Battery Terminal Corrosion

Langanobob · Mar 1, 2019

It might just be one of the caps is not seated or is damaged. If it was my battery I壇 clean it up with baking soda, clean and tighten the terminals, spray it with battery terminal protectant oil and see what happens. With the cost of a quality battery. I壇 load test the battery before I arbitrarily replaced it.

I also switched to AGM batteries in my F250, end of terminal corrosion.

dasranger · Mar 1, 2019

Langanobob said:
It might just be one of the caps is not seated or is damaged. If it was my battery I壇 clean it up with baking soda, clean and tighten the terminals, spray it with battery terminal protectant oil and see what happens. With the cost of a quality battery. I壇 load test the battery before I arbitrarily replaced it.

I also switched to AGM batteries in my F250, end of terminal corrosion.

X2 plus:
Remove battery. With baking soda and water solution, paint and then rinse thoroughly anything the battery came in contact with. Fill a couple of smaller cups with solution and let the terminals soak for a bit in them.

bigtiller · Mar 1, 2019

Will dielectic grease work for preventing corrosion?

Industrial Toys · Mar 1, 2019

I think any grease would help, keep the vapours off the metal, but I'm just guessing that the special stuff has the chemicals that counteract the acid, contained within.

KYErik · Mar 1, 2019

tallyho8 said:
I've been told that it is recommended to change both batteries at once with the same kind or they won't charge properly.

I agree. If one battery is going bad, the alternator will overcharge both of them- producing lots of extra gas and shortening the life of the better one.

3Ts · Mar 1, 2019

I agree. If one battery is going bad, the alternator will overcharge both of them- producing lots of extra gas and shortening the life of the better one.

Well, that's not what I wanted to hear, but I'll look into that.

Almost have it clean. Unfortunately, I don't have the facilities to clean out the folds in the clamp.

Ran out of daylight, will have to finish tomorrow.

Aquamoose · Mar 2, 2019

When cleaning around batteries, it’s prudent that one wear safety glasses, old clothes, and gloves. Stuff is nasty.

3Ts · Mar 2, 2019

I change into different clothes (that don't have holes) to do any work on batteries - clothes I'm willing to put directly into the trash. And definitely full face safety shields.

SirMaxwell · Mar 2, 2019

As other have stated, that corrosion, particularly on one battery, is either a bad battery, or/and an over charging system. Feel the sides of the old battery and see if they are swelled at all. Should be perfectly flat. Don't forget to test the "good" battery. Often it is the root cause. Could be low and causing an over charge situation. I've seen batteries that have had the posts loosend by excessive twisting or just poor construction. Pay the extra and go to at least an agm. Definite test that charging system,, just a weak ground to an alternator and you will get high charge rates. Just know that all of us with dozens of batteries feel for ya.

Beltzington · Mar 2, 2019

SirMaxwell said:
As other have stated, that corrosion, particularly on one battery, is either a bad battery, or/and an over charging system.

In my experience having used a couple dozen batteries over the years terminal corrosion has always gone hand-in-hand with a failing or bad battery. This includes AGM batteries I would assume would be much less susceptible to leaks. Interesting, the over-charging speculation does seem to have merits, I always wondered the reason bad batteries always seem to be corroded.

robbyr · Mar 2, 2019

Who wants to explain what AGM batteries are?

fried1765 · Mar 2, 2019

tallyho8 said:
I've been told that it is recommended to change both batteries at once with the same kind or they won't charge properly.

Absolutely correct!
Do NOT replace only one battery!
Replace none, or BOTH!

Beltzington · Mar 2, 2019

robbyr said:
Who wants to explain what AGM batteries are?

Google??

Electrolyte is absorbed in fiberglass matting. Supposedly not as susceptible to vibrations and can be mounted in any position. Additionally they are usually high end batteries which should mean better components and manufacturing. Optima was one of the first to take this technology public and their old batteries have lasted me 6-10 years, unfortunately I have read their quality has suffered but there is a lot of competition.

aczlan · Mar 2, 2019

KYErik said:
I agree. If one battery is going bad, the alternator will overcharge both of them- producing lots of extra gas and shortening the life of the better one.

Yep, if they are wired together, they need to be replaced in pairs, or you will be replacing the other one in short order.

robbyr said:
Who wants to explain what AGM batteries are?

Amalgamated Glass Mat, different construction than a typical lead acid battery. Better in some ways, much more expensive though.

Aaron Z

Industrial Toys · Mar 2, 2019

Personally, I can't say that I have had enough bad luck with regular batteries to justify the extra cost of the glass mat. I can't see any advantage to it, for me.

k0ua · Mar 2, 2019

As a person, that installed battery plants for PBX's for over 30 years you can take my recommendations to heart to discard them. BUT. I still have a supply of NO-OX-ID from my long gone days of installing battery plants. If you use No-OX-ID you will not ever have a corrosion problem on the terminals, If you don't, you may have the problem if there is a small amount of gas leakage around the terminal. I have used the product on everything I own that has a battery, and I can attest that everything I have ever used it on has never corroded. Literally hundreds of connections if not thousands. I have no idea what is in the rather thick grease-like substance, but it claims to be non toxic. The product is made by Sanchem and is available at Amazon and other locations. It is also useful for other no battery related metal to metal connections where no corrosion is desired. I have used it on antennas, and their related mounts and sheetmetal body work. I place ZERO faith in the felt washers and red spray. I have seen plenty of corrosion on batterys with both. Take this for what it is worth, but every PBX battery manufacture sends a supply of No-OX-ID with each battery installation kit. There is always more than is needed to coat the terminals, and the coating is a one time job over the 20 year estimated lifespan of the battery plant. This is how I have obtained my stocks of the product. I have never purchased any. The race now is will my stocks run out before my lifetime runs out or not. Time will tell.

3Ts · Mar 2, 2019

Yep, if they are wired together, they need to be replaced in pairs, or you will be replacing the other one in short order.

Well, I guess I'll be picking up another battery in the morning.

I got everything cleaned up and the battery replaced. I checked the charge voltage at both batteries. The replacement read 14.39 and the other battery read 14.41 which is well within the accuracy of the voltmeter.

Is that NO-OX-ID the same stuff that is used on aluminum electrical wire connections?

Industrial Toys · Mar 2, 2019

I can't say that I have ever had corrosion using the felt washers. And I really don't like using the red spray just because it's so messy and atttracts dirt. GMs side mounted terminals really seem like a great idea, no? No stupid lead to lead clamps and the connections are away from the top of the battery.