Corroded battery in 3D Maglite

[toadman]

O.K. I finally get my 4 led Monsterthrow dropin & when I go to put it in the Maglite I keep in my car, I can't get the battery out. Guess it leaked or something. I've been taken the head & tailcap off & tried pounding it down on a soft surface thinking that would jar the battery out. Then I got a big screwdriver jamed it into the base of the last battery to twist it out.
Till now no luck. Is there any kind of solvent that would melt the corrosion or any trick I don't know about?
Lastly do ni-cad batteries have the same corrosion leakage problem as alkaline batteries? Thanks for any info.

Russell

 

[Gene]

Hi Russell and welcome to CPF! This has happened to me so many times I couldn't count them. Alkalines are notorious leakers and I only use them anymore in absolute emergencies. Personally, I've never had a Ni-CD or Ni-MH leak on me in years of useage but I'm sure somone here has but they don't leak anywhere near as frequently, (or at all), as alkalines.

Your leaky alkalines are actually now bonded somewhat to your mag's battery tube. I've had luck putting in the old mixture of water and baking soda and getting in as much as you can in the battery tube. Let it soak a good while. Then rinse and fill the tube with WD-40 or any good release agent and let that set for a day or two.

You'll still have to pound the batteries out even after all that. I used a wood dowel and hammer to knock them out and do the knocking on a piece of soft wood so as not to damage your battery tube end. Then you'll have to use a long screwdriver, (or similar), with some sandpaper to smooth out the corrosion inside the tube. Good luck!

 

[J!m]

Ouch! That sucks.

And the sad thing is that Mag will not warranty the repair on this light. They say you have to go to the battery maker for that...

So, I guess you could try to go to the battery maker for them to replace the Maglite...

If you don't care, and just want it out, try drilling it, but be aware that the battery may react- so gloves, eye protection and a full face shield should be used (as a minimum).

Or just trash it all and get a new one (saving the 'good' parts for the future).

 

[jugg2]

A new light is probably the best option. Maglites are not really that expensive, in the US that is.

 

[NeonLights]

I've lost several D and AA Maglites this way. Alkalines in each case, but the combination of Mags and alkalines and time and temperature fluctuations seem to be a surefire way to have the batteries leak. I've had plastic bodied lights in the same conditions that didn't leak when the Mags did. A new 3D Mag is under $20, it is unlikely you'll be able to salvage the light, maybe pull of what parts you can to use as spares and just buy a new one. You can byuy replacement battery tubes, but they are $10-15 IIRC.

 

[swampgator]

Flashlight King

108-236
3 CELL BARREL WITH SWITCH INSTALLED, BLACK, D SIZE (NEW)
Retail $ 11.00 Our Price $ 11.00


I've had a few Mags with leaking batteries. One I managed to get them unstuck. What I did was take the switch out from the front. You'll have to take out the retaining clip, then loosen the set screw and push it forward. This gave me a straight tube to work with. Then I drilled out as much of the batteries as I could. The I beat the mess out of what was left. It took awhile but once they were out, I used a break hone to clean up the inside of the cylinder. This particular light had great sentimental value, otherwise I'd have just replaced the tube.

 

[jumpstat]

Vineger would do wonders.....to get the crap out from the barrel

 

[Genxsis]

O.K. I finally get my 4 led Monsterthrow dropin & when I go to put it in the Maglite I keep in my car, I can't get the battery out. Guess it leaked or something. I've been taken the head & tailcap off & tried pounding it down on a soft surface thinking that would jar the battery out. Then I got a big screwdriver jamed it into the base of the last battery to twist it out.
Till now no luck. Is there any kind of solvent that would melt the corrosion or any trick I don't know about?
Lastly do ni-cad batteries have the same corrosion leakage problem as alkaline batteries? Thanks for any info.

Russell

Since you asked at the end specifically about ni-cads, I'll address that question. I used to have nicads, and I actually had 1 or 2 of them leak. It was some white stuff that came out. I think I caught it early and prevented any real damage. Nowadays, the rechargeables are Ni-MH, which is something I haven't had any experience with yet. I still have a stock of older alkalines I'm working my way through before I buy any more rechargeables.

 

[toadman]

Vineger would do wonders.....to get the crap out from the barrel

Vineger? Like white vineger? Isn't that one of the active ingredients in CLR or Limeaway? Is the stuff that leaks out calcium based? If so, I may try CLR, unless somebody warns me that it would be toxic or harmfull.
I figure if the barrel is ruined anyway might as well try, besides I'm a cheap **ck & hate just thowing it away. Especially after all the $$ I just spent on new gizmo's.

Russell

 

[karlthev]

Years ago I had my Maglite corrode with some batteries. I approached Maglite and they indicated that as you were told, the light was not at fault rather the batteries were. Well, I knocked the crap out of the light getting the batteries out but, fortunately the labels were still readable and I sent the whole schabang back to the battery maker with what ii paid for the light and the batteries and they sent me a check for replacement for everything! I actually had to open the light with a pair of pipe wrenches so you can imagine what the mess looked like by the time I was done! Keep us posted!


Karl

 

[Mash]

A me2 reply from me!
I did all the pounding, gouging, drilling etc, before reffering to CPF, removing the switch assembly from the front and pushing it out towards the back from the front.
That did the trick, and to wash out the caked in gunge from the tube, left it in a water and washing up liquid overnight, and gaveit a good scrub with a bottle cleaner.
Dont remember if I used vinegar.

