I've never seen this before. My battery has built up a lot ofcorrosion, but under the hold-down. Not on the terminals. would cause a battery to corrode in this odd location, but not atthe terminals?-- jim

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.

Battery Corrosion but Not Near Terminals?

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Steve 19 years ago

There used to be a HUGE difference. JC used to make Diehards for Sears when Diehards were considered good. Then Sears switched to Exide in the

90s, and the reputation of the Diehard went to the crapper.

Exide is an old "great" name in Batteries from the first half of the

20th century, but the modern Exide (like th Modern DeWalt, the modern Ridgid Tool Company, the modern Sunbeam Mixmaster, etc. etc. is just an example of a wanna-be company trying to survive on a purchased trademark.

They use the same Nippondenso alternators that half the planet uses- the modern-day Delco (the original went to crap like Exide, unfortunately). They're good, but they don't determine the charge voltage. That's set by the regulator, which these days is normally inside the Powertrain Control Module.

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Steve 19 years ago

That depends on the battery technology. If its just a conventional lead-acid battery with an excess electrolyte capacity (like the old "maintenance free" DieHards, the original JCPenny Battery, the old "green eye" Delcos, etc.) then its true- they still can lose water. However, if its an absorbptive glass mat (AGM) battery (which are frequentyl incorrectly called "gel cell" batteries) like the Optima, then not only will it never need water, it truly is impossible to add water because it is air-tight. There's a seal that will blow open if the battery is massively overcharged, but under normal circumstances all the moisture in the glass mat is permanently sealed inside the battery. The hydrogen released during charging is re-absorbed during discharge.

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Comboverfish 19 years ago

I know how they work. Toyota doesn't use an outboard regulator on any of their gasoline IC vehicles that I am aware of. If there is an '06 or '07 new model I'm forgetting then I appologize. Toyota isn't Chrysler.

Toyota MDT in MO

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Comboverfish 19 years ago

I guess I should explain that last comment... I get you and Steve W confused, but I think you are the Pro Chrysler guy, so therefore I assumed you have seen PCM charging regulation since the 1980's. My point is that most other manufacturers haven't used outboard PCM regulation until more recently. Toyota certainly hasn't. So the charging voltage and current on the Toyota line you recently asked me about is a function of the alternator, and they do a fine job.

Really the only alternators I have a problem with are the Delco/Delphi/Remy/whatever crap; it appears you feel the same way.

Again regarding NA built Toyotas, you can't really see a difference between the JC and Exide 24F batteries other than the sticker (unless I'm missing something) which is probably due to them being spec-ed identically from Toyota.

Toyota MDT in MO

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Steve 19 years ago

Yuck! I thought only GM was sticking with internal regulators. Too bad.

Thankfully.... for Chrysler. :-) (Sorry, couldn't resist jabbing back atcha).

More seriously, I don't like the trends I'm seeing at Toyota. They're about to pass GM in sales, and they're showing every sign of passing GM in mediocrity, too. When you're the big dog, its VERY easy to let your standards slip.

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Comboverfish 19 years ago

I don't see a bleak future for Toyota, observing from the repair side of the business. I have noticed a cheapening of some things ala GM (these are the items or practices I curse as GMish while raising a fist to the sky in anger -- it disturbs the other techs :^| ), but it's still really not bad. They continue to make a reliable vehicle with few mechanical issues to speak of. If it's features/price/style/design stuff you are referring to then I can't argue those points. Cars are basically transportation and work necessities AFAIC; 99% of my customers feel the same way. Over the years I have lost that 'Car and Driver' mentality I had back when I started in this trade.

Anyway, agreed on the greater likelyhood that Toyota quality *could* sink towards the middle, what with other companies around struggling to stay afloat. Luckily I have only witnessed their cheapening in quality to a very small degree so far, and it seems proportional to staying competitive. They don't appear nearly as short-sighted and greed motivated as some companies.

Toyota MDT in MO

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