a fairly inexpensive light but no argument from them.

 

[Monocrom]

Whatever new light you get, don't put Duracells in it.
I swear, other than the cheapest no-name alkalines out there, Duracell alkalines leak worse than any other brand.

 

[louie]

I would try to remove a cell and see what brand you have - I personally wouldn't want to blame Duracell if it was an Energizer that leaked.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I would try to remove a cell and see what brand you have - I personally wouldn't want to blame Duracell if it was an Energizer that leaked.

You may have to cut the tube itself to get to the battery to see what brand it is as I've not had any luck removing stuck alkaleaks. I threw away a mag2AA incan that I stupidly forgot had batteries in it and didn't think about any warranty after I spent half a day digging blackish goo out of it and still the outer casing of the battery seemed to be welded to the flashlight tube.

 

[louie]

I think I'd try to drill or ream out everything but the battery steel shell, then use some needle nose pliers to try to peel the shell and label off the tube. Or enough to identify the brand. Messy and much more work than most folks would want to do.

 

[bykfixer]

If it were a really old or really hard to find light that you really want to save, drilling out the batteries, doing all the cleaning needed and seeing it light again is likely worth it.

A couple of years ago I asked Coast about a part that had gotten battery goo on it and would not conduct electricity anymore. The reply "what's your address?" A week later a new light arrived.

 

[knucklegary]

Try the soaking in acid neutralizing fluids.. Then center drill tap, use course thread appropriate size wood screw.. Place body tube in freezer for few hours.. with sufficient size vice grips clamped to head of screw see if the first battery will wiggle loose and release.. A prior drenching with silicone spray helps.. Wearing a pair of nitrile rubber gloves, and use plenty of ventilation, like on outdoor work bench vice.
If you don't like getting your hands dirty, do as Byk suggested.. What do ya got to lose at this point?

 

[louie]

If they were alkaline batteries, don't you want to use a little base neutralizing fluid, like vinegar?

 

[knucklegary]

Yep, white vinegar works good. Baking soda in water also works. Vinegar is stronger might discolor anodized if not diluted 50/50

 

[bykfixer]

Years ago the stuff to make exposed concrete was pretty scarce. The contractor would spray the magic potion onto the concrete and the next day wash off the cement paste with a garden hose leaving the gravel "exposed" thus the term exposed concrete.

Now you can buy the same stuff to clean concrete from tools like trowels or shovels at Lowes and Home Depot. It softens the paste and makes it easy to clean them. Alkaline glue is that much not unlike the cement paste in concrete. And unlike vinegar, the tool cleaner stuff won't damage the coating on the outside of the light.

Concrete tools like trowels are galvanized. Soak it in vinegar and you end up with a rusty tool because it strips off the galvanized coating. Use the concrete remover stuff and you end up with a new looking tool.

 

[knucklegary]

Yep, vinegar is acetic. Not as strong as muriatic but still an acid..

I would think just the action of using concrete tools takes off protective plating over time..

My driveway is exposed aggregate.. Workers throw a later of pea gravel on top then use long floats to sink the gravel just under the surface. They then use sugar water, or a chemical, in a Hudson sprayer to weaken the slurry on top. Washing off later with fine hose spraying.
The exposed aggregate may look appealing to some folks, but it is slippery as heck during Winter. Vehicle tires, and Vans waffle soles can have you slipping and sliding (-;

 

[spur0701]

Thanks for the advice.....I'll put rehabing it on my list of winter projects.........as an aside, I'm sure these are Duracells since until recently that was the only thing we would buy, they were bought in bulk 40 packs from Costco. I contacted Duracell and they paid me $45 to get a repalcement.