Mini MagLite - Stuck Battery

Introduction

Did you purchase a Mini MagLite a while back because the design was pretty cool and you just had to have it, but did not use it for an extended period of time? Did it end up in a toolbox, glove box, utility drawer or somewhere that you don't access frequently? Regardless of how it happened, I bet you never expected to find yourself in a jam trying to simply replace its batteries!

Problem Statement

After opening my Mini MagLite, one of the batteries won't come out easily. It appears to be lodged in there with no signs of movement.

Your Search for Resolution

Check the Internet, Articles, Posts, YouTube, etc., where you find all kinds of crazy suggestions like drilling into batteries and even soaking in chemical mixtures that could be toxic! You want to solve the problem, but your gut says there's got to be another way! You also don't feel like buying another one because you likely already have two or three of these things since the design was so cool to begin with.  Hopefully, you got here before actually resorting to one of these options.


The Solution

1. Unscrew the battery compartment cover (bottom) and remove battery that will come out. (Not sure why, but the inner most battery is usually the one that seems to corrodes first and is the reason we're all here.)
2. Carefully unscrew and remove lens cover (top).
   
3. Remove bulb by gently pulling straight out. Be careful not to bend the connectors as you remove bulb.
   
4. Use a small screwdriver to gently pry the "do not remove" cap off. It is a snap on part that connects to a terminal contact on the other side. There is a tiny piece of metal that forms the contact between both parts. Check to make sure the metal connector has not popped out.
   
5. Rotate the body of the flashlight so the top side is up. Double check to see if the metal connector has shifted out of place. If it has shifted and appears to be exposed, make sure you carefully remove it by gently shaking it out without force. If it it is well seated and does not appear exposed, proceed to next step.
6. Find something like an allen key to serve as striking point. Insert allen key into the top.
   
   Gently tap allen key with progressive force until battery drops out the other side. (You won't believe how happy you will feel as soon as this occurs.)
   
7. Use something like a wire brush to thoroughly clean the inside of your MagLite body shell. At this point all electrical components have been removed, so soaking in chemicals, soap, water, etc. to neutralize any prior battery acid leaks will be totally safe to do. (I personally used some q-tips, paper towels and alcohol to gently scrub the insides until I was satisfied.)
   

   
8. Now that everything is cleaned up, putting everything back will be pretty straightforward.
9. Start re-assembly by taking standing one new battery up and placing the inside terminal cap facing up right on top of it. Ensure that the metal connector is well seated inside the terminal cap, and facing the right direction before sliding the body shell over both of them.
10. After the terminal cap and battery are inside the vertically standing body shell, lift all three components vertically up and insert second battery into the bottom of the body shell.
11. Screw on the battery cover while holding everything in place. You should now see how the terminal cap will fit with the light bulb cap.
12. Snap on the light bulb cap.
13. Attach light bulb.
14. Screw on lens cover.
15. Congratulations! You're done!
    

Let me know how this worked for you.

Terms of Use

This is a step-by-step instruction guide for what I did to solve my specific problem. If it seems applicable to your situation, please feel free to apply this approach to solve your specific problem. As I will not be there with you while you solve your problem, I cannot guarantee this will solve your specific problem nor will I assume any liability associated with voided warranties or damage self-caused when trying to perform said steps.

You may use the steps outline above to solve your problem. You will not hold me nor my agents responsible for any self-caused harm or secondary harm to others, even if you follow all of the instructions above verbatim.

The contents herein are the property of Chang Consulting Group, LLC and shall not be reproduced for the purposes of monetary or reputation gain without explicit permission in writing.

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