Exide Battery

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Had one installed last October. My friend told me about them and he's a car guy. Has a nice collection of them. Come to find out on here they're basically junk. The one I have has a bunch of crud on the positive terminal. Eventhough I applied the red battery terminal protective stuff.

Anyways, during the install the guy tightened the positive term first then the negative. As he was tightning the negative the wrench he was using touched the positive term and an arc of sparks occurred. Scared the guy pretty good since he jumped a foot in the air. In hindsight I should have demanded a new one but this was the last step and I wanted to get out of there. This was at a Rural King. Battery has a one year free replacement and just wondering if you guys have any thoughts, ideas, suggestions etc... Oh and I paid $55 for it "installed". Car cranks fine. 05 Toyota Matrix 70k miles.
 
When you lean on the wrench to tighten the clamp you can damage the seal at the top of the bettery, then acid will ooze out and at some point eat up all the base (ph) material in the washer and begin to attack the post and clamp. The clamp should be no tighter than it takes to be unable to move around by hand.
 
Sparking the battery one time isn't going to hurt anything but the guy's pride. Exide batteries are not junk. The one in my "summer toy" car has been there for at least 5 years and it sits all winter with a battery tender on it. Still going strong...
 
If you are getting the crud on the terminals, I would take it back to RK and complain. Depending on who you talk to, they may swap it for you. I doubt they would do any more than that.

I don't know if I would go as far as to say that Exide batteries are junk, but there are better choices out there. Given the fact that the company is going through a bankruptcy, may be reason enough to assume that others have come to this conclusion as well.

I'll find out about Exide batteries soon enough. I put an RK special on my Deere this spring. I figured it probably would go about as long as any other L&G battery, and was on sale for $15.
 
Do the batteries discharge more of that green junk on the positive terminal shortly after install? About a month afterwards I pulled the red protective cap and saw that junk on there and knocked it off. When I pulled the cap off again to look at it about a month ago it actually didn't look that bad at all. But I looked at it pretty quickly. I'll check it again.

Would installing some of those felt pads around the battery posts help at all? I checked the fluid level on the battery and that was fine.

Glad to hear they're not as bad as I originally thought. After reading a few comments on here about them I thought I made a mistake.
 
I have used Exide with good service. The one I had was 70 bucks. I don't know if the cheaper ones aren't as well made, though (or maybe I just overpaid, who knows).
 
Originally Posted By: rfeir
Yes.


"Yes" to what question?

It was a group 35 battery I believe. Pretty good size to it. Bigger than the batteries they put in new Accords iirc. 8th and 9th gens.
 
Whatever you do with the battery, install the felt pads. They do help.
 
+1 on the crud building on the terminal post. You have a leaker. The red & green felt washers can only handle a little and make you feel better about your battery. Making it a handsome battery.

Also I believe Exide is the only company still using an older lead technology for the plates. I read it but cannot find any details. Battery plates are not 100% lead, another chemical is added.
 
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I have used Exide with good service. The one I had was 70 bucks. I don't know if the cheaper ones aren't as well made, though (or maybe I just overpaid, who knows).


How long have you had it in service? First Exide battery for you?

If I can get 3yrs out of it I think I'll be happy with it. Cleveland winters and gets into the 90's in summer.
 
Yes, it was in the car for about 3 years until I sold it. Still started like new, but it was a GM side post battery. No leakage. Yes, it was the first Exide battery for me.
 
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I worked at Auto Zone for almost 2 years while in aircraft mech school, so I learned a lot about batteries.

Nothing wrong with Exide. Sounds like what you have is one of their basic, flooded-cell batteries.

What the above poster mentioned about breaking the post, causing electrolyte leakage is possible, but unlikely. Most often, corrosion affects the battery cable clamp (part that goes around the post), because it's usually made of steel, which is susceptible to corrosion by the electrolyte, which is 20-30% sulfuric acid. The post isn't affected, because it's lead - not a very reactive metal.

Most often, the more severe corrosion is caused by leakage from the vents on top of the battery (incorporated into the caps on top of the batt.). These vents are necessary because this type of batt. vents H & O2 as a normal part of operation due to electrolysis. Some sulfuric acid fumes are also released, which can then condense on the metal clamps, causing corrosion.

So, as you can see, it's impossible to stop the release of the corrosive substance (sulfuric acid), so you have to create a barrier to prevent it from making contact with the clamps. Best thing to use for this is dielectric grease compound (petroleum jelly, silicone and thickeners). In a pinch, you can just use wheel bearing grease or even pour a tablespoon of motor oil on the clamps.

If you already have the corrosion, make a solution of a half-pint of hot water and 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda, and clean the corrosion with this solution and a brass brush. The soda will neutralize the corrosion. Remember to apply plenty of dielectric compound after cleaning, to prevent reoccurrence of corrosion.

The felt pads are designed to intercept any liquid electrolyte that leaks from the vents and prevent from making contact with the clamps. You can increase the effectiveness of these pads by making a baking soda paste and applying to the pads before installation. Then, any acid that leaks will be neutralized on contact with the pads.

Incidentally, you can avoid this mess altogether by buying a sealed, AGM battery. No acid leakage, no corrosion. Grease is still a good idea on the clamps to prevent oxidation (rust), however.
 
