There's a Corroded Battery Stuck in My Flashlight

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Leave dead batteries in your flashlight for too long and they leak battery acid, steeping like toxic teabags. If this was a cheap flashlight you might just throw it away, but Maglights are sturdy and expensive, so you try to save it if you can. If you can’t, the Forum has a solution.

Original Post: Stubborn Corroded Maglite Battery

supersonicklutz Member

I couldn’t find a better place to post this.

I have a 4 D-cell Maglite. I opened it to change the batteries. The first 2 slid right out but the second 2 are corroded and stuck. I tried some vinegar without success. I screwed a 4-inch course thread drywall screw into the first one in about 2 inches and lassoed it with 1/8-inch braided nylon line. I really had to put my back into it but it finally let go. Same deal with the second one in (closest to the bulb for the disoriented). I huffed and I puffed and the line snapped right in the middle. I can drill in from the top and try to push it out but I'd rather not try that.

Highlights from the Thread

PJmax Forum Topic Moderator

Good luck!

I've had the same problem. Sometimes I've gotten the batteries out and other times the light got trashed.

Maglight offers a lifetime warranty but it doesn't cover damage from leaking batteries.

the_tow_guy Group Moderator

I feel your pain. I found a nice D-cell Maglite in an impounded car last year with same problem. Took me a couple of days to get it out but finally did. First thing I did was stand it on end and give it a good dose of penetrating oil. To get it out I screwed the end cap back on and repeatedly slammed it down on the workbench (vertically) to make the swollen cell work its way out. It was REALLY stubborn.

Gunguy45 Super Moderator

I could swear that someone posted here that they had a Maglite replaced when the batteries leaked... but it had to be one of the major brands (Duracell, Energizer, etc).

Yep, I found it... Maglite FAQ at FlashlightSales.com - Batteries are stuck in my Maglite! What can I do?

Now, this is from someone who sells them, and I can't seem to find the FAQs on the Maglite site, but if it applies, might be worth following up with an email to Maglite.

the_tow_guy Group Moderator

Didn't think about it from the battery standpoint. I remember a loooong time ago, didn't Eveready prominently advertise they would replace any device that their batteries leaked in?

Gunguy45 Super Moderator

Of course after reading this, I had to check my 3 D-cell that hangs one the wall in the garage. No corroded batteries, but I tore 2 of the o-rings taking it apart for lube and cleaning. $1.50 at the Tru Value and all is good now.

supersonicklutz Member

@the_tow_guy, 'Duh, why isnt this working?' The picture of someone repeatedly slamming it down on a workbench horizontally is a riot. "No dummy. Vertically!" I'll give the ol' WD a try. I had a swollen cell that worked its way out once. It wasn’t pretty.

@Gunguy45 - yeah, looks bullet proof on the flashlight sales page but such a statement is curiously absent from Maglite's site. I’m gonnna ring them up Monday. Mine are Duracells.

supersonicklutz Member

I called Maglite, told them my light had corroded Duracell batteries in it and asked if they would replace it. No, but they have an agreement with Duracell and I need to speak to them. I told the Duracell CSR 2 batteries slid out, one got yanked and the 4th one was still stuck in the light. She asked some mighty stupid questions - did I have the other 3 batteries? (Oh yes, I store all my dead and useless batteries). What is the replacement cost for my light? (Like I worked in Maglite sales and would know off the top of my head). I went online and did not immediately see prices on Mag's site so I went to Amazon - $27. Did I have the packaging the batteries came in? (Yes, saving all the packaging for everything I buy is a hobby of mine). After I got a lecture on how to use, store and care for my batteries, right down to the proper

temperatures, I finally got to the good part. Duracell will send me a debit card for $27 and a coupon for up to 8 (free) batteries (odd, I had said my light held 4 D-cell batteries, but I didn’t point that out). She told me to keep the light with its unremovable battery just in case they wanted it sometime in the future. I put it in the room with my packaging collection.

Furd Member

Yep. Sometimes the requirements for warranty service are so onerous as to make the warranty utterly useless.

Gunguy45 Super Moderator

Hey, it sounds like a win to me! Even with the stupid questions (which they don't really care about anyway) you spent 10 min or so on the phone and are now getting a replacement PLUS 8 free batteries.

Most times, the questions are more of a consumer survey than an actual requirement for warranty issues. Not always and not for higher dollar stuff of course, but most of the time the poor drone on the other end is just going through a spiel.

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/lighting-light-fixtures-ceiling-exhaust-fans/514194-stubborn-corroded-maglite-battery.html#ixzz2pMrKaPsu