thanks a lot to Nero, lifter01 and forkingabout for valuable inputs. We still get reconditioned forklifts with welded cells from Japan (GS and GS Yuasa) and knowing the correct procedure is a must. I will have to find a competent guy (probably a guy with hands on experience) to do the job. Why I wanted to invest in a impedance tester is to analyze all cells of a battery at once, especially at a customer's site. With the impedance tester, identifying the bad cells would be much more accurate.Could you anyway recommend a good multimeter and a hydrometer model for this purpose ?
Portable oxyacetylene bottles can also be used for the attaching the cell straps BUT you have to know what your doing to avoid blowing the battery up in your face.
In the past days of older traction battery design one of my battery repair guys used oxyacetylene the other used the resistive soldering iron kit.
It was pretty funny watching everyone disappear to the other side of the building when the hot blue spanner was in use as the battery repair guy did his stuff & I stood there with the fire extinguisher.
Most traction batteries are bolt on cell straps these days, far easier to deal with & repair.
You don't need an impedance tester a decent multimeter and a hydrometer does the job fine. Check the voltages off load and under load and check the SG its worked fine for me for years
You could do with a post drill and a salters ripper tool to push down the sides of the cells to loosen them of in the pack to enable you to pull them clear of the pack.
Nero
Thanks Jeremy_s for your valuable inputs ! I do not mind investing in a impedance tester though they are expensive and I know all best impedance testers are made in the U S A. Could you recommend a brand and a model ?
I would look into a load bank tester to check for bad cells using a volt meter and hydrometer. Get a welding ground clamp, a 3 foot length of no 2 cable, and an electrode holder, then use carbon rod and a few battery cells for a power source. Get some lead bars, and the proper hole saw and you should be set to repair batteries.