Terminal corrosion: Battery doomed?

[Kry226]

Noticed a little corrosion on the negative terminal of the passenger side OEM battery. Is this the beginning of a slow, painful death? Still starts well and volt meter reads good. Five years ain't bad, I guess.



Thanks.

 

[Simplysmn]

take a can of Coke and dump it ontop of the battery you will be surprised how clean things will be

 

[Kry226]

I appreciate the advice and I have read about doing just that. Thanks.



But my question still stands, is my battery beginning to go tango uniform, or is this a normal thing that isn't necessarily indicative of a major problem?

 

[FOXY005]

I am having the same problem, with 1 year old batteries.

The OEM batteries never coroded but my new "Interstates" are coroding.

When the weather gets warmer I will take the cables off and give them a cleaning and a Baking Soda Bath, put it back together and coat with Di-Electric Grease and see if that helps. I even have the No-Corode Washers on these batteries.



So in answer to your question, No I don't think it's a sign of the battery going bad.

I guess some are just prone to corode the terminals, maybe someone can explain what makes them corode an help us both out.

 

[JDerrick]

I have never seen a set of Interstate batteries that havent been completely filthy... ... ... ... ... ... ..... As for the corrosion problem there is a product available from NAPA Auto parts the we have started using on our fleet of fire equipment, it is called Battery Corrosion Guard Home here is the link to their website. It is an excellent product. I has a brush in the bottle, you can apply it to new batteries, clean batteries, and they say that you can apply it directly to batteries that need to be cleaned and the product will do its thing to clean and protect. The product seems to hold up very well in all temperatures from -20 to -30 degree temps here in northern Nevada all the way to high temps found in the engine bay during the summer extremes. It is non toxic so you dont have to worry about getting on your hands and getting hurt by it. When the product dries it leaves a protective barrier on the applied surface that has held up very well in my extreme environments, and it is not sticky and does not collect dirt and dust like grease does. I was introduced to this product by my fleet automotive mechanics with the fire agency that i work for and ran down to buy some my self . I fully recommend this product to anyone that is using lead acid batteries in any truck, RV or power equipment application. The best thing with this product is that it is pretty inexpensive, arouns 5-8 bucks for a bottle. There $0. 2 more ... . Oo.

 

[wcjp]

Use Coke out of a can. Not Pepsi or anything out of a plastic bottle. Also, I've read taping a penny 1/2" from each terminal can help. The corrosion is more attracted to the Penny. The Penny is more Anodic.

 

[Augustarborists]

Tango Uniform!:-laf That, Kry, is an awsome way to say T's up... well, at least I got it, and I am quite sure a few others are still chuckling as well. Simplysmn is right, Coke really does work, hope thing go well for you,

Augie

 

[MMeier]

Noticed a little corrosion on the negative terminal of the passenger side OEM battery. Is this the beginning of a slow, painful death? Still starts well and volt meter reads good. Five years ain't bad, I guess.



Thanks.

If you look very carefully after cleaning the area up... I'd be willing to bet you will see very tiny cracks around the negative treminals. I personally know of 4 trucks locally like this... mine went 191k before I replaced them with red tops. The longer you run them, the more the acid will find its way up the cable.

 

[JVolpe]

If you look very carefully after cleaning the area up... I'd be willing to bet you will see very tiny cracks around the negative treminals. I personally know of 4 trucks locally like this... mine went 191k before I replaced them with red tops. The longer you run them, the more the acid will find its way up the cable.

Yep that is what I found on my passenger side battery. A small slit that was under the cable very close to the post. I cleaned it two or three times before I saw it. It kept corroading more each time and it finally zapped the battery to where it was not holding charge correctly. A set of Optima Red Tops solved the problem.

 

[JHMiller]

Corrosion

The battery normally vents off small amounts of hydrogen gas(explosive in concentrations of 5%-95% in air) thru the vents. Not normally an issue to clean tight connections because the vents are not at the terminal, however when continued corrosion builds up at the terminal it signals an issue, normally the seal around the terminal is giving up. This can be caused by heat buildup on the terminal itself due to a high joint connection (corrosion resistance) or heat from in the cell, normally caused by reduced cell plate material formed onto sulfation (this is what the plate material turns into when the cell is not fully charged). The terminal needs cleaned and sealed. Use a brush made for terminal cleaning and wipe with a distilled water soaked rag until clean. Wipe the base of the terminal and battery top with an alcohol damp rag. I've seen folks use silicon sealant applied around the base of the terminal and allowed to set but I'd check out the glues and sealers indicating acid resistant at NAPA. Once set, clean with baking soda to neutralize the corrosion and rinse with distilled water. Then wipe the terminal with a vinegar soaked rag (5% acid), corrosion eats deep and again rinse with soda and distilled water. The idea is not to get any cleaning agent down around the terminal or that cell can be damaged. This is where I would recharge each battery out of the truck with a smart charger (Walmart). Understanding the charge system of the truck is not made to fully charge a battery only keep a fully charged battery charged, sounds weird but true. Some sulfation can be reformed to plate material with an appropriate charger and charge procedures.



Check this site: Battery Management 101

An RV battery site but still applicable and informative.



Now after this long winded burb, your batteries probably are toward the end of their life mainly because the seal has been compromised and if so the electrolyte level are probably not as it should be. Have them load tested and then recharge again. Coat with an anti corrosion grease before reassembly.



