Preventing Battery Terminal Corrosion

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What's the best way to prevent it from starting?

Do those treated felt donuts that you can put on the battery posts really work?
 
You will not get SEVERE corrosion unless a post is leaking. The vapors being expelled past the vents will cause light corrosion, even with the battery being in good condition.

According to what I read here, the felt washers work really well. I have never used them myself, I just apply a bit of baking soda mixed into dielectric grease.
 
+ 1 on the spray, must be cleaned & neutralized first. Side post sucks.
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
There is this spray that looks like red paint. Works really well.
 
Yeah, if there is already a build up it must be removed.
+1 on the side post. The Montana had an intermittent no-start. Pulled the cabled and they were corroded all to [censored]. Ended up cutting that stupid rubber off the end and cleaning it real well.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
There is this spray that looks like red paint. Works really well.


NOCO NCP-2 Battery Protectant. The Interstate battery distributor gave me a can when I bought 4 batteries for my truck 15 years ago. Still have it and use it on every battery. Works great.
 
Felt washer from walmart. Then coat the post with dielectric grease, put on and tighten the clamp, cover the clamp with dielectric grease as well.

Vaseline works too, but it has a tendency to run in the hot climate.
 
What kind of battery is it sealed or can it be filled and what is the electrolite level. Is the battery an EXIDE?. All you can really do is get those felt washers that go under the terminals.
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
What kind of battery is it sealed or can it be filled and what is the electrolite level. Is the battery an EXIDE?. All you can really do is get those felt washers that go under the terminals.


The two cell covers can be removed to add water if needed. They are recessed in the top of the battery. The battery is a new EverStart-MAXX I just got from Walmart. It is made/distributed by Excide per label on the battery ... does the brand matter, or is there something about the Excide I should know?
 
The side post never corrode unless the post is leaking. that's why GM put them on the side. But they really so suck if the terminals leak. I've seen side post that are almost 30 years old with no corrosion. I think though that a bunch of bad side post batteries were manafactured in the recent past.
 
Originally Posted By: mechanicx
The side post never corrode unless the post is leaking. that's why GM put them on the side.


Bzzzzzzzt. Fail.
 
I bought a can of those felt washers from a local Woolco when they closed-up back in the late '70s. Been using them ever since. I'll add a couple of drops of oil to the tops of the battery terminals at every other oil change or so. Haven't had a corroded battery terminal that I can remember.
 
Some makes and models are far more prone to have batter corrosion than others. Why? I really don't know, and have never researched enough real information and how electricity and electrolysis works. For some reason the nissan cars I see everyday tend to more so than not have battery corrosion growing on their posts and terminals, regardless of the battery in the car, and even if there are washers and protector spray on it. I had a Jeep that seemed to build corrosion, yet I've owned a hand full of Dodge trucks and other chrysler vehicles that never had one bit of corrosion. so who knows.

I guess the best advice is to periodically clean and protect your terminals, and be sure that grounding is always very good with low resistance.
 
I find spray on undercoating works pretty well. I would not suggest using grease as I've seen it melt and get between the cable and the battery post and cause starting issues.
 
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