 

[Hondo]

Sorry. I have thrown away a box full of Mag products with blown-up stuck batteries in them, including a 3D. The dumb things keep working long after the leakage has done extensive damage, so you have to open them to check. Last year, I had just bought a 2C just to use with a Mag LED drop-in. I set it up with two new Rayovac alkalines, and about a month later opened it to see how well the LED would do with another set of near-dead cells. The new cells had leaked, and I had had enough. I actually talked to both ROV and Mag. Mag said they WOULD replace the light, and had an agreement with the Big 3 (ROV, Energizer, Duracell) to send them the bill when the batteries were at fault. But the battery manufacturer would send a check for the replacement of the light, as well as new batteries. I went with the latter, and got a check that covered a new light and my shipping cost. Without a receipt, I think they gave me suggested retail price of the light.

So, my suggestion, if you are not in a big hurry, and want it right like new, and you used batteries from the Big 3, is send it to the battery manufacturer. If you used another battery brand, you may still want to check with them on their policy, I bet other major names may offer simillar service. I actually now make a point to grab batteries from the Big 3 if I must leave a light loaded with alkalines as sort of an insurance policy.

 

[NeonLights]

I actually now make a point to grab batteries from the Big 3 if I must leave a light loaded with alkalines as sort of an insurance policy.

You might want to take out a different insurance policy. I've always used only Energizers, Duracells, and Rayovacs in my Maglites, and have had at least half a dozen of them leak, most to the point of no return in the last ten years. Both AA Minimags and D Mags. It was never worth the bother for me to go to the trouble of sending a light in to the battery manufacturer for an $8 or $15 light, especially since the battery brand couldn't be identified about half the time since the batteries wouldn't come out intact.

My "insurance policy" for Maglites is to only use lithium AA or AAA cells in lights that are in temperature extremes for long periods of time (I keep at least one Minimag in each of our four cars), and I only store my D cell Mags indoors, only keep batteries in the ones that get used, and check them frequently. It is possible for a lithium cell to leak or vent, but I've never had it happen in a Maglite in 5+ years of usage.

 

[Wattnot]

I bet they're Energizers. I've NEVER lost a device to a Duracell.

Confirm which batteries they are and if possible, the expiration date then contact the manufacturer. Energizer has bought me a flashlight or two, and a Simpson Multimeter (high quality expensive VOM) and other items over the years. That's their guarantee. You send them the now ruined product (don't mess with it) and you get a brand new one.

The only thing is now that they're putting the "good until" dates on them, if you're beyond that, it might affect the claim.

 

[swampgator]

I bet they're Energizers. I've NEVER lost a device to a Duracell.

Never lost a device to Duracell, but I have had Duracells well on there way to seizing up in a light. A little persuasion and they came out.

They leak just like all akalines.

 

[parnass]

.... I've always used only Energizers, Duracells, and Rayovacs in my Maglites, and have had at least half a dozen of them leak, most to the point of no return in the last ten years. .....

Indeed. I have had all 3 brand alkaline batteries leak, too. No alkaline brand is immune from leakage.

Lost another Mini Maglite recently when an Energizer AA leaked and swelled. The light had been fitted with a 3-LED Nite-Ize upgrade and it still lit.

 

[nitesky]

That has happened to me a time or two as I keep lights stashed in places with alkalines. With rechargeables available with longer shelf lives, I might switch. For now though I either replace batteries once a year (and check the periodically), or store the light with batteries nearby but not in it, depending on the possible use. This might make a good poll question for the collective. Good luck with the salvage operation.

 

[Stress_Test]

So is this problem typically caused by overheating, i.e. when stored out in a car for long periods?

About the only time in recent years that I've seen batteries leaking was in a little AAA light of my dad's that had sat out in the (hot!) garage for quite a while with nearly dead batteries. It was easily cleaned and returned to service though.

 

[NeonLights]

So is this problem typically caused by overheating, i.e. when stored out in a car for long periods?

In my experience there are three things that contributed to alkaline batteries leaking in flashlights:
1. Leaving batteries in a flashlight for long periods of time (could be years, could be just months)
2. Having the light with batteries exposed to temperature extremes. In a car or my unheated shop a flashlight could see temperature extremes of more than 120 degrees in an average year.
3. Having the light in question be a metal-bodied light, like a Maglite.

Just one or two of these factors could lead to battery leakage, all three factors have a very high percentage chance of batteries leaking. I opened a drawer out in my shop last summer that I had forgotten about, and probably hadn't been opened in 2-3 years. There were four flashlights in the drawer, all with name brand alkaline batteries in them, three were plastic-bodied lights, one was a D-cell maglite, all the batteries were past their "expiration" date, and had been in the lights for around 4-5 years. The only batteries that leaked were in the Maglite, and they were welded in there. I tried drilling them out, ramming a screwdriver through the switch end, and a few other things before giving up and throwing the tube away, it was just a basic 3D-cell black maglite, and it wasn't worth my time to try and clean it up.

 

[THS]

A Duracell leaked in my 3D LED Maglite

I called duracell and they are sending me a check (who knows if I ever get it...)

I would still like to recover it. I tried vinegar and then WD40 and banged it real hard but it's still stuck

Gonna try drilling now lol