Bulging Battery

WeatherMan

WeatherMan

Active Member
Hi guys,

I've forgotten to make a thread on this from when I first noticed this problem.

I have a 8ish year old laptop made by E-Systems, not a very powerful system, I think it has a Intel Celeron 585, 1GB ram, Vista blah blah.

Anyway, it gets extremely hot, and I have no way to open it up and clear it out to reduce the temps, as it's kind of a sentimental system, my stepdad doesn't want it fiddled with at all.

CPU idles at around 60-70cc, loads at around 85-90c

Since I first noticed the laptop getting extremely hot, I've seen that the battery has expanded a lot, so much so that the rubber feet that the whole laptop sits on are wonky because of the base not being straight. The curvature of the battery is now bottoming out the underside of the system, so that it does not sit flat.

I ran HWMonitor yesterday and noticed that there is a 97% wear rate on the battery. It now holds no charge at all.

It did used to last around 5 minutes, and at that time IIRC it wasn't bulging.


Anyway, should I be concerned?

I can use the laptop easily just on AC power, but it's kind of awkward with the battery removed, the weight distribution shifts, and it's base obviously uneven due to the hole where the battery is supposed to be.

I will most likely replace the battery eventually, but have no need to right now, what I want to know is why has this happened, because of age, wear rate, heat?

Also, I've heard a few horror stories about exploding laptop batteries, most likely due to heat? Would it be a good idea to remove the battery?

Thanks
 
If the battery is bulging, then that is a sign that the computer shouldn't be used unless you can replace the battery. You risk serious injury or fire.
 
This is a classic battery internal failure. The internal resistance is peaking, causing heat.

Don't use the battery. Replace it.

Get a can of compressed air from the hardware shop or computer shop and use it to blow out all the vents and heatsinks. If you're keen, access the heatsinks and replace thermal paste (i would), but not for a novice.
 
Many thanks guys, I checked out a few video's and carried out some additional research, and the battery has been binned, will be running on AC as of now until I can order a new battery.

Thanks for the suggestion of using compressed air bigfella, I didn't think about that for the vents.

If this was my system it would've already had a replacement battery, been stripped down with all the heatsinks remounted with brand new tim by now, but because of my stepdad not wanting the system opened, I don't know how easily i'd be able to carry out the work, stick it back together, and make it like I've not touched it :P
 
Bootup05 said:
Many thanks guys, I checked out a few video's and carried out some additional research, and the battery has been binned, will be running on AC as of now until I can order a new battery.

Thanks for the suggestion of using compressed air bigfella, I didn't think about that for the vents.

If this was my system it would've already had a replacement battery, been stripped down with all the heatsinks remounted with brand new tim by now, but because of my stepdad not wanting the system opened, I don't know how easily i'd be able to carry out the work, stick it back together, and make it like I've not touched it :P
Click to expand...

Tempting as it is, don't do it. Just blow out the vents and replace the battery. Consider raising it slightly when on a desk to improve airflow.

But if you want to convince your Step Dad, explain that heat is a killer for computing.
 
If he doesn't want you to clean the inside, then find a reputable/local repair shop and get that thing cleaned. Running that hot will kill a laptop in a short amount of time. Just ask him if he would prefer (about) $70 to have a shop to clean it, or the cost of a new computer when his current one finally burns up.

If he still doesn't listen to you then don't let it worry you since you have done your part in trying to warn him. Sometimes people just just don't want to listen.

90C is a LOT, obviously.
 
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