Felt Battery Washers, Red Spray ?

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Gebo

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What do you guys do to help the longevity of your auto batteries? I have always just used Vasoline on the positive and negative terminals.

I just read not to use the CRC battery terminal red spray.

I see these red and green felt washers.

What do you recommend other than wire brushing the terminals?
 
I've always swore by using commercial battery cleaner and then smearing whatever grease you have on hand to the posts/side terminals and then on the completed connection. Never had a problem with corrosion yet.

The felt washers and "protectant" spray is more of a feel good measure. Per the SDS for such, it appears to me nothing more than mineral oil, solvents, red dye and "asphaltenes". The times I did use Noco it didn't hurt nor help.
 
Depends on the battery that's in the car. If it's a JCI or an Exide battery the felt washers are a must combined with some grease or the NOCO red protectant spray. This should help get the maximum life out of the battery along with doing some other things. Although the corrosion may find some other areas to attack like the battery hold down and all the metal under the battery. Which is why I bought two East Penn batteries in January.
 
Yes, put dielectric where conductor belongs. I'd rather put electric grease, if such thing exists.

The felt washers help tremendously in my past cases of a fleet management and they cost nothing.
 
Had a 2001 RX300 that ate batteries. Had corrosion working its way up positive cable when battery went bad. I used yellow spray to neutralize acid. Cleaned posts and cable with wire brush tool. Used red and green felt pad from a kit. Also came with red spray for positive terminal I used. Never had corrosion issue again. The key to battery longevity was a slow charge. My charger was set to 4 amp. Charged battery monthly. Heated seats, short trips, and sitting a long time killed batteries. That charging practice was the most helpful thing.
 
I have noticed that a lot of people say that the Exide batteries tend to get a lot of leakage around the posts etc. Yesterday I took the fake top off the battery in my mustang ( makes it look like a vintage battery). to check the state of charge. All cells checked full charge with hydrometer. I also noted the date I had bought the battery. July 2010. The posts are clean as new. And I have no sealers or even grease, So I guess not all exide batteries leak.
 
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I take the ends of the battery cables off the battery and dip the ends in a plastic container with a solution of water and baking soda. Then I clean the battery terminals, smear a bit of dielectric grease along the base, reinstall the cables on the terminals, and put a dab of dielectric grease on top and on the screw of the cables. When I do this I also remove the battery cover if it has one, and check and touch up the battery with distilled water if it's not maintenance free. ( remove the caps and check your reflection in the fluid.It should be upside down when the fluid level is high enough. I use distilled water for that, using one of those cheap battery filling bulbs.
smile.gif
 
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Originally Posted by nthach
I've always swore by using commercial battery cleaner and then smearing whatever grease you have on hand to the posts/side terminals and then on the completed connection. Never had a problem with corrosion yet.


Regular grease is an insulator. I'd never get it on a battery post when commercial products specially made for that purpose are available.
 
I use the same stuff I'm spraying my undercarriage with. Look in the background. That terminal had no prior treatment it was not the greatest shape. One spray and it looks great

[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by Gebo
What do you guys do to help the longevity of your auto batteries? I have always just used Vasoline on the positive and negative terminals.

I just read not to use the CRC battery terminal red spray.

I see these red and green felt washers.

What do you recommend other than wire brushing the terminals?


Where did you read not to use the CRC battery terminal spray? And what was their reasoning as to why.

I use the red NOCO spray combined with the red and green washers. The results have always been excellent. I've never greased my battery terminals, and have never had a buildup of corrosion on my terminals.

I've heard people say that the red and green pads are worthless. Others have said the red spray is worthless, and the only method to use is to grease the terminals. People say a lot of things. But unless they can show me evidence to back it up, well, then what they say doesn't matter.
 
I read about the red spray being bad on some other forum. I didn't think it was so I was just asking. Apparently it is fine stuff.

I'm torn between the dielectric grease and the red spray. It may not matter...

I'm gonna get the washers. Too cheap to not try.
 
Originally Posted by Y_K
Yes, put dielectric where conductor belongs. I'd rather put electric grease, if such thing exists.

The felt washers help tremendously in my past cases of a fleet management and they cost nothing.

I watched my cousin do that on his semi one time. He cleaned the cables then coated them with dielectric grease and wondered why the truck wouldn't start. I took the cables back off and cleaned off the grease and explained that dielectric meant non conductive.

Speaking of electric grease I picked up a tube from home depot, it was a conductive, anti-corroision, and anti seize grease.
 
Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Depends on the battery that's in the car. If it's a JCI or an Exide battery the felt washers are a must combined with some grease or the NOCO red protectant spray. This should help get the maximum life out of the battery along with doing some other things. Although the corrosion may find some other areas to attack like the battery hold down and all the metal under the battery. Which is why I bought two East Penn batteries in January.
If it's a JCI top post battery, it needs felt washers, and grease on top of the post, and red spray EVERYWHERE to stop the leaking piece of carp from destroying everything around it...
 
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