MAGLITE - Disassemble & Remove that Stuck Battery the Proper Way
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- This is the third and final chapter in the corroded battery stuck in a Maglite saga. TBH I probably should have done this the first time round.
Chapter 1: • MagLite - Remove a Cor...
Chapter 2: • Removing Stuck Maglite...
I'll be replacing my broken globe with one of these: amzn.to/3bKKPXJ (Affiliate Link)
Update, the tiny screw that holds the lamp/switch assembly is now T8, you need a Torque screwdriver with an extreme thin shaft to reach the T screw through the switch (own experience)
Awesome. Thanks for the info on the newer flashlights. Comment pinned for public info. I'll see if I can add some text to the video also.
Ok I have two D3 mag liites. One incandescent one led, and THIS explains why I can't tear down the newer LED one. Off to find a t8
T8 does not fit in mine as the tip doesn't even go in at all
@@icedragonslair you have to have an "instrument grade" T8, e.g. as applied for clocks, watches, cell phone etc. You cannot tell if the T8 fits or not if the shaft does n't fit in the hole to start with
The blade itself will not even go into the hole let alone the shaft
@@SjaakvanLoo
Praise the lord. I have spent all Saturday smashing the hell out mine.
Ted, I cannot thank you enough. One of my batteries had welded itself to the casing. In the end I had to use a bolster chisel and a 2lb club hammer to knock it out. Maglite now fully restored.
Thanks for the tip of releasing the switch, with the extra room I popped that clip out on the first try using a stiff dental tool. The top battery came right out the bottom one was a different story, it took a couple days soaking with vinegar and pounding with a wooden dowel.
Glad it helped!
Absolute legend! 4 of the 6 D-cells in my big MagLite were stuck - and now they're not!
That's saved me £80! Brilliant!
A standard snap rignt wiht pin holes would have made the whole thing a lot easier to service!
Mine has a threaded ring with spanner dimples in it. It was a bitch to get it out :P
Ofc “easy” is never the way to go for disassembly.
Seger
Thanks Ted, this method worked for me, I had the 3rd battery stuck and didn't have a long enough coach screw to get it out, the circlip was a bit tricky to release but with the aid of a head torch I was able to see what was happening. It took a lot of of heavy blows to get the stuck battery out, I have managed to cleanup the corrosion with some sandpaper. The silly thing is that the batteries were still working, albeit a bit dimmer but I hadn't realised that they had an expiry date of 2016, so they must have been in the torch for at least 10 years! Now to convert it to LED, there are several after market kits on the internet which are much cheaper than a new LED Maglite (circa £150 GBP) I have seen kits for around £30 so will try and bring it up to date.
Thanks for the video. I never could get that clip out so the Mag lite went into the trash.
Once it's repaired, make a sleeve of transparency film for the battery compartment. A bad cell can't fuse to the side anymore.
Will have to smash mine as the switch is completely stuck! You can only remove the switch and circling if the switch has some movement! Oh well!
Good idea!
Excellent video. You showed us how to take the entire light apart. Great explanation. Thank you.
Brilliant information on how to remove that switch 👍
Thank you for the video. Very informative. I am dealing with this same situation now !
Very helpful, I coated the inside of the tube and the batteries with anti corrosion mixture of beeswax and petroleum jelly in case batteries leak again.
Great video, thanks for taking the time to show in such detail.
Thanks for sharing your findings. Very helpful to know that light unit is held in there by that C clip in that groove. This is valuable info that maglite will probably never give out to anyone freely.
Btw, for your future reference in order to clean the battery acid. You can mix a solution of water and baking soda and that will eat up the acid and clean the housing. This solution can also be used t9 loosen the seized battery a lil bit.
Thank you for saving my torch!
I had to add lots of WD 40 though 😅
I have had Duracells swell up several occasions. Way more than Energizers.
Super helpful video. I also found that getting the snap ring out was much easier once I used I straight pick on one side to keep the ring from spinning, and then a right angle pick to pry at the other side. Came out easy. Also have a rounded file on hand, my battery had eaten a little of the aluminum, so a file helped remove corrosion, and I then oiled the inside of the tube to keep it from recurring. Oh, and a garden tool handle was just the right size to bang the battery out after piling it up.
Hi Colin, where can I find the picks that you described?
@@alleyoop5185 harbor freight sells cheap ones.
@@alleyoop5185 I think he is referring to a standard pick kit that you can find anywhere... even Harbor Freight has them... four kind of picks. One straight, one 90 degree, one curved and last one is hard to describe... double 90.
Excellent! Such a clear and descriptive video! Many thanks.
Good primer, thanks. Thrift shop find, cell #1 was stuck in position. I could see electrolyte all around the cell. I poured in a few ounces of vinegar and stood it on end (top down) in a dish. After 1/2 hour I could see it starting to leak out in the dish. I left it another hour, then sprayed in contact cleaner/lubricant. Let that sit another 1/2hr and then gave the end a good a square whack on the bench. Taking the switch out first would have allowed the cell to exit from the top but whatever. I dismantled the switch and polished the contacts. Previous owner tried to polish the reflector:o( Looking for a way to polish the corrosion from inside the tubes body...
The raised ridge on the switch assembly directly adjacent to the snap ring is diabolical. I can't help but think it was designed that way to make it harder to take apart. But eventually I got the ring out using a heavy duty pick tool.
Vinegar dissolves the battery electrolyte but ultimately I switched to NIMH rechargeable AA and AAA along with C and D battery adapters which completely eliminates the problem, saves money and no more running out of batteries ever again.
There is a high capasity D cell made by SAFT and Varta which is 7 to 10 AH. Nimh and packs quite a punch. Energizer makes a really good rechargable D but not the consumer one. Its all battery and clocks in around 10+ AH
Worked for me! Good on ya. Works like new.
Very helpful video. the light I found was so bad that the battery acid ate through the barrel close to the butt cap. I'm just saving all the good parts I can for my other one. (remember if you have not used something in over a year check the batteries)
Can't find the 2 mm hex bolt by the switch -- hard to tell if that was actually needed. One way or another, I could not match this up with what I have on my MagLite with a stuck battery. Too much talk, not enough action, can't see the critical step. Thanks for trying.
Thank you Ted!
You were absolutely correct! Moving the switch toward the batteries enabled me to get that keeper ring out with a LOT of fiddling. But the remaining task is the frozen, corroded batteries. I can't get the end cap out without destroying it. Been in a big vise with shielding for the teeth so as not to destroy the Maglite body. Tried a chain wrench and then a regular wrench with a cheater and it won't budge. I'm gonna have to fill the Maglite tube with something and leave it.....concentrated vinegar?? I tried Kroil.....but it's not really 'rust' per say, but battery corrosion. I dunno.....
To keep your Maglite batteries from corroding, go to a local auto parts store and pick up some battery terminal cleaner and protector. The cleaner will help deteriorate the acid, and the red spray protector will keep this from happening as frequently.
good idea
@@stephenjlr corroding batteries is not the real problem, but leaking electrolyte from within the batteries into the Maglite housing.
@@SjaakvanLoo Correct! The leaking batteries cause the corrosion that locks the batteries into the barrel. The sealer might make the batteries slightly easier to push out if the sealer can resist the very highly reactive leakage, but I doubt it would make a difference.
But when the batteries are DURALEAKS anything is possible. I stopped using Duraleaks altogether. Terminal protectant can only do so much.
About that snap-ring at the top. Mine is a 10+ year old 3-cell model. The ring sits in a shelf at the top of the switch assembly and cannot be removed without sliding the switch assembly down the tube 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch, which is impossible with 3 stuck batteries in the way. I have put vinegar on top of each battery, allowed it to soak for awhile, followed by Kroil Penetrating Oil, then drilling into the end of the battery, threading into it some long all-thread rod I have, and carefully prying/pulling it out by tightening a nut against a wood block at the end of the tube. Drilling and tapping the third battery, sunk way down the tube, was a challenge. Still working on getting the corrosion out so I can push down the switch to remove it and really clean out the tube.
It seems to be one of those problems that once you start on it you really don't want to let it beat you! Well done for getting there!
