Battery keeps getting corrosion on it!
- Thread starter Jason2007
- Start date
How bad? Pic?
Yea, that looks bad, i would get rid of it and go with a non johnson controls battery. I would not want all that corrosion all in my engine compartment and on the terminals.
Must be leaking vapor around the battery posts.
Must be leaking vapor around the battery posts.
What is the electrolyte level? Looks like it might be too full. I'd check that and wash it, Clean the terminals and go from there.
I'm almost ashamed to admit I've never checked electrolytes in a battery before. How does one do that?
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2014
- Messages
- 2,847
Don’t worry, no one does that anymore. Batteries are not serviceable anymore for the most part. 5 year shelf life and that’s about it...although yours needs to be replaced now.
Wear gloves and protective eyewear. Remove the vent caps with a screwdriver and look in. Electrolyte should just cover the plates. ( make sure you are not smoking, hydrogen gas , think Hindenburg!)
Take back to a dealer, that battery should still be under warranty.
Thats a good idea, i'd see if they would replace the battery cable ends under warranty!
You don't need a new battery. Even if you replace it, the corrosion will come back quickly unless you do something to prevent it. The corrosion is caused by hydrogen gas venting out of the battery and reacting with the metal cable ends causing acids to form. This is normal, though yours seems a little excessive for a 3 year old truck. Alternators charging at a high rate after the battery is fully charged can cause excessive hydrogen to be released.
After scraping them off, I would dunk those terminals in a container of baking soda and water until they stop foaming then scrub and rinse really well. Then when you reassemble, just coat the outside of the terminals with grease to act as a barrier to the hydrogen gas. I found that this works better than spray on battery terminal protector products.
After scraping them off, I would dunk those terminals in a container of baking soda and water until they stop foaming then scrub and rinse really well. Then when you reassemble, just coat the outside of the terminals with grease to act as a barrier to the hydrogen gas. I found that this works better than spray on battery terminal protector products.
JHZR2
Staff member
That’s pretty bad corrosion, on a fairly new battery. What is your driving profile like? Has the battery ever been removed for any reason?
Two things seem to happen. Damage to the terminal seals, and ageing. Damage is from over tightening usually. Ageing I mention because I’ve observed some batteries to only start to do this as they get older.
Often we only see corrosion at one terminal. Here we see it at both. So it would point to someone removing and installing the battery and cranking on the terminals, or some degrading behavior that causes a lot of offgas and release due to over pressure or seepage.
Have you ever measured your alternator voltage after startup? After a long operation? I have to wonder if it’s going high enough to allow offgas. Have you checked electrolyte levels?
Two things seem to happen. Damage to the terminal seals, and ageing. Damage is from over tightening usually. Ageing I mention because I’ve observed some batteries to only start to do this as they get older.
Often we only see corrosion at one terminal. Here we see it at both. So it would point to someone removing and installing the battery and cranking on the terminals, or some degrading behavior that causes a lot of offgas and release due to over pressure or seepage.
Have you ever measured your alternator voltage after startup? After a long operation? I have to wonder if it’s going high enough to allow offgas. Have you checked electrolyte levels?
JHXR2, do you mean this can happen due to electrolyte seeping up around the base of the battery posts? I've never heard of that before but it would make total sense. I learned something. Thanks!
Clean everything up, install the clamps and then apply a tin layer of grease over both connections. You want to coat them but not between the post and clamp.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2020
- Messages
- 218
I suggest you try this stuff, it works really well
www.permatex.com
Permatex® Battery Protector & Sealer
Seals and coats battery terminals eliminating the formation of acid salt corrosion typically found when terminals are untreated. Prevents terminal corrosion and battery drain. Increases battery life and improves electrical flow. Spray on batteries, battery terminals, and cables, in or out of...
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JHZR2
Staff member
Has to be either electrolyte or hydrogen (which is formed when charging above a certain voltage).
There has to be a seal where the polymer case meets the metal (usually zinc-lead alloy of some kind). There’s not much purchase between the polyethylene case (which doesn’t bond to much), and the terminals. So a bit of over tightening, a bit too much thermal cycling (the terminals will get hot with sustained high current draw), age, vibration, etc. can do it. Couple that with battery ageing, and perhaps some poor control or high ripple, and the potential for more offgas exists.
is the coloration white or green-blue?
I would clean everything with a stiff brush, some baking soda, and then water. I would personally replace the battery, as the likelihood of it happening again is high.
I personally like to wipe the battery case down in pledge to give a silicone coating. I apply dielectric grease or conductive grease (preferred) to everything, but I only leave a practical amount around that terminal to case junction. The rest gets wiped on and wiped off. You don’t want tons sitting in random places either holding off connections or collecting dirt. After all junctions are made I do provide a very light coat over the exposed junction.
If you do clean your old battery and try to use it again, make sure to get a good coat of grease on the terminal-case interface point on the battery. It may help, but if something is compromised, it’s likely to still have issues.
I like using 1/4” drive on battery connections to prevent overtorque and damage of both the terminal On the battery and the connector on the cable which can be easily over tightened, contributing to damage.
