Battery terminal corrosion advice

[Ben S]

Driver's side negative battery terminal shows a fair bit of corrosion every 6 months. I have cleaned all the terminals and coated with dielectric grease and the same thing happens. Now the terminal doesn't seem to want to come off even after loosening the bolt and lightly tapping with a hammer.



I probably need to replace the factory batteries even through they still show green.



What is the next step to get that terminal off without fracturing the battery case or breaking something?



Why am I getting that heep of corrosion at that terminal?



Thanks for your help

 

[NIsaacs]

They make a small two jaw puller for battery cables that work good, no damage. Not sure why the negative side is bad, thats unusual, maybe a small crack in the case. If you change the batteries, try and get the type without vent caps. The totaly sealed style are way better for corrosion resistance. They use a small vent on both ends of the top. You can even attach a small hose like a motorcycle battery and vent farther away from the posts.



Nick

 

[mwilson]

One thing I have noticed with both trucks is the LH negative terminal is closest to the grill and if you are in an area where the roads receive winter treatment it is blowing in and onto that terminal.



If you don't live in a nasty, sloppy winter enviroment like I do it may just be gassing from the battery, some brands gas more than others.



Also some of us have gone to petroleum jelly for protection, it works better than anything else I have tried.



As far as properly removing a battery terminal there is a tool for that. Most parts stores have them, some are battery specific and some are sold as a windshield wiper arm puller/battery terminal puller. They don't cost very much and are the only safe way to get a terminal off and not risk damage to the battery post or the connecter inside.



JMHO.



Mike.

 

[Ben S]

Ok thanks. Will get the puller.

Now to get into the battery debate. . lol

 

[GReed]

As for terminal protection, I have been using Fluid Film. Seems to work good. Can also be used for rustproofing.

 

[BIGNASTY]

For battery corrosion I have used these and they seem to work also after I install the cables I use a spray that the shop gave me to spray the terms. it was from ZEP and was a oily greasy red crap but I didnt have any corrosion. The red and green are post specific so read the instructions different chemicals in them I guess. I have installed a I feel better set of cable ends to my set up also makes the removel easy and less chance of messing up the posts.

 

[Ben S]

Thanks for tip BN that sort of thing makes this place great

 

[BIGNASTY]

NOT A PROBLEM hope it works out for ya

 

[AABEN]

You might check the grounds to the body and frame. You might clean or jest lossen and retighen them. Good Luck

 

[hbowers]

I use only optima (redtop) batteries in my 04 and also my car. they are a jelled battery and will never corrode.

 

[Prairie Dog]

It's been my experience that lots of corrosion usually means the battery is leaking around the post. Once it does that it's impossible to stop and all you can do (besides replacing the batt) is to stay after it and keep it clean .

 

[DFrank]

I replaced my batteries with optimas, and they still corrode pretty badly. I cleaned with terminal brushes as well as a napa spray called terminal cleaner and the passenger side positive has heaps of crud one month later.

Not sure what else to do, but I dont want to clean them monthly.

 

[seafish]

Either the corrosion is being caused by a leak around the post, like others have said, or from external moisture causing electrolysis. You can deal with the external moisture by coating the post and terminal with vaseline (cheap and clean) or another petroleum based product, battery specific coating (works, more expensive, will stain shirtsleeves etc), but the only way to deal with leaky posts is to change the battery. Maybe try coating the terminals to see if that makes the problem go away and if not try to have the Optima replaced under warranty (if you have a good dealer they should do it for you, if not, maybe drain the battery first and then do the exchange cause it didn't hold a charge.) All that being said, if for some reason your alternator is overcharging the battery, it WILL warp the case and cause excessive leakage around the post...Have you checked your charging voltage??

 

[DFrank]

Not sure why I thought I had bought Optimas; the ones under the hood are a cheap Everlast item.

One thing i have noticed it that I can not get the terminals super tight. one was so loose that I ground out some of the lead so it could close up tighter on the battery post.

Should I do that to all of them?

I killed them this weekend camping and needed a jump start. Is it ok to run a plug in style charger on one battery at a time under the hood, or should I remove or at east unhook them and charge them separately?

 

[seafish]

On some AGM batteries, the manufacturer suggests charging one battery at a time, but on a regular wet lead acid I wouldn't worry about it...the crossover cables will carry the charge.

BTW, many people have reported that the crossover cable tends to corrode internally just BEHIND the terminal where it connects to the batteries.
This will cause all sorts of charging/overcharging problems, so perhaps you should check yours by peeilng back the insualtion a little ways back from the terminal, look closely for corrosion, then tape it back up as needed.

 

[JR]

Not sure why I thought I had bought Optimas; the ones under the hood are a cheap Everlast item.

One thing i have noticed it that I can not get the terminals super tight. one was so loose that I ground out some of the lead so it could close up tighter on the battery post.

Should I do that to all of them?

I killed them this weekend camping and needed a jump start. Is it ok to run a plug in style charger on one battery at a time under the hood, or should I remove or at east unhook them and charge them separately?

A semi-loose connection can cause some of your problems. Take the clamp off the battery, remove the bolt and cut through the center with a hacksaw blade. You might have to pinch it shut with a pair of pliers to get it to close up.

 

[raxley]

Basically I clean the cables well (water works well, you could mix up a little baking soda) and use a wire brush to get to clean shiny metal. It doesn't take much rubbing with a brush to get there. If the people before me have cranked the terminals down so that they bend the terminal around the battery, I've used a thin abrasive blade on a grinder to give some clearance so you can actually tighten them. I don't crank the terminals down. You can watch the terminals bend as you tighten them, the metal is so soft it doesn't resist bending much. When they just start to bend is when I figure it's good enough. If I went out to my truck and tried to turn the terminals with all my strength, I know that I could, but if the metal is clean, they don't have to be that tight. When I have everything apart, I get those green and red circular pads from Kragens or Napa and spray this 'battery protector and sealer' spray made by Permenex. One can should last you for most of a lifetime. It's a red color and it's messy. But I make sure that there is a thin coat on the inside and out and spray the pads with it.
That should last for years. I've never had a battery really keep on corroding, when they are dry, they do corrode. Check both ends of the cables for cleanliness and being tight, and you won't have to worry about cables for a long time. Generally the spray stuff gets rubbed off eventually, I just 'top' them off every year or so.
Long post for clean terminals, huh?
I've got one of those tools that grabs the sides of the terminal and has a threaded rod that pushes against the round post, I've really only used it once or twice, but it was handy then. Battery terminal plyers are nice, they fit the nuts well and it's easy to loosen or tighten, but a open ended wrench is good enough.

 

[raxley]

They make brass terminal clamps which look nice, but then you have to use the clamps to tighten the separate cable to the terminal rather than use the one piece battery cables that are made for your truck-just the right length. They also have terminals that connect to the cables with a bolt. The cables come in various lengths and look the same at both ends. You slide the hole in the cable over the small bolt on the terminal and put a nut on to tighten them.

 

[AnOldBiker]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but most batteries leak around the terminal post going into the case because people unknowingly tend to 'crank on and tightening the bolt like their life depends on it'.
This tends to crack the seal around the post through the case and you have a leak for the rest of the batteries life. It can happen when you 1st install the new battery.
Like RAxley said, just get it to the point that it's snug.

People also tend to tweak the post and clamp because they don't support it when 'over' tightening at installation like most do.
You don't need to do this if it's put on correctly.
And if you get that battery protector and sealer spray, you'll have no issues. I get mine from NAPA, it's cheap protection for longevity.
Just relax when installing.