5:40 ... you mention we can loosen the 2mm hex screw on the switch cartridge to give us some play to release the pressure against the clip we're trying to remove. Here's the prob: if there's a battery stuck in the barrel, you can't get that play you're seeking because the battery is stopping the switch cartridge from moving down a bit. As well, there is a lip on that switch cartridge that won't allow the clip to disengage if you can't move the switch cartridge down a bit. STUCK here still :^(
I had this happen to both the triple d cell models I had, I just binned them as better replacements are now available for a lot cheaper price, unless you need to use it as a weapon
The C-clip spring sits in a groove
Thanks, your video helped me out a lot.
Does anyone know what type of batteries to use that WON'T corrode like alkaline batteries do ?
EBL batteries.
Much like a faucet, or a lock. It’s a set-screw… nice video.
had a stuck energizer bat up against the switch module, had no play in the module so i hammered it off the ring , eventually it just pushed the stuck battery out but i tell ya, that annoying little ring went straight into the bin !
cheers bud, that was most useful to me. 👍👍
thx so much man, definitely seems like the best method
I cannot get that ring out. Will probably try drilling into the batteries now or throw the whole thing away.
How did you remove the light assembly? I removed the on/off button and 2mm hex doesnt work. Just spins. Have three stuck batteries.
This was a great video. I find that if you pin one side of the retaining clip with another screwdriver it keeps it from spinning around while you use another screwdriver to pop the retaining clip. That is what I had to do anyway.
Thanks!
Shooting a black object:
Use narrow White Electrical Tap around the Ends and middle of the tube and the Light assembly.
Thanks for the tip !
The switch assembly doesn't move at all on mine after loosening the switch screw completely.
That goddamn blue circlip is in my way!
Cheers! Got it!
This is the best example for a video in which the narrator can't say a straight sentence although he knows what to do. Especially the first half you can skip for the most part or speed the video up till the point when he finally explains how tf you get the switch out if you have either a 2mm Allen key or a very fine graded T8 torx
Good information, too long video
If the mag light were so good it would have something built into it to stop batteries from doing this
Thanks for it
Mine has C batteries that are stuck and it doesn't match this situation. I'm looking for another option to get my batteries out.
I couldn't even to get the end cap off. It's fused together, nothing worked so far with penetration oil, impact on an anvil, heat with a torch, and with a pipe wrench destroying it. Happens with both the large D cells and the Mini Mags.
T8 does not fit in this 3-D Cell LED light at all!
Dziękuję. Takiego dokładnego filmu szukałem.
was there any place that ring could’ve been rotated to where it has more freedom to leave tube(aside from rust)?
I managed to strip mine. I got the retainer out eventually, I got the switch out ... I got just two of the six batteries out. I used penetrating oil. heat and even a two tonne press but it would not shift the other batteries though. New Maglite ordered ... moral of the story - check the batteries every few months. Its a poor design.
I am not able to move the switch casing back. Do you have a Tipp about how to remove the clip?
...and the Webby Award for stretching a short video into a feature-length film goes to....
Yeah I’ll write a script next time rather than rambling. Sorry!
LOL apparently I’m not the only one with this problem.
I don’t know if this is normal, but there is no Allen screw beneath my light switch. It’s totally cylindrical and will not accept any Allen wrench. Total mindfuck.
10:17 mine doesn't moove at all. Should it fall freely without the batteries once you've unscrewed completly ? Probably to much corrosion in mine, i've put some oil in it for the night, i hope tomorow it'll moove enough.
I just figured there is still 1 batterie at the bottom, so i need to get that one out first to be able to moove the switch.
$16.45 for a new switch or $16.45 for a whole new 3 D cell flashlight.
11/29/2023,,too late. stuck#4 battery in 6 cell, broke bulb housing knocking handle end on carpet in kitchen. just emailed maglite for overhaul🙏🏼
what's the reference of the t8 tool that you are using???
Surprised your corroded batteries were duracell. I just discovered my maglite had a stuck battery using Aldi batteries. And had the same problem with another D cell torch which was much easier to get access to both ends of the tube but again it was Aldi batteries that had corroded. So now got to get that c clip out to get access. No more Aldi batteries for me though.
Batteries are one thing I always go name brand on. Duracell, energizer, rayovac (but not cheaper than them).
I'm watching this to try and remove coroded Duracell!
same here
Duracell has ruined two of my maglites
Thanx is works!