Here's the deal about the penny glued to the top of the battery near the terminal. It's a sacrificial anode, it will tell you if more than normal gases are escaping from the battery around the terminal, a sign electolyte levels are being compromised in a sealed battery. If the penny is eaten up rapidly (the time is the key) your battery is going to die because the electrolyte is going low in that cell. Maintenance (electrolyte level, full charge and terminal connection cleanliness) are the key to long battery life..... John

 

[nickleinonen]

i spray the batteries down with krown rust corrosion control spray. . kinda like rust check spray. they get sprayed every 2-3 months and wiped off every year. . over 5 years now on the oem batteries. i think i am going to swap them come fall if they don't fail before then. need to see if i can squeeze anything bigger into the openings.

 

[Kry226]

Thanks for all of the great advice. I am suspecting a bad seal or crack, but just haven't had the chance to look the terminal over very well yet. When I get a chance I'll document with pics for the group. Thanks again.

 

[HBarlow]

The battery normally vents off small amounts of hydrogen gas(explosive in concentrations of 5%-95% in air) thru the vents. Not normally an issue to clean tight connections because the vents are not at the terminal, however when continued corrosion builds up at the terminal it signals an issue, normally the seal around the terminal is giving up. This can be caused by heat buildup on the terminal itself due to a high joint connection (corrosion resistance) or heat from in the cell, normally caused by reduced cell plate material formed onto sulfation (this is what the plate material turns into when the cell is not fully charged). The terminal needs cleaned and sealed. Use a brush made for terminal cleaning and wipe with a distilled water soaked rag until clean. Wipe the base of the terminal and battery top with an alcohol damp rag. I've seen folks use silicon sealant applied around the base of the terminal and allowed to set but I'd check out the glues and sealers indicating acid resistant at NAPA. Once set, clean with baking soda to neutralize the corrosion and rinse with distilled water. Then wipe the terminal with a vinegar soaked rag (5% acid), corrosion eats deep and again rinse with soda and distilled water. The idea is not to get any cleaning agent down around the terminal or that cell can be damaged. This is where I would recharge each battery out of the truck with a smart charger (Walmart). Understanding the charge system of the truck is not made to fully charge a battery only keep a fully charged battery charged, sounds weird but true. Some sulfation can be reformed to plate material with an appropriate charger and charge procedures.

Check this site: Battery Management 101
An RV battery site but still applicable and informative.

Now after this long winded burb, your batteries probably are toward the end of their life mainly because the seal has been compromised and if so the electrolyte level are probably not as it should be. Have them load tested and then recharge again. Coat with an anti corrosion grease before reassembly.

Here's the deal about the penny glued to the top of the battery near the terminal. It's a sacrificial anode, it will tell you if more than normal gases are escaping from the battery around the terminal, a sign electolyte levels are being compromised in a sealed battery. If the penny is eaten up rapidly (the time is the key) your battery is going to die because the electrolyte is going low in that cell. Maintenance (electrolyte level, full charge and terminal connection cleanliness) are the key to long battery life..... John

Wow, that's an excellent understandable, and full explanation of battery use for the layman.

I've know for a very long time that development of corrosion around terminals signaled the end of a battery or a pair of batteries in diesel trucks and most RVs but didn't know all the technical reasons why.

 

[SOsterday]

When I got my truck in 06 it had a white film of corrosion all over the tops of the batteries after only about a month. I sprayed the tops of the batteries with "Corrosionx" and as of yesterday there is still no sign of any corrosion. This stuff is really the best I've ever seen for treating and preventing corrosion. Normally only found in marine stores. You can read about it at Corrosion Technologies Corporation.
I also spray all exposed electrical connections, light sockets, etc.

 

[JHMiller]

SOsterday

These are pretty cool products, I'm going to check these out. Anything aimed at marine or aviation are above normal products. Tks, John

 

[jacqnbill]

I am having the same problem, with 1 year old batteries.

The OEM batteries never coroded but my new "Interstates" are coroding.

When the weather gets warmer I will take the cables off and give them a cleaning and a Baking Soda Bath, put it back together and coat with Di-Electric Grease and see if that helps. I even have the No-Corode Washers on these batteries.



So in answer to your question, No I don't think it's a sign of the battery going bad.

I guess some are just prone to corode the terminals, maybe someone can explain what makes them corode an help us both out.

Buy Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batterys and never clean another battery terminal, box or cable. They are sealed and can be installed under the bed in an RV. Cost more but outlast other batterys.

 

[SNGLESHOT]

Pulse Tech Desulfation unit CHECK IT OUT

I purchased a 12volt powered desulfation unit from Pulse Tech. It works off the vehciles charging system when running and when not running it uses the power from the battery itself with minimal draw. It is basically a maintenance type intervention and is heavily used by the military for all our storage problems. It is saving the Army hundreds of thousands of dollars in battery replacements caused by long periods of storage times which is a huge problem. Army is primarily using the solar application you may have seen them on any of our hummers, located on hood area passenger side?
I had one on my dodge dakota and used the OEM battery for 9 years and then sold it with the original battey in it. It costs around $52 or so. Shipping is expensive I feel at around $12... but pays for itself in the long run. Never had a drop of corrosion anywhere on the battery too. Not really sure how that worked. . but it did. Here is a link to a web site for you guys to check out if you want.

Welcome to PulseTech - the leaders in battery performance technology!


Part number is 735X012
put that into their search box.
They also have solar applications.

 

[RHamner]

Watching for years to replace the 2001 OEM batteries purchased 7/2000. Getting lots of good information. When I have them load tested I'm told they are fine, but when they go it will be quick. Great I'd like to replace them just prior to that. Maybe you can tell I'm kind of cheap. Original equip. sounds good to me now.