Battery terminal corrosion

I just noticed that my positive terminal on my battery (09 Taco) is showing some signs of corroding as there is a white crumbly substance? Why does this happen on my battery terminal and only the positive one?
Thanks

 

It happens. and it can happen to either terminal. Just clean up the terminals real well. Then apply a light coat of grease and retorque the battery cables. You can buy special chemicals to coat the termianls, but I find that regular grease works just the same.

You can also get those felt rings to go around the terminals which are chemicaly treated to help slow corrosion. I like them and use them. Like this

 

Do you ever notice your battery leaks acid? The two Toyota batteries I have do. I am unsure why this happens. Is is the heat build up from summer boiling the battery? Or is it from going off road and the truck bouncing all around splashing out the vent caps?

I don't know. But I do have to clean up the little bit of acid 2-3 times a year.

 

Get a battery terminal cleaner and brush all thy crap off (MAKE SURE YOU DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FIRST). They use to sell (and probably still do) a spray you put on your terminals that helps prevent corrosion. That might help you too

 

You can hit the battery terminals with Fluid Film

 

Vaseline will do the trick to seal after cleaning - I learned this trick (ahem - fifty years ago) working at my uncles "Skelly Oil" service station. Did the cleaning with baking soda on the terminals and a very thorough rinse to wash the engine bay clean.....

The Vaseline is a conductive grease.

 

I have used Vaseline before. What it does is prevent air (oxygen) from reaching the lead/metal of the clamping area. The white stuff is oxidation of the metals due to the air and the positive side of the electrode having excess electrons/ions that leach out of the metals due to dissimilar metals.

Vaseline is not conductive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC2HVoHWNLA

 

I'm pretty sure the acid batteries do that because of their outgassing. Switching to an AGM just about eliminates those issues. (I have not experienced issues with corrosion on AGM's at least in the 4-5 years of owning them on different vehicles.

 

I use them also whenever I get a new battery. Which is about 3 years in Las Vegas.

 

Good old baking soda and water foams that crap right off. Just make sure it's rinsed off immediately. Then as suggested above, white grease or something similar helps keep it in check.

 

I've had it also....and its typical of other vehicles too. Nothing to be alarmed about......

Baking soda & water and terminal brushes to clean both the post & terminal (male & female).

I've never used grease myself. Not sure you need to, versus....just cleaning the terminals once in a while.

 

One of the better explanations I've come across:

http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/15120/what-causes-battery-terminal-corrosion

 

BTW for the sake of correctness, the positive terminal does not have an excess of electrons. The negative terminal has the excess electrons (electrons are negatively charged) and the electrons flow from the negative side of the battery to the positive side, to fill in the lack of electrons on the positive side. Not that that is related to corrosion.

BTW while baking soda is good, you'd better not get it into the battery. baking soda is a base, which neutralizes an acid, which will kill your battery. And when it mixes with an acid, the reaction can be both violent and dangerous. Battery acid is simply sulfuric acid, which can evaporate like any liquid when it gets hot or as the battery is charged or discharged. It's the primary culprit in the corrosion and that's why baking soda gets rid of that "snow" so easily, it simply neutralizes the sulfuric acid that is one of the components that made the stuff in the first place.

I like dielectric grease. But any will do. The stuff you buy at the auto parts place "Battery terminal protector" and such is a messy time-bomb. It stays messy and if you touch it later, you now have something much worse than simple dielectric grease to remove from your fingers or whatever touches the stuff. Vaseline is OK, but it has a very low melting point and can disappear pretty quickly if you live down south..

 

+1
Be very careful with baking soda to clean this up, but honestly I would just run a lot of clean water first. Water will dissolve quickly Sulfuric Acid and have no reaction with it.
On side note it looks like your battery is getting boiled, you may need new battery soon.

 

Batteries leak corrosive gas at the seems where they are put together. Take the battery out, