Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of my home...
Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of my car battery.
Car otherwise works & looks fine.
Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?
Thanks
Its a good idea to prevent future problems. Just remove from the battery terminal, clean with a wire brush, then put some grease, or some battery terminal coating on it and your good to go.
If you wash it off, use a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid.
Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.
I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water, usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling, it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.
HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more than one car.
If crud is growing, you definitely wanna clean it. It can make the battery last longer (due to less current leakage), and more importantly, it can save you from being stranded in cold weather or if you leave the lights on for a couple of hours.
For the wire brush part, stop by your local auto parts house, and buy a battery terminal brush, especially if you have a top post battery. The brush only costs 2-3 bucks, and makes it a lot easier. It snaps apart, and has a bottle-brush looking side to clean inside the connector, and a cylindrical brush to clean the post. It'll be on the shelf right next to the goop to put on the terminals after you clean them to slow down them getting gunked up again.
Important note- wear old work gloves and an old shirt when you mess with car batteries. Even the dried crud on top can still eat through fabric the next time it goes through the washer. Try to do the cleaning dry, and brush yourself off well when done.
That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL need to take the connections loose and clean the terminals. And one step I forgot in previous post- lots of fancy stereos don't just lose the station settings when battery is removed- they lock themselves down in anti-theft mode, and can only be unlocked with the special code. Check your owner's manual to be sure. If you don't have the magic number, they sell a 9v battery thing that plugs into cigarette lighter to keep the radio alive.
By a battery post cleaner at your local auto parts store for a couple of bucks. Spend an additional dollar and get a pair of the washers to put underneath the connectors, to inhibit future corrosion.
Jon
Keep in mind that such a device won't work if the ciggy lighter is switched by the ignition key.
Loosen and remove the cables, wet the battery (water hose) and then apply baking soda. Scrub gingerly with a tooth brush or such.
Clean the terminals and the cable ends, apply some grease and then tighten the cables back on. Rise all the acid below the battery, rinsing any acid under the battery and off the metal frame, etc.
In the olden days a copper penny was placed on top of a car battery. The copper attracted the "crud". Back then you could just change the penny out. Seriously!
Oh yeah, I forgot to say something about that. Probably because I haven't needed to do that for a long time. I think those red and green felt washers must be responsible. I haven't had much in the way of dirty batteries since I started using those.
But the OP can get a good terminal brush at an autoparts store, with one brush to clean inside the terminal and another brush to clean the outside of the post, all in one convenient tool.
Very good idea. My friend got the code from the dealer, even though she bought her car used from somewhere else.
BTW, I keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge, to reduce odors, but the fridge had a label that it had a special finish that woudln't retain odors. I don't know if is special or not. It's a whirlpool fridge. Nonetheless, I keep it there. For one reason or another, I don't smell odors.
I've been using the same box for 27 years :) and the only time the amount in the box decreases is when I clean the battery, which has only been about 10 or 15 times in the last 27 years.
Some people use baking soda for baking.
True. without that specific tool, as a young man a pocket knife worked nicely. I've cleaned many battery terminals and cable connections with just a pocket knife. Cranked the truck and left the swamp - more than once.
The OP should " clean car battery terminals "
Nothing wrong with new tools!
Yea clean them good, dont forget the inside of the cable terminal, I used to clean mine every few years they corroded so bad, then I wore down the terminals so they would not tighten, and my car would not start often, I had to make shims, so dont over clean and wear them down like I did. You also need to clean the battery casing real well with soap and baking soda, a battery self drains from dirt on the casing. On my newer car mine dont corrode, they have spraayed a coating to keep the terminals sealed and i have a battery cover to keep off dirt. Corrosion may be in part from a bad connection, maybe grease works as well as a spray sealer I dont really know but get rid of it, seal the terminals and keep it clean.
Yes, I think it's a good idea to clean. I've seen top post and side post terminals. Most cars, the red / positive is the "hot" terminal. So, it's common advice to remove the black terminal first. Less likely to throw sparks when your wrench bumps some other metal. As to cleaning, a wire brush is the common way. Rinse with water, let it dry or dab it dry with the paper napkins you get from the drive up food place. Put a bunch of axle grease on, and put the terminals back on (red first, black second). Now, rest your radio clock and station presets.
-Is it recommended to also completely remove the battery from the car or is it enough to remove the connections and do it in place?
- What are those "red and green felt washers"?
- Are they some after-market product that I can buy?
- Also, what causes this accumulation of gunk? - Where does the "gunk" come from? - Does it mean the battery is leaking? - Does it cause permanent damage to the battery? - Does it mean the battery is nearing the end of its lifespan?
- Other than "red and green felt washers" is there anything I can do to prevent such build-up in the future?
Thanks for ALL the helpful replies...
I don't know that the washers really work... I have a non-sealed battery in my pickup truck and it still gets a little cruddy.
I'd recommend using Vaseline or Sil-glyde on the terminals and also put a "battery mat" underneath the battery to keep from rusting the tray out. Just this past weekend I removed the battery tray in the pickemup to assess what hardware was corroded, and I've ordered replacement hardware, some POR-15 to paint the tray, and a couple battery mats so I can put one in each vehicle.
I'd also recommend slathering the clamp bolts with anti-seize so the nuts don't seize up on them. It'd be nice to find some stainless battery bolts but I forgot to check to see if McMaster-Carr had them in stainless the last time I ordered.
nate
Could this explain why my battery died on a cold day after keeping the radio on for about 30 minutes even though the car had just been driven for about 45 minutes and even though the battery tested good under a tester with a 100A load?
And just yesterday (which was in the high 40's) my other car ran down the battery while cleaning it for about an hour with just the radio and door lights on?
Cars (and battery) are about 3-4 years old and never had such problems in previous years.
Yes. A soon-to-die battery with, say, one bad cell will take a charge and run ok fer a days or even weeks. If you drive it daily and don't start it too often, it will seem to be ok ....for awhile. As the cell gets worse, so does the battery. The only true way to test a battery is with a battery electrolyte tester, testing each cell's electrolyte. That's why I will not buy a truly sealed battery. Many look like they're sealed --no caps to remove to check electolyte or add distilled water-- but the caps are usually under a strip of plastic that can be removed with a little effort. If even one cell starts to degrade, it's time to start looking for a new battery.
There are expensive electrolyte testers and there are inexpensive one's. The cheap ones are usually small and have 4 plastic balls in them. These are more than adequate. I've used them for years, even when I was a professional mechanic. If all 4 balls float, yer good. If even one ball sinks in one cell, that battery is not long for this car-starting world. ;)
Almost all car batteries in the USA are made by Exide. The more you pay, the longer they last. Also, keeping one in good condition
--terminals clean, tight, charging system working, etc-- will also increase the battery's longevity.
nb
I think it's the reverse: the crud is alkaline. It can be washed off and neutralized with vinegar or, more easily, with Coca-Cola.
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