Laptop battery dimples

[HCHTech]

I have a customer's Win10 HP Spectre x360 on the bench now that came in with the complaint of overheating and shutdowns. This is a college student's laptop, so I figured a good cleanout was all it needed. Unfortunately,the mother "took it to the IT folks at my work and they blew it out with compressed air", so I couldn't see how dirty it was.

Anyway, I pull the bottom plate off and it is indeed clean inside, but there are these "dimples" at several places in the battery.







I know there was a battery recall earlier this year, so I checked HP's site. It says that some x360 models were affected , but when I download their check utility, it states "No recalled battery detected", so I guess my patient is not one of the ones affected.

However, these dimples don't look right to me - do you think this is cause enough to recommend battery replacement? I ran some hardware tests and burnin tests (which put the the CPU [i7 5500U] at 80 degrees c - pretty hot), but the computer didn't shut down. The fan is clearly working and unobstructed. The unit is 2 years and 9 months old at this point.

 

[Markverhyden]

Have you left it running and charging and then check the temperature of the battery itself? Do the deformations align with any vent points on the cover? Are there any on the other side of the battery facing the inside of the laptop?

The spacing makes me think that they occurred in the open space between cells. If they align with cover vents maybe it was sitting on something, like a blanket or pad, for extended periods. I've seen several over the years where the user did that and wondered why they had problems.

 

[cam w]

That battery needs to be replaced for safety! It is obviously damaged which can lead to
shorting and thermal overload, i.e. overheating, which it is doing now.

If I had it I wouldn't give it back without a new battery.

 

[HCHTech]

I'm going to recommend it be replaced. The dimples do not line up with any vent holes. It's a solid bottom except for a line of vent hole across the back end, and the battery is under the front end. We're running a stress test (video based) now, and it's hovering around 71 degrees c, so that is better than it was. Whether those deformations have always been there or were caused by something, they aren't right - and I sure as heck don't want to be on the list of suspects if it burns down a dorm at Penn State.

 

[cam w]

Whether those deformations have always been there or were caused by something, they aren't right - and I sure as heck don't want to be on the list of suspects if it burns down a dorm at Penn State.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Markverhyden]

I'm going to recommend it be replaced. The dimples do not line up with any vent holes. It's a solid bottom except for a line of vent hole across the back end, and the battery is under the front end. We're running a stress test (video based) now, and it's hovering around 71 degrees c, so that is better than it was. Whether those deformations have always been there or were caused by something, they aren't right - and I sure as heck don't want to be on the list of suspects if it burns down a dorm at Penn State.

Agreed. Any lithium battery with any physical damage should be replaced.