Problem is the batteries outgas and because the maglite is airtight the batteries literally explode.
When I put my 2mm allen wrench into the hole of the switch it just spins. Not like the screw is loose because the switch is still tight to the housing. Tried pressing down firmly on the wrench in the event that there was some kind of crud in the socket, nothing, still just spins. Tried another 2mm wrench from another set, nothing. Tried the 1.5mm, ya right. Anything over 2mm won't go in the hole. Pretty close to just tossing the flashlight. All this to get the last stuck, swollen, battery out that is way up inside. Suggestions????
It's a star pattern screw, mine is that way.
It might be a T8 Torx screw if your Maglite is a newer model. Those are the ones with the star pattern…
Or use a very small flat screwdriver
@9:53 this is what you all came for.
Hi, what is the screwdriver type used?
I just used a small flat head screwdriver
Olá amigo ,onde eu encontro o refletor da maglite para comprar?
Você conhece alguma loja?
Eu tentaria amazon amzn.to/3hoXFMV
You don't need to remove the clip...after loosening switch screw, switch assembly will slide out of the back of the tube
If the batteries are not stuck then yes, this would work. If the batteries are corroded into place then the switch assembly needs to come out the top though.
@@stephenjlr I just loosened the switch screw at tapped assembly and batteries out with a large wooden dowel and a rubber mallet..if batteries are not seriously stuck, saves time trying to get clip out...don't get me wrong...great post
Better way, buy $30 maglite.
Trash it and buy a new one - or just use your phone. It is not worth the time - I will never get that wasted hour back. GREAT instructions, but getting the ring out of mine was impossible. Plus, drilling into a battery is not the safest process. I did try to leverage out the last battery - it just crumbled with the 3rd bolt of increasing diameter. Stupid product really.
Hint: buy a new one. These flimsy lamps aren't worth the hassle of repairing.
A very hard time getting to the point
taking so long to get to the point I'm moving on before even watching
Holy shit, get to the point.
I admire that you bother to make videos that are supposedly intended to help people, but you need to plan in advance what you want to say, make notes of the technical expressions you want to use, and more importantly learn how to talk fluently. This is the only video of yours that I’ve viewed but without wishing to sound cruel…it’s like watching paint dry…just get on with it!!!
Thanks for the feedback. Always trying to improve my content so I appreciate you’ve taken the time to comment. *deletes paint drying channel… and grass growing channel for good measure*
What a condescending critique. I mean, without wishing to sound cruel...you come off like a total d-bag. FWIW, my Mag is super corroded. I'm banging it on the sidewalk for a good 15 minutes in a lame attempt to remove the batteries. I give up and find this guy's vid. I don't get the impression Ted's trying to be a pro UA-camr with a fake production set and a cheesy 30-sec intro with public-domain trap music playing in the background. He's just a dude in his garage with real solutions. I thought it was helpful. I didn't know you could just pluck off the rubber button cover like Ted did. Go watch some Discovery if you want to see polished content with actors acting like they're restoring something.
I had 2 Mag light flashlights. One newer LED & 1 older. I tried the above methods today after watching this video. Both were unsuccessful. One switch I was able to loosen. The other not. As for the spring ring? That never budged out of it’s groove after 20 minutes of trying. Instead of trying further. I saved myself further time consuming efforts? I just tossed both out. Every Mag light I have ever owned suffered the same fate. Lesson learned. I will never buy another Mag Light flashlight. Light is well manufactured. Killed by cheap alkaline batteries.
I made an investment in Streamlight flashlight. I bumped up my expense to triple the cost of a mag light. I like what I bought. It comes with lithium rechargeable batteries. I bought an extra set of batteries to keep charged. I bought the brand new Pro Tac HL 5-X. It’s a 3500 lumen flashlight that is way better made than a mag light. Smaller in size & has a comfortable rubber grip handle. For those looking to use it as a weapon? It has two surfaces for putting lumps in someone. It has a cord to slide over your wrist. Very well made & exceedingly bright. No comparison! I was soo impressed I bought 3 more to replace all my mag lights. As my mag lights die? I’ll just toss them in the garbage.
