Battery Corrosion but Not Near Terminals?

Thats from the gas expelled by the battery. It's eating the metal in the hold-down.

Take it off. Clean it good... some sanding, etc. and give it a good coat of rust paint before re-installing.

I've seen it before... Looks like a mazda hold down. It's not the battery corroding but the hold down itself. If you remove it you should find that the battery is fine.

Overcharging batt. from alternator ( defective voltage regulator ) leading to excessive outgassing from battery electrolyte.

batt. hold down is b- somehow. Look how it is sulfided on the B+ side of the hold down moreso than on the B-.

Isolate the hold down from the chassis and make it electrically neutral.

Fix that voltage regulator overcharging problem from the alternator/battery. Could be a bad feedback voltage sense wire since that connector is probably corroded to shit also. That's probably the entire problem here. The feedback from the battery to the alt is corroded into oblivion so there is none.

the alt keeps pumping out amps to a battery that is already overvoltage and overcharged.

Lg

Um... It looks pretty normal to me. Metal does that sort of thing. I've seen lots of cars like that. My ex-wife's Ford looks like that now. Throw away the metal holddown and holddown bolts and get some made of plastic.

Thanks for the replies. There does seem to be a lot of scatter in opinions.

-- jim

so...what do you plan on doing. What is the plan to deal with this problem. I mean...your plan.

I would second this one to reduce the scatter:wink: It's athe holddown, and it is normal after say 10+ years.

I'm wasting my time here. Good Luck with your life.

Lg

If it's the kind of hold down I think it is, the 'bolts' are long hooks.

I'll add to the majority that feel it's normal. Just didn't see the reduced battery life that would come with overcharging on the car had the corroded hold down. Keep in mind the coating on it. Once it cracks it just holds the corrosive chemicals from the battery and moisture up inside there.

Cleaning it up and painting it should do the trick. If I recall correctly all I did on that car was scrape off the corrosion and put it back on or maybe a quick spray with black krylon or something and it didn't come back.

Very common on older battteries that have not been kept clean. It's the product of gasses expelled from the batttery during charging that settle on nearby surfaces, condense and react with metallic surfaces. Notice the dampness on the batttery top? Probably the same stuff unless you cleaned the top recently.

This is an example of why it is important to do more than just oil changes and keep up with all maintenance on your car. With proper maintenance it is possible to make a batttery last for over 6 years.

My suggestion is to remove the battery and thoroughly clean everywhere in the area. Chances are the same corrosion has settled at the bottom of the battery bay. If this is so clean it throughly, wire brush and paint with something like rustoleum. Also clean that clamp.

That's the typical sight of an Exide or Johnson Controls battery on late model North American production Toyotas. Let me guess, 2002-up Camry? They are notorious for excessive gassing and corrosion. You can clean the top off with some baking soda and water every so often to keep it at bay until you buy a new battery. Most replacement batteries won't have this problem to the degree you are experiencing. When it's time, try to find an Interstate MegaTron II (Group 24F) if you can. Good battery.

Toyota MDT in MO

I got the same thing after I pried the top off my sealed battery and filled it up with distilled water to get a couple more years out of it. Good chance that when I put the top back on with a bit of silicone sealer around the edge that there may be gas leaking out as has been the consensus in this thread. The car is a low milage 17-year old I bought when it was new. No corosion anywhere around battery until this year.

================== Have this on a new battery and hold down since installation. Finally sprayed with "Fluid Film" and that seems to have stopped it.

Acidic vapors expelled from the battery can cause corrosion in lots of things near (but not necessarily even touching) the battery.

That's one of the reasons I use Optima batteries now. No vapors, no corrosion at all.

Correct. It's a 2004 Camry.

-- jim

I've seen a few cars with corrosion around that big-fuse/positive-lug arrangement too.

On any older car (probably not an issue with the original poster's

2004), as long as you've got the battery out, check for hidden corrosion on whatever platform it sits on. Many's the time I discovered a need to clean out that area and apply rust-encapsulating paint. You'll definitely feel better for having checked thoroughly even if the metal down there is all clean and sound.

Cheers,

--Joe

Is it the BATTERY, or is Toyota (the next GM) doing exactly what GM already does, and running the voltage regulator about 0.3V higher than everyone else does? I suspect its not the battery. Exide I could see being defective, but Johnson Controls knows how to make a battery right.

Steve,

I could not tell you the difference between an Exide and JC battery if it wasn't for the label. I can tell you the OE Panasonic batteries don't seem to have this problem. If there's yet another brand in use I don't remember off the top of my head.

Typical Toyota top charging voltage is about 14 volts; top charging current at the battery is around +2 amps on average. Toyota uses very high quality alternators that are stable and durable, so I don't think it's a charging issue. I believe that North American production vehicles in general get a poorer spec battery, possibly due to the short storage and travel conditions compared to Japanese production units.

Toyota MDT in MO

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Good to mention that sometimes these 'sealed' batteries need to have water added. Lots of people think that they require NO service, which is usually not the case.

But best not overfill.

I am not sure how good an idea it is to use silicone sealant on the caps. Maybe someone else can comment. Is it possible for the hydrogen pressure to build up to the point you may have a problem? Dont know, never pushed it.

The corrosive acidic condition is caused by some of the sulfuric acid electrolyte coming out along with the noncorrosive gases released by hydrolysis in the battery. It isnt the gas itself that causes the problem, it is the acid that carries along with the gas. Frequent washdown of battery, holder, and fender area with bicarbonate in water helps until the paint is compromised, but once the coating is gone, the bicarbonate doesnt protect very much. Cleaning it up with bicarbonate, followed by drying and application of a heavy spray of undercoating can extend the life of holder and fender.