Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Why do my battery terminals keep corroding?

[Silver Bullet Ram]

They were doing it before and after I replaced the batteries. I replaced them back in November. Alternator, bad ground?



Gary

 

[NHays]

might have to put new alternator in. :{ take it down and have it tested.

 

[ACoyle]

Did you spray the terminals? That stopped mine.



AC

 

[Silver Bullet Ram]

Did not spray the terminals.



Gary

 

[Learguy]

Go to Wally World and spend a dollar on the red and green fiber washers. They are treated to prevent corrosion. Best buck you'll ever spend. It goes without saying to clean them real well also.

 

[Sageair]

At the telephone company where I work we have racks and racks of batteries for back up power. We use plain old Karo syrup on the terminals to stop corrosion. Corrosion is just a slow form of combustion. Exclude the air and you stop the process. The Karo syrup dries to form an airtight seal. It is water soluble and non-toxic.

 

[EricBu12]

Get the dry batteries like the Odessey batteries that Mr. Bob's sells. He is able to ship them and they last longer and have more power.....



Yes they are pretty expensive but I live in the cold areas and my truck sits for a week at a time so I bought the best batteries I could get. I had a problem one time when I changes fuel filters, I had to crank the engine alot to get it going. The batteries never slowed. Then I charged them up and it took pretty long time to do it. The 2 batteries total have 2800 amps so that is good.



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[CLamb]

What brand of Battery do you have? Is it happening to both batteries? Its not so uncommon out of certain brands of batteries. You get what you pay for with batteries to some extent. My truck had Continentals in it when I got it and I changed them the first night due to corrosion etc, haven't had a problem with corrosion since.

 

[JasonBrown]

Take some grease and apply a thin layer to the battery posts, then to the battery terminal. It doesn't take much, just coat the entire terminal really thoroughly. Finger works best. You will never have the problem again.

 

[Mundgyver]

The key to stopping the batteries from corroding is to keep them clean. This means wash off the dirt on a regular basis. Also grab yourself a can of Krylon Clear Plastic Spray Paint and once you have the terminals clean and the battery clean, spray the terminal connections (after assembly) with the clear plastic spray paint.



What this does is provide a good clear insulator which helps prevent something called Case Leakage. Case Leakage occures all the time, but is most prevelant on batteries that not routinly washed off. This is the road dust, grit and grime, anything that can provide an electrical path from one terminal to another or to ground.



The nice thing about using the clear plastic spray paint is that it is clean when dry, no grease to mess up or hold dirt or grit and does not leave you jumper cables all gooed up.



If you have a terminal seeping fluid, replace the battery ASAP. When the batteries charge, they outgass and will leave a film on the battery top that is conductive. Thats why you want to wash them regular. .



Typical battery life for me is usually around 6 to 8 years depending on conditions.

 

[Silver Bullet Ram]

They are Interstate batteries. Its only on the negative terminal on both batteries.



Gary

 

[foolkiller]

i struggled with corrosion for some time, tried new batteries with some luck... but still had to cscrub them periodically... finally broke out and bought some optima redtops and have zero corrosion problems. plus my windows go up and down a little faster.



good luck

 

[Mundgyver]

The reason that only the negative terminal is corroding is that is where the electrons are migrating from. When they leave (micro-amp current flow) the result is what we call corrosion. Thats why you keep the terminals clean and sealed. To prevent electrical migration of electrons across the surface of the battery when conductive materials are present (case leakage)

 

[Timbeaux38]

Be careful with the Red spray-on protectant, It can get between the post and your terminal, causing a short... Dont ask how I know this :-laf

 

[CLamb]

Odd that its the negative thats corroding, 99. 9999999999 percent of the time its the postive ones. Did you buy them direct from an interstate distributor or just from a dealer? If from the distributor I would go buy and let them look at them. I work for an Interstate Company opp and would be willing to look at them... . if I was closer . My batteries are about the same age as yours and they look brand new terminals and all... but I wash the engine compartment anytime I wash the truck also.

 

[Silver Bullet Ram]

I bought them direct from an Interstate batteris dealer.