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Why are my battery terminals corroding?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by RileyRacing, Oct 15, 2007.

  1. I'm fighting a losing battle, here.

    I've got a Mustang that no matter what I do, the battery terminals corrode. I've cleaned them with baking soda/water, battery terminal cleaners, sprayed them with the "red stuff" but nothing seems to help.

    Every month or so, the car acts "dead" and I have to get out and clean the terminals.

    The battery is "older" the alternator is about 6 months old, everything else seems to be in order.

    Any idea how to stop this? It's a top post battery...

    Jay
     
  2. Gases condensing on the posts and conectors is causing it. Need to put greased (Vasoline) felt washer over the post, hook it up, and then coat it all with Vasoline.
     
  3. Chris Casny
    Joined: Mar 13, 2006
    Posts: 4,874

    Chris Casny
    Member

    Sounds stupid, but I use those green and red felt pads, you can buy at auto parts stores and I also use vaseline, and my terminals have been clean for about 2 years.
     
  4. Notorious
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 393

    Notorious
    Member

    Older batteries always tend to corrode more. It may be time to consider replacement before it fails. Particularly in something I need to depend on, I replace car batteries after about three years no matter what.
     

  5. Mr. Creosote
    Joined: Feb 27, 2006
    Posts: 275

    Mr. Creosote
    Member

    dielectric greese on the terminals before assembly berhaps...
     
  6. Those red and green felt pads actually do seem to help. It's the acid fumes from the battery and moist air that help corrode everything. Vaseline should help.

    When you get a new battery someday, get one of those Optima batteries. They're sealed, so they don't have acid fumes around them. I have two cars with Optima batteries in them, and I never see any corrosion at all around the terminals.

    If you have replaced the bolts in your terminal clamps with some cadmium or zinc plated bolts, you might try ditching those and getting some stainless steel bolts to replace them with. Stainless will corrode a tiny bit, but it won't billow up with huge piles of white crap and turn to dust like cadmium or zinc plated bolts eventually will.

    If you mix up baking soda with water and scrub it onto the terminals with an old toothbrush, that neutralizes and fizzes away the old fluffy billows of white corrosion. Just make sure you rinse it away clean with water and don't let any of the baking soda get down into the cells of the battery. Then dry it completely and paint it up with some Vaseline.

    Are you by any chance overcharging your battery with a trickle cell charger? If you overcharge it, the electrolyte boils and overheats the battery and acid sprays out as a fine mist all over everything. If you charge it way too much, the sides of the battery will balloon out from the excessive heat and by that point the battery is kind of hopeless. If you pull one of the lids and the lid has black powdery stuff on it, that shows you overcharged it and maybe ruined it.
     
  7. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage

    i have used grease on mine for years, seems to do just fine. I wonder tho. maybe your posts are not sealed well in the case and the acidic nature of the battery is allowing gasses to escape around the posts and making this situation worse for you..maybe its time for a new battery?
     
  8. Flat Ernie
    Joined: Jun 5, 2002
    Posts: 8,406

    Flat Ernie
    Tech Editor

    A friend of mine in the business told me years ago that the overwhelming majority of batteries, particularly the mass-market type, are remanufactured. This means there are issues with tiny leaks around the terminals sometimes...

    All good suggestions here though...
     
  9. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage

    Flat E yes i have experiance this problem before , made me wonder if it might also be his problem
     
  10. It's a NAPA battery, and it came with the car. IDK how old it is, but I figured since it held a charge, it was ok. But, I have to ask, what is the difference between "greasing" the terminals and "spraying" the terminal protector on? Is grease that much better?

    All the posts so far make real good sense. I guess it's time to "pony" up and get a new battery. ;)

    Thanks all!

    Jay
     
  11. Get yourself one of those $40 handheld battery/ load testers.
    They come in handy.

    Its possible that your battery is going south from overcharging. That will cause it to swell on the sides as well as vent out gas and liquid.

    That will corrode stuff fairly quickly. A telltale sign is the top of the battery is covered by black slimy moss looking stuff. Peppered with white.

    A new battery wont fix that problem. A new alternator and/or regulator will.
     
  12. I've got a Matco load tester, and the battery checks ok.

    It just gets the white fuzzy stuff real quick, like once a month. And the alternator is new (well, 6 months old but only has a couple thousand miles on it). Could that also be part of the problem, being it's not driven enough? That's a serious question, too.

    I'm on board with the felt washers and vaseline... boy I do sound like a GMB now don't I?

    Jay
     
  13. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage

    to answer your question on the difference between spraying and greasing..probably nothing. it is ment to seal the post and connection, just an old school way i learned from some much older men than I. Yeah you GMB is showing..wonder how that will go over down south?
     
  14. Dirk35
    Joined: Mar 8, 2001
    Posts: 2,067

    Dirk35
    Member

    I too had a major problem with in the past couple of years. I had never ever had a battery do this this bad, until the one on my Daily driver (97 Explorer). Sure, Ive had them corrode a little a I cleaned them with Coca-Cola, but never like this one.

