battery corrosion/good battery dead now

[mitchelli]

Got my lawn tractor running a month ago and everything seemed great. Got out yesterday to start it and it was dead. Got out battery charger and when I lifted the covers on the battery noticed that the long bolts that hold the battery to the tray were totally covered with that white powder that batteries seem to love to make. I had steam cleaned it last month when I replaced started and solenoid...I don't get it because the metal bolts hold down a plastic piece around the battery and the tray they screw into is also plastic. No path that I can see for electricity to travel to the bolts to cause some sort of corrosion. Put charger on it...it started. Ran for 20 minutes, parked it and tried to start again....it is dead again. HELP!!!!

[Egon]

New Battery time.

[Mike Costello]

First of all, batteries emit gasses that cause the corrosion you are experiencing. You can clean the hold down bolts with battery corrosion spray, but if they are really covered you're better off replacing them. Also clean the battery terminal ends with the spray ( wear safety glasses for this job because the white stuff will damage your eyes). After that, I use a spray protectant on the terminal ends to reduce corrosion. Both the cleaner and protectant are made by Permatex and are available at any auto parts store.
As for your battery itself, check the date code in thr side of the case. If its more than a couple of years old replace it. If its a newer battery, give it a good charge and then load test it. If it fails the load test replace it. You want that mower to be reliable. In the off season, I put all my batteries on float chargers which maintain the battery at 12 volts with a slow minimal charge. This arrangement has worked well for me. For instance, my Craftsman riding mower is idle for about 6 months (winter), but with it on the float charger it came right to life in the spring. The battery will also last longer. Hope this helps. Mike.

[mitchelli]

Thanks guys, of course you were both right and a $28 Walmart battery has me purring again except for a new problem which I shall address in a new thread. Thanks again, Scott