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Battery Terminal Corrosion

Well, I've been seeing significant corrosion buildup on my battery positive terminal for at least a year. At first I tried cleaning the post/terminal to bare metal but the corrosion came back. When I changed my clutch I cleaned all the connection points to the starter and ground to frame, and the corrosion came back again. So I finally bought new positive and negative wires and installed them yesterday. I expected to find measurable resistance in the old wires, or damage somewhere, but I found nothing. All ground points I could find in the engine bay (including the starter housing) came to less than .1 Ohm to the negative lead. I'm kinda kerbaffled at this point.

Aside from replacing parts and waiting to see if the corrosion returns, how can I find the source of this corrosion? (Sure would be nice since I know the car's been running 3-5mpg worse than it used to for no explainable reason)

Dave

Reply to
David Geesaman
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I am having the exact same problem with an old battery on a 87 MAXIMA. Only see corrosion at positive terminal. The battery still is OK but have used 70 of 72 months warranty. I keep buying new red and green felt no-corrosion washers for the terminals. White powder appears quickly after each bare metal cleaning.

My battery is a sealed no-maintenace battery. Is the usual car battery vented under the top plastic labels? NAPA salesman suggested the case might be leaking battery fluid overwhelming the red no-corrosion washer. Suggestions please.

Thanks, Dave_s

David Geesaman wrote:

Reply to
Dave_s

I haven't tried the washers, but I did install a new battery at one point. This one is still performing just fine at 12.8v. In my case I'm almost certain the battery is not the problem.

Dave

Reply to
David Geesaman

Reply to
E Meyer

The answer to battery terminal corrosion problems:

1) Clean connectors and posts with a wire brush 2) Pour boing water over terminals and posts (at your own risk) this will eliminate all traces of corrosion 3) Smear posts and connectors with petroleum jelly (can be bought at most pharmacies). This forms a protective coating preventing corrosion.

Al Moodie.

Reply to
Al Moodie

Thanks for the info. So you're saying, then, that it's strictly a battery issue. Can I get a warrantied battery replaced for this? If not, is there any risk to living with it and periodically cleaning the corrosion as long as it's still holding 12.8v? What about the greenish corrosion I saw on the grounds - I could be convinced it's simply copper patina, a separate issue. Agree?

Dave

Reply to
David Geesaman

In the past, on another vehicle I cleaned the whole area with a mixture of water and baking soda, to neutralize the acid.

The covering of the terminals and bare connections with petroleum jelly is a good idea. It collects dust but prevents oxidation and will provide a minimal seal against leaks around the posts.

Overcharging could cause the internal liquid to boil and vapours will want to escape by the easiest means possible, around broken seals at the post. Could the normal vent holes be plugged?

Reply to
Richard Tomkins

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