    It ate the Positive Terminal totally in two. I put a new cable on, and it started on that one too. I coated (think a huge blob) them with Axle Grease and it stopped it totally. I have to clean them often cause of the Dust in Oklahoma, and re-apply, but the Blob method has saved me the many stuck times and Jump starts I was experiencing for sure!
     
  15. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    Most batteries have a date code sticker on the side. Some are a simple (8-06) August 2006 while some are (C-07) March 2007 style codings.
     
  16. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,942

    squirrel
    Member

    put a side terminal battery in it.

    (you guys think I'm joking...but I'm not....it works)
     
  17. langy
    Joined: Apr 27, 2006
    Posts: 5,730

    langy
    Member Emeritus

    Vaseline has always worked for me.
     
  18. ZZ-IRON
    Joined: Feb 28, 2007
    Posts: 1,964

    ZZ-IRON
    Member
    from Minnesota

    Had a few one post leaks that you could see, only one post turned black. Put a lot of silicone around it worked for awhile, it went dead now and then from non use.

    Solved the problem bought a new one after a year and a lot of charges
     
  19. OldsGuy
    Joined: Aug 12, 2005
    Posts: 425

    OldsGuy
    Member

    Inspect the cables, if they are original or "unknown origin" they may have corrosion as far up as two to three inches under the insulation. When you clean the terminals you only get maybe 1/2 inch up under the insulation. Since you are never able to remove all the corrosion, it returns quickly to the terminal, connection, and battery post. You may need to replace the cables or at least dress them back to clean/shiny individual wires with no corrosion present before replacing the terminals.
     
  20. THE BATTERY IS WORKING HARD IF YOU ARE GETTIN THE CORROSION SO QUICK...

    so the volt reg is asking for charge or is stuck ....

    the ground is bad so its tricking the alt to over charge..

    the batt is overfilled look at the level inside the caps...."careful"

    are you toppin off with distilled water only?

    do you have the right size pulley on the alt a replacement alt may have a larger one?

    do ya have something thats hot with the key off radio tape deck etc ...causing the big power surge when running / start up

    do you have the correct dia. size cables and good quality

    heck its a mustang they sell ez
     
  21. Everything but the battery is new. The cables were all bought when I swapped the V8 into it, so they are clean.

    I'm gonna get a new battery. It seems like all answers point to it, so far.

    Thanks all!

    Jay
     
  22. str8axleford
    Joined: Oct 14, 2007
    Posts: 92

    str8axleford
    Member

    Did you check your engine to body grounds? Headlight grounds? Check all of your grounds, I had a similar problem with a mustang I had, bad groundstrap engine to body....
     
  23. mustangsix
    Joined: Mar 7, 2005
    Posts: 1,403

    mustangsix
    Member

    I second those little red/green felt pads. I use them on all my cars (including the Mustang) and never have a corrosion issue.
     
  24. Any time I spend $$$ on electrical devices, I try them in the store, except in adult book stores. Seriously, have even a new alternator put on the tester before you take it home and install it. You either have an overcharging situation or a leaking post, or both. Squirrel is right about the side posts, don't cost any more to go that way, but another thing you can do is spray the battery off occasionally with the hose, you'd be surprised how much that helps battery life.
     
  25. 53sled
    Joined: Jul 5, 2005
    Posts: 5,817

    53sled
    Member
    from KCMO

    What about optima gel cells? that would do the trick, right?
     
  26. Ford Fairlane
    Joined: Aug 22, 2004
    Posts: 178

    Ford Fairlane
    Member

    I always use WD40 on my terminal ends, just a little shot. You don't need to saturate them. I do this every once and a while, and I've never have a problem with corrosion.
     
  27. Digger_Dave
    Joined: Apr 10, 2001
    Posts: 2,517

    Digger_Dave
    Member Emeritus

    Just what I was thinking "sled."

    This problem - and with all the other factors taken care of - sounds like a LEAKING SEAL between the post(s) and the case.

    Time for a NEW battery!
    (hell, the Optima batteries even work UP-SIDE DOWN!!)
     
  28. Well I went out today and bought a new Autolite group 58, and got the felt washers. Greased her all up too. I'll let ya's know in a month or so how it works out.;)

    Thanks again for all the helpful replies.

    Jay
     
  29. eddie_zapien
    Joined: Apr 4, 2007
    Posts: 277

    eddie_zapien
    Member

    Sounds like your battery is trying to get the hell out of a mustang. cant say I blame it:)
     
  30. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Use paint all over your battery terminals (especially the bottom), and the top of the post. Leave the mating surfaces bare, and use grease on them.

    It's neater and cleaner than grease on everything, and the paint will stop corrosion if applied to a clean terminal.

    Every year or two I wash the battery & tray with a big cup full of baking soda in water, followed by a 5 minute garden hose rinse. You might wanna consider the same since the old battery was so acidey. Good luck
     

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