Cleaning Battery Posts

[Mal Paso]

I've noticed if you let battery posts go too long between cleaning it's hard on the battery and soon it won't start the truck. Mine needed cleaning badly but working on the truck in front of my motel suite seemed like a bad idea. I headed to "the Place formerly known as my house". LOL There's water running now from a deep well but I had forgotten to pick up baking soda. Somewhere in the back of my head I still have 25 lbs of ghost baking soda. LOL In desperation I turned the spray nozzle on the battery crud and it melted just like baking soda only Faster due to the pressure. Not only that it bubbled for a while after, like baking soda.

Bottom Line: If you have water like mine, 150 PPM of Calcium Carbonate, turns the teapot white in 2 kettles and you had Reverse Osmosis for drinking LOL, you don't need soda, just hose the terminals off and clean the contact surfaces with a fixed angle scraper.

I'll bet I used RO water to dissolve the soda last time. LOL

[DerekP Houston]

odd, i swear the last time I cleaned a battery I just used coke-cola. Sounds like you fixed the issue though!

[leeggen]

Sense I drink coca cola I just pour some on while checking oil and washer fluid. Worked so far. Oh and a little splash of washer fluid to rinse coke off. You mean we have to disconnect the terminals and brush them also???? OOPs Those cheesie sheet metal terminal connections stink. I replace the Hyunda's with good ones.
CD

[Calamity Jake]

Your nearest wally world should have them felt washers you put under the battery clamps.
No more corrosion.

[Storydude]

Find the bad Ground.

;)

[victorfox]

Your nearest wally world should have them felt washers you put under the battery clamps.
No more corrosion.

Or, you could punch your own, like you would for cap and ball or shells... [smilie=1:

[w5pv]

Vote Trump,never tried coke as baking soda always worked for me.

[fg-machine]

a little bit of grease on the terminals goes a long way to keeping things clean

[starmac]

Used to use coke on battery terminals and even windshields when it had a lot of bugs, that stuff would eat anything.

Back in the 70's a young ladys car wouldn't start at a convenience store, I didn't have any cables with me, and the cables were in terrible shape, so I went in and got a coke. Cleaned them and it started, she said she didn't have any idea coke would do that, I told her just think how good it would have worked if I had used miller lite instead. lol

[Elkins45]

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05046-Technician-Terminal-Protector/dp/B000CIPUNC#immersive-view_1472073707730
Once you get them clean you should try the spray on terminal protector that CRC makes. I have a lot less trouble with corroded terminals since I started using this stuff.

[higgins]

Long ago, I started wiping silicone grease on the posts when I bought a new battery. Most of the time, the posts are still clean when I get the next battery.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

a little bit of grease on the terminals goes a long way to keeping things clean


Long ago, I started wiping silicone grease on the posts when I bought a new battery. Most of the time, the posts are still clean when I get the next battery.
Yep and Yep...
It's been years since I cleaned battery terminals. Grease on car/truck battery terminals and I use cheap spray paint on Motorcycle and ATV battery terminals(after the wires are connected)

[DLCTEX]

My uncle once used heavy grease on freshly cleaned battery posts. The grease insulated the post from the cable clamps until he cleaned some off

[leeggen]

The old zinc chromate paint used to do really great. Then EPA came along nad decided that stuff would kill you if you inhaled 4 cans in 24 hrs. LOL When I worked in a garage in IN. all battery post clamps were painted and we never had problems from all the weather and moister conditions again.
CD

[bob208]

also clean the top of the battery. you can get as much as a 1/2 amp draw with the dirt between the terminals. yes side mount battery terminals need cleaning too.

[jonp]

Double

[jonp]

Sense I drink coca cola I just pour some on while checking oil and washer fluid. Worked so far. Oh and a little splash of washer fluid to rinse coke off. You mean we have to disconnect the terminals and brush them also???? OOPs Those cheesie sheet metal terminal connections stink. I replace the Hyunda's with good ones.
CD
Save your washer fluid. Stop by Dollar General and get a gal of Totally Awesome. At 1:100 for washer fluid it will last a long while and cleans bugs great. Good for grease, laundry etc including cleaning grease or oil off your hands. I keep a gallon in my semi and one at the house. Use it all of the time

I spray the terminals with lithium grease to keep the corrosion off

[imashooter2]

I clean the posts and clamps with a purpose made wire brush device, tighten the clamps on and never see this corrosion you folks are talking about.

[dagger dog]

My gas miser Toyota likes Coke Zero.

[DerekP Houston]

Save your washer fluid. Stop by Dollar General and get a gal of Totally Awesome. At 1:100 for washer fluid it will last a long while and cleans bugs great. Good for grease, laundry etc including cleaning grease or oil off your hands. I keep a gallon in my semi and one at the house. Use it all of the time

I spray the terminals with lithium grease to keep the corrosion off

Lol I've heard good stuff about that cleaner and "kaboom" I may give them a try when i need more.

jonp...if you do regular maintenance on the engine you rarely see things like this crop up. On my lawnmower I always forget basic maintenance. New oil seems to have fixed its issues though.

[jonp]

I seem to get corrosion on my small engine terminals muxh more than auto but do get it on both. My riding lawnmower is the worst. I do regular maintanance on everything so im not sure why but it keeps coming back

[starmac]

I seem to get corrosion on my small engine terminals muxh more than auto but do get it on both. My riding lawnmower is the worst. I do regular maintanance on everything so im not sure why but it keeps coming back

I am willing to bet that the motor is grounded to the frame just with the bolts that hold it down and the block plus the frame is painted. Even if it does have a ground strap, I'm betting it is very light and bolted to painted surfaces.

[woodbutcher]

:D Di-electric grease works good too.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[BrassMagnet]

Save your washer fluid. Stop by Dollar General and get a gal of Totally Awesome. At 1:100 for washer fluid it will last a long while and cleans bugs great. Good for grease, laundry etc including cleaning grease or oil off your hands. I keep a gallon in my semi and one at the house. Use it all of the time

I spray the terminals with lithium grease to keep the corrosion off

It's all your fault.
I had to stop by Dollar General and get a half gallon of Totally Awesome!