:usaflag: Excalibur Rechargeable Battery Housing Leak!!

[Cupajo]

When I bought the used Excal a week ago I noticed there was a discoloration and some white residue in the battery housing.

The fellow I bought it from suggested it was silicone from the end cap and not to worry and besides if there was a problem the purchase price included a spare alkaline battery housing and I could use it instead.

I put the battery on charge and was delighted to find it took a charge and seems fine!

I then placed it in the spare housing to avoid any possibility of wetting it with salt water.

On closer inspection I discovered the suspect housing had hairline cracks radiating out from the screw holes!

I cleaned, silicon-ed and closed the end cap and weighted it down in a pail two feet deep for a half hour! It leaked!

The "spare" housing wouldn't fit the machine until the ears on the housing were clipped to fit the older machine.

After this minor mod was done the battery pack housing fit just fine!!

I ordered a spare battery pack and charger from "only battery packs.com".

When they arrived I learned the new charging connectors would not fit the old machine!

I stewed for a day over how to use the charger and how to stop the leak in the housing!

I realized the battery connector is the same as the one for earphones and charger for my old Garrett XL500s.

I had an extra connector and after checking it for fit (perfect) I installed it on the new charger and shortly had a completely charged battery pack!!

Next problem-----leaking housing!!

Cost of a new housing-------OUCH!! New complete battery pack--------DOUBLE OUCH!!!!

Is it really necessary to be able to take the end cap off when a new NiMH 1600ma battery is used?

After weighing the cost of new housings, the unlikelihood of needing to remove a new battery for a long time and how well marine epoxy seals things, I epoxied the end cap in place!!

It will be thoroughly pressure tested before it is used and should it leak, there is still the option of cutting it apart and using the battery in a new housing!

The reason I'm sharing this information with you fellow hunters, is to help you understand that it isn't necessary to ship your machine off to home base for every little problem that comes along!

First it's time consuming and always expensive unless under warranty!

I'll let you know how the "epoxy repair job" worked out!

CJ

 

[pistolpete]

Hey CJ. I think the battery pak from only batteries will fit both the rechargeable pod and the alkaline pod. If you wanted to start with something brand new, you could always buy the alkaline pod at 40 something dollars and drop your new rechageable batteries into it. Those nimh batteries will last you a long time! By the time they quit charging it will be time to move up to a newer model excal

 

[Cupajo]

Forty dollars is a lot more than no dollars!

Thanks anyway,

CJ

 

[Cupajo]

The battery housing is dry inside after a half hour under two feet of water!!!

Now if the weather would just co-operate!!

CJ

 

[plugger]

CJ, those cracks were probably from a previous owner using steel bolts to secure the pods to the rod and then over-tightening them. I always use nylon bolts for that reason. It doesn't take much to hold the pods on the rod as they are usually a snug fit to begin with. I have enjoyed reading all of your posts.

Plugger

 

[Cupajo]

Hey Plugger,

Glad you like the posts.

The cracks were where the screws hold the end cap on the battery housing.

This housing had stainless screws that were not allen types screws.

They had heads on them and someone tightened them too much jamming the heads into the plastic and cracking it.

My Epoxy fix is working well and a lot less money than a new housing.

Three hours today and 6--quarters, 4--nickels, 3--pennys, 7--dimes, 4--fishing sinkers,

1-fishing lure and 2--silver rings along with bits and pieces of brass and a few bottle caps. (all old clad and water worn.)

I'm sure that if the heavily hunted area had any gold where I was swinging the coil I would have found it.

You only have to miss it by a few inches after all!

Maybe next time!!

CJ