battery leaking from caps, cause for concern?

[JustinH]

About 10 months ago, I was out of town and my wife's 2008 matrix needed a new battery.

Her father took her to Advance auto and they replaced the group 35 battery with a group 26r battery and a cheap plastic spacer.

Advance sells this as their silver battery, same cranking amps, but the battery is shorter than the factory battery.

Now it is leaking a little bit of acid out of the caps every week. I wiped it twice.

Going into a Texas summer would you worry about this?

 

[901Memphis]

It happens. This is why I recommend the deka batteries because the other two big names are known to leak.

The leaking could be attributed to higher temperatures plus too high voltage from the alternator or just the battery itself. I'd clean it up with the appropriate baking soda solution and make sure the terminals stay clean

 

[Donald]

Your overcharging the battery.

The same CCA in a smaller footprint means thinner weaker plates. Not good.

 

[HerrStig]

Walmart sells a kit of two felt washers, one red, one green, which will neutralize the acid which would otherwise attack the terminal clamps. Well worth the buck and a half.

 

[KingCake]

Mix up a batch of baking soda and water, dump it on the battery then rinse it off with water.

If you have a volt meter, check the charging voltage with the engine at 2500 rpm.

It should be under 15 volts.

 

[Eddie]

Did someone add too much water to the cells?

 

[2cool]

They did your FIL wrong with a 26R; it cannot have as many Reserve Capacity minutes as a 35 size battery. In your climate, RC is more important than CCA. You should have the charging system and battery checked. Some seepage from caps is normal in use. That's part of the reason that batteries mostly don't come with caps anymore. They don't last as long as the Valve Regulated Lead Acid types more common today.
If you're a AAA member, call them for a complimentary test of the battery, starting system, charging system, and key-off drain. If you're not, your local shop should be able to verify that the charging system is within parameters for not much $.
Not to berate anyone, but there is a reason that batteries come in different sizes. If your local store doesn't have the correct battery; I urge you to go to the next one until you get the right one.

 

[toyota62]

Could be combination of
Few things
Battery overfilled
Alternator overcharging
Defective cell in the battery

 

[eljefino]

Vibes came with amazingly cheezeball delco batteries from the factory. They were normal size but felt lightweight and were only rated for 325 CCA or so. IDK if matrices escaped this let-down but they'll run on something pretty small.

If it were a dodge I'd worry; they use battery temp sensors and the spacer under it would mess with the sensor and the charging voltage. Just look at the charging voltage as suggested and might as well clean the terminals and grounds up for giggles.

 

[KingCake]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Vibes came with amazingly cheezeball delco batteries from the factory. They were normal size but felt lightweight and were only rated for 325 CCA or so. IDK if matrices escaped this let-down but they'll run on something pretty small.

If it were a dodge I'd worry; they use battery temp sensors and the spacer under it would mess with the sensor and the charging voltage. Just look at the charging voltage as suggested and might as well clean the terminals and grounds up for giggles.


Interesting. Is the temp sensor why I see dodge's with the blanket wrapped around the battery?

Fords use temp compensation in the alternator. If the alternator is cooled off it dumps higher voltage to quickly recharge the battery, then as the alternator warms up the voltage will back down to 13.5 or so to float charge the battery.

So sometimes a bad regulator will put out 14.7 or so 24/7 because it doesn't pick up the temp which can slowly cook electrolyte on the highway.