On Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:51:02 +0000, Ivan Vegvary wrote:

I have a Makita cordless 18v drill (gift from family) that uses 18v
Lithium Ion batter packs. Battery model BL1815. BTW, this is one of
those 'quick charge' batteries that only require about 12 minutes.

Short story. Battery fell into water during an outdoor plumbing repair.
Recovered within 15 seconds. Battery charged OK 2 more times and now,
upon trying to charge, is shown as "defective" by the intelligent?
charger. It will not charge.

Took battery apart. Unlike older storage packs these batteries come
apart by simply removing 4 screws. Inside is a small circuit board with
many components, a battery pack and hint of silt from the dunking.

Any chance that this can be fixed somehow? It has only been cycled 5
times total. Son-in-law (who gave me the gift) simply says take it
back, or, he will reverse charges on his AmEx credit card. I won't do
this. This is simply not a manufacturer's defect.

All advice appreciated. Trying to save $ 65.

Ivan Vegvary

Salt in the silt will be conductive, and would screw up the operation of
any analog circuitry (which there surely is) on the board.

Swish it (the circuit board) in distilled water, maybe brush it all over
with a tooth brush to get any clinging gunk off, then bake it at about
150 degrees for a few hours to drive out any water.

Then don't be surprised if it still doesn't work. You may not clear the
problem, or the problem may have damaged the batteries.

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