Also, don't overfill the batt. Many people cause them to leak out from under the vents by overfilling. The electrolyte level should be just high enough to cover the plates. Most modern flooded batteries are actually slightly overfilled from the factory, so the amount of electrolyte should last the life of the batt. (Hence the term "low-maintenance.)

If the electrolyte is covering the plates, don't add water.
 
Thanks guys, lots of good stuff. Last year I think I used too much of the baking soda mixture because it made such a mess. I applied a few times then flushed with water to clean the area. Do I have to disconnect the cables or can I leave them on?

How can I check the electro level? Since when I look down in there its hard to tell what the level actually is. Maybe a wooden skewer? My friend said to check the level once a year.
 
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Shorting/sparking makes heat. Torquing makes odd forces. Both damage seals.

Toyota s often have dirty batteries - no idea why, just an observation.

The exile in my father's MB is 6 years old, and other than some distilled water, is perfect.
 
I think they all leak a little at the posts-if you use the felt pads & spray battery protector around the clamp area (I use Permatex myself), they will usually go at least a couple years before corrosion starts.
 
Originally Posted By: john_pifer
I worked at Auto Zone for almost 2 years while in aircraft mech school, so I learned a lot about batteries.

Nothing wrong with Exide. Sounds like what you have is one of their basic, flooded-cell batteries.

What the above poster mentioned about breaking the post, causing electrolyte leakage is possible, but unlikely. Most often, corrosion affects the battery cable clamp (part that goes around the post), because it's usually made of steel, which is susceptible to corrosion by the electrolyte, which is 20-30% sulfuric acid. The post isn't affected, because it's lead - not a very reactive metal.

Most often, the more severe corrosion is caused by leakage from the vents on top of the battery (incorporated into the caps on top of the batt.). These vents are necessary because this type of batt. vents H & O2 as a normal part of operation due to electrolysis. Some sulfuric acid fumes are also released, which can then condense on the metal clamps, causing corrosion.

So, as you can see, it's impossible to stop the release of the corrosive substance (sulfuric acid), so you have to create a barrier to prevent it from making contact with the clamps. Best thing to use for this is dielectric grease compound (petroleum jelly, silicone and thickeners). In a pinch, you can just use wheel bearing grease or even pour a tablespoon of motor oil on the clamps.

If you already have the corrosion, make a solution of a half-pint of hot water and 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda, and clean the corrosion with this solution and a brass brush. The soda will neutralize the corrosion. Remember to apply plenty of dielectric compound after cleaning, to prevent reoccurrence of corrosion.

The felt pads are designed to intercept any liquid electrolyte that leaks from the vents and prevent from making contact with the clamps. You can increase the effectiveness of these pads by making a baking soda paste and applying to the pads before installation. Then, any acid that leaks will be neutralized on contact with the pads.

Incidentally, you can avoid this mess altogether by buying a sealed, AGM battery. No acid leakage, no corrosion. Grease is still a good idea on the clamps to prevent oxidation (rust), however.
I NEVER said "break the post" I SAID damage the SEAL between the post and the battery top. How about READING posts before disagreeing with them?
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: john_pifer
I worked at Auto Zone for almost 2 years while in aircraft mech school, so I learned a lot about batteries.

Nothing wrong with Exide. Sounds like what you have is one of their basic, flooded-cell batteries.

What the above poster mentioned about breaking the post, causing electrolyte leakage is possible, but unlikely. Most often, corrosion affects the battery cable clamp (part that goes around the post), because it's usually made of steel, which is susceptible to corrosion by the electrolyte, which is 20-30% sulfuric acid. The post isn't affected, because it's lead - not a very reactive metal.

Most often, the more severe corrosion is caused by leakage from the vents on top of the battery (incorporated into the caps on top of the batt.). These vents are necessary because this type of batt. vents H & O2 as a normal part of operation due to electrolysis. Some sulfuric acid fumes are also released, which can then condense on the metal clamps, causing corrosion.

So, as you can see, it's impossible to stop the release of the corrosive substance (sulfuric acid), so you have to create a barrier to prevent it from making contact with the clamps. Best thing to use for this is dielectric grease compound (petroleum jelly, silicone and thickeners). In a pinch, you can just use wheel bearing grease or even pour a tablespoon of motor oil on the clamps.

If you already have the corrosion, make a solution of a half-pint of hot water and 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda, and clean the corrosion with this solution and a brass brush. The soda will neutralize the corrosion. Remember to apply plenty of dielectric compound after cleaning, to prevent reoccurrence of corrosion.

The felt pads are designed to intercept any liquid electrolyte that leaks from the vents and prevent from making contact with the clamps. You can increase the effectiveness of these pads by making a baking soda paste and applying to the pads before installation. Then, any acid that leaks will be neutralized on contact with the pads.

Incidentally, you can avoid this mess altogether by buying a sealed, AGM battery. No acid leakage, no corrosion. Grease is still a good idea on the clamps to prevent oxidation (rust), however.
I NEVER said "break the post" I SAID damage the SEAL between the post and the battery top. How about READING posts before disagreeing with them?


Relax, dude.

In my experience, when you apply enough force to break the seal, the post is damaged, too.

As I say, I guess it's possible to compromise the seal without damaging the integrity of the post, but it's improbable.
 
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