"Jim Yanik" wrote in message
...
"Apropos" wrote in
:

OK... this is a silly problem but as of yet I haven't found an
answer:

I have a MagLite flashlight. 4-cell. The innermost battery leaked a
bit and is stuck hard in the metal tube.

Any idea how to get the doggone thing OUT without tearing apart the
flashlight tube?

I have tried tapping with a hammer, sticking in a coat hanger and
screwdriver.... nothing is helping. I even thought to put a screw
into the end of the battery for something to pull on but that proved
more difficult than I thought, being so far up in there.

Argh!



Soak the tube in vinegar to dissolve the leaking electrolyte.(alkaline
cells)

Then get a dowel to pound on the cells.
Last resort os a slide-hammer puller,used to pull out automotive body
dents.It screws into the dent(or your cell),and a weight slides on the
shaft to act as a hammer.

OR,you send it off to the battery maker,and they replace the whole
flashlight.(weeks later).
Now,after you have begin repair attempts yourself,this may not work.

IMO,Duracells leak more often than Everready.

Peel up the rubber button cover- there is a setscrew under there that
unlocks the switch assembly, and allows it to come out the front of the
flashlight. Had to do it on mine to retension the spring that rides on top
of the battery stack. (Current maglites are built a lot cheaper than the
ones from 10-15 years ago, IMHO.) Once the switch is out, the dowel trick
should work. Then sanitize all the parts with baking soda or vinegar
(depending on battery flavor), rinse, allow to dry at least a day, and
reassemble. Don't forget to silicone the threads and O-rings.

Now that prices have come down so much, who is going to expend the time and
shipping costs to maybe get a replacement on a 20-buck flashlight? Maybe
back when they were mil-spec quality, cost 40 bucks, and were only available
in gun shops that sold cop stuff, but now that every big-box has them?

aem sends...