That solution doesn't work to remoove the batteries because if the batteries are blocked then you'll not be ble to moove the switch assembly.
I still have one batterie inside and my switch doesn't moove at all.
thank you for making this vid but it took you to 5:18 seconds to get to the damn point of how to disassemble the flashlight. Seriously, bit of planning and maybe even editing and it would be a far more useful vid. Just my opinion but I found myself muttering "just get to the point, mate" Cheers
I had to take mine apart, pulverize two d cells into bits with a sledgehammer and a drill bit to get them out. Not fun at alll!! They wouldn't budge one bit might as well have been welded in.
Nice video.
Mine doesn't have the circlip, it has 4 holes (not 2) and just unscrews. The main thing is the 2mm allen key in the switch which I would never have figured out myself so thanks.
Thank you so much for the video, this is what worked in my flashlight,......No need to remove the shimmer ring, after removal of the battery's loosen the T/Allen screw (connects the minus of the lamp to minus of the battery using the housing as a conductor) reachable through the switch to remove the lamp assy and clean out the tube internally with an electric toothbrush,..(take an old one :) ) , use water to remove battery electrolyte that leaked out of the battery,..apply some silicone oil spray in the tube before reinstalling new batterys.
Worked like a charm. How you ever found the set screw for the switch amazes me. I used a 5/64th allen wrench to loosen it, no problem. Almost gave up on getting the snap ring out but went to a longer, thinner flat head and was finally able to pry it out. Rather than soaking the very stuck battery and tube overnight I remembered the old adage and simply used a bigger hammer. The 5 lb. hammer, a wooden dowl and a bench vise did the trick.. Then wrapped the dowel with sandpaper, fastened the sandpaper to the dowel with everybody's favorite, duct tape, and sanded the corrosion out of the body in about 10 minutes. Batteries slide through the tube freely, the light works and life is good.
So how did you go about getting the ring back in ?
Nice you are the man. I haven't been able to use this light in years and today I finally got the thing tore apart time to get that battery out once and for all
I can’t even get the end cap off
Ted very much liked your video, wondering if there is a chemical, spray or magic elixir etc that you could coat a new battery with to slow down or prevent this corrosion that we are all dealing with? Have an old flashlight from my Dad's day that had a thin cardboard sleeve between batteries and housing, still have it today in fine condition.
just a thought: "how to put it back together again" Haha :D (seriously though..the ring looks tricky going back in)..saved my moms old flashlight...25 years old and 4 severely corroded batterys from being stuck behind an air conditioner mounted in a wall for 20+ years.
Allen key 2 mm doesnt work for me i thing that my maglite is torx with hole .
Someone else commented that the newer maglites are using a T8 torx head.
I had four batteries stuck. I put baking soda on in with boiling water but there was no fizzing so I can't say that it helped. I drove a large screwdriver into the first battery and with the torch held in a wood vice turned the battery using mole grips on the handle. Driving the screwdriver into the lower batteries I was aware of the proximity of the switch and bulb contact so felt a little brutal so I used a 3/8 firmer wood chisel to form a slot. The batteries all needed to be helped by banging down hard on the bench and the last battery fell out with the second to last which was good because I don't think that the chisel would have reached it. The tube seemed to be unaffected by the corrosion but since the newer torches are so powerful I wonder if anyone knows if it is possible to convert this one to LED or whatever it is because in the event of an intruder this torch provides both light and defence in the form of a cosh.
I think the next video on this particular flashlight will look at upgrading the LED driver and converting to 7.4v Li-Ion batteries. As far as lumens/$ goes though it is not an efficient process when compared to the low cost high output flashlights available now.
Why didn’t you use a snap ring plier to het the ring out? Never mind, there’s no hole for the tool
Your audio quality is bad, you changed something at 9:40 and the sound quality improved totally. You need to find out why. Room acoustics are very tricky. Move to a different room with sound absorbent material on chairs, walls, floor. Otherwise, I cannot understand much at all, even if using quality earphones.
My two flashlights (an original Kel-Light, yes, I was a police officer and had to ditch the Kel-Light to get a different name brand to carry on-duty. Both totally corroded. Lens assembly totally locked up. Tried vinegar, but not hopeful. Try a carpenter's bit??
