Suggestions for battery corrosion?

I used to use this stuff I don't know the name, it's always sold by the batteries, comes with 2 foam looking rings for the terminals and a bottle of red goo. I sprayed the terminals with that and it always helped keep the corrosion away.

I use copper based anti-seize ... goop it on and slap the terminal back on then a dab spread over the top.

Best stuff I've ever used is what my granddad taught me to make - works better than anything commercial:

- Set up a double boiler
- Melt one half-cup of petroleum jelly (four ounces)
- When the stuff has liquefied, mix in two tablespoons of baking soda (not baking powder!)
- Stir thoroughly.
- Pour into an amber jar and let it return to room temperature.

Clean the terminals thoroughly, assemble, and coat liberally with this stuff after assembly. Store any unused mix in a cool, dark place.

Reapply every 6-12 months, after cleaning the engine bay, or any deep-water crossing.

The petroleum jelly will form a protective layer from acid vapour, and the baking soda will neutralise any acid vapours that get there. When you reapply, you're mainly refreshing the alkalinity of the baking soda.

Whenever you have to disassemble the terminals, clean the stuff of thoroughly - any organic solvent will work (carburettor cleaner, brake parts cleaner, electrical cleaner - all of these will work well.

The recipe may be scaled up or down as needed, and the baking soda may be up to about tripled as needed (don't use so much that you can't suspend all of the baking soda in the petroleum jelly. Six tablespoons to the half-cup seems to be the functional limit.)

Had the same problem and this worked for me:

Basically, acid is leaking from inside the battery and getting on to the terminals (but you already know that). Clean the terminals as well as the battery top (50/50 water and baking soda). Wipe clean with a damp rag wetted and let dry.

Get some roofing tar, or Ortho Pruning Sealant from a garden nursery (it's basically thinned tar). Take a Q-tip and smear some of the tar around the joint where the battery
terminals rise out of the battery top.

Get a pair of those felt anti-corrosion pads made for battery terminals and install.

Get a small empty metal can (ie: cat food) and fill it with a 50/50 mix of water and
baking soda. Soak each of the battery cable terminal ends in the solution for about
15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water, let dry.

Put everything back together.

I've had no signs of corrosion ever since doing this myself last year.

ox gard.

http://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-OX-100B-Anti-Oxidant-Compound/dp/B000BODU66

find it a the local hardware store for 6 bucks.

Use dielectric grease that's what it's made for.

Never went quite as fancy as 5-90 and family, but Vaseline is the stuff. I was told many years ago that it is slightly alkaline, and if you just coat the terminals and posts with this stuff before tightening the clamps, it will probably do the trick if the battery and everything start clean. Another thing that once upon a time was standard on European cars was a felt washer under the cable connector, soaked with something like vaseline.

Make sure that the hold-down clamp does not have corrosion hiding under the rubber coating, or it will keep sneaking back.

Matthew Currie said:

Make sure that the hold-down clamp does not have corrosion hiding under the rubber coating, or it will keep sneaking back.

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Yes, you're right, and that's what I'm worried about. I'm have tempted to go out and get me a DieHard Platinum P1 Group 34 AGM and be finished with it.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'm going to treat this mess and start saving for an AGM battery.

They make all kinds of battery terminal spray.

Cleaning spray and protectant spray.

If it keeps coming back that quickly you probably need a new battery. Had the same issue on mine had to replace battery with yellow top... then replace all the cables and refinish the hold down... I like dragonslayer's idea if you can't afford a new battery now.

N8N_99xj said:

If it keeps coming back that quickly you probably need a new battery. Had the same issue on mine had to replace battery with yellow top.

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I thought AGM batteries don't corrode?

I meant that mine was so bad (one of the negative cables literally was no longer attached to the clamp due to corrosion) that I ordered a new yellow top rather than subject my new cables/clamps to that kind of mess. I used some parts store repair clamps while waiting for the yellow top to come in; the old battery was a regular parts store wet type deal. Hopefully that will be the last time I have to deal with that kind of mess! I did have to put a silicone sheet under the battery though as an anti-skid pad, the yellow top kept moving around on the tray and ending up resting against the upper rad. hose.

Ah, gotcha. I just added 5-90's wiring upgrade and clamps about 4 months ago. I'm like you, I don't want to mess with corrosion again, so I'm ditching this battery and going to swap for the DieHard AGM battery.

dieselenthusiast said:

Ah, gotcha. I just added 5-90's wiring upgrade and clamps about 4 months ago. I'm like you, I don't want to mess with corrosion again, so I'm ditching this battery and going to swap for the DieHard AGM battery.

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Which is why I build my wiring the way I do - those terminations are sealed!

I've had gear fail. You're not going to have anything fail that I built.

(To date, the only reported failure of my cabling has been a firewall ground strap - it failed when the owner forgot to disconnect it when pulling the engine. It didn't fail until it had picked up the front of the vehicle about 6", I'm told.

(I'll take it! Not even a question of what went wrong there, anyhow - he ordered a new ground strap and put it in with his overhauled engine. That was a good year and a half ago, I think.)

I use CorrosionX on mine and they never corrode. It is an amazing product. I soak my boat trailer light sockets in it and after 2 years of saltwater dunkings I am on the original bulbs. Academy sells it here in Texas. http://www.corrosionx.com/

I use the treated fiber washers, and then spray it with battery spray