Thanks for the feedback regarding the audio.
Thank you! I appreciate your instruction!
8min in and i see you've disassembled the maglite but did bot show how.
My first method worked and did not leave damage. FWIW I was surprised that it worked. I got the outside battery out pretty easy with just some banging, The inside one was an issue though. Frist I shot a lot of penetrating lube in around the battery and left the light on end so it would soak in for a few days. I would sray more lube in as the puddle in the light went down. To get the battery, I took a spade bit, about 1/4" and I just used the tip of it to puncture a tiny hole in the center of the battery. Spade bits are good for that because they are long and taper down to a tiny point. Next, I took a long screw eye for wood and screwed it in the hole in the battery a couple of turns. Do not over do this! You wanna get as many pulls as you can and if you screw it in too much the battery will mushroom and be harder to get out. I found some tough rope, in my case, some old synthetic hay bale binds, and looped that through the screw eye and around the ball hitch on my truck. Any solid object, that is firm to the ground, like a tree with work fine. The trick is to just tense up the rope so you know where it ends and then hang tightly onto the flashlight and snap it snap it back violently so the end of the rope is past the end of your swing. I pulled the screw eye out once and had to put it back in another thread deep, but the battery gave up the ghost on that pull. Oddly enough the battery came out, the plastic label did not. But once the battery was gone the label was easy to scrape out and it came out in one piece.
Great video - thanks
I've seen a few videos and now realise my batteries must have been significantly worse than all the ones in the comments
The last battery - a Duracell - would simply not come out. I made a giant cork-screw, put a lot of tension on it then left it soaking in diesel for over two months - nothing
After watching your video at least I then knew about the screw and the circlip
The screw, even though it's a torx profile, fitted a 2mm Allen key perfectly. Unfortunately, due to the battery being welded in position, there was no clearance to push the switch body back, so the clip remained held in by the plastic ridge on the switch body
The beast that finally removed that D cell was my largest spade bit on an extension. Part of the secret was in the construction of the bit itself - instead of a simple point, it has a worm which pulls the bit into the battery base. My first try cut out what was left of the battery base then second go dug into the battery innards and started rotating it
With the battery out I could remove the circlip. The switch body was already a bit damaged by previous uninformed attempts to remove it (one video says the switch body is threaded and wasted a significant part of my life) - so I wasn't particularly careful and damaged the button mechanism more
So, for the impossible, I'd recommend a 2mm Allen key and a large, wormed spade bit
My end cap is stuck, how can I get it off?
This is excellent!! You showed us how to take the entire flashlight apart and explained the pitfalls. Thank you, thank you.
I am stuck on the part of getting the retaining ring out. I understand that you are using a small flathead screwdriver but I can't get the retaining ring to move. I have loosened the switch but not much movement there because of stuck batteries. Any other tips/tricks on the technique of getting the retaining ring out would sure be appreciated. Thanks in advance to anyone who helps.
Try not to destroy the snap ring as it appears maglite dont sell them anymore, try a metal tooth pick tool.
@@SandyToesDetecting OK I have a set of Craftsman picks that may work. Is the motion to get it out of there trying to pull it towards the center of the tube or up towards the end of the tube? (or both??). Thanks for your response and help
i found a blue one in a garbage bin. the outside look so brand new....it was so badly corroded i can not even unscrew the rear cap
Don't give up! If you're in Australia you can send it through and I'll take on the challenge!
From experience, I can say that three of three such Maglites I've recovered needed a new switch anyway because the battery leakage had destroyed that as well. If you just assume going in that the switch is toast, you can save some time and effort. I now start by unscrewing the head, dropping a deep-well socket over the bulb holder (just small enough to follow past the snapring without hitting it), and giving that socket one good whack with a hammer to get the switch shoved back a bit. I do this with the back cap *installed* to protect the threads at the other end from mushrooming. Then I pry out the snapring, pull off the back cap, and see if I can get the entire battery column to come out of the front using a large wooden dowel and a mallet, with the flashlight tube clamped inside a pipe vise using a leather strap to protect the finish. When that fails (as it usually does), it's time for hole saws and chisels. Remember, the aluminum tube is soft, it deforms and/or mushrooms easily; don't get frisky in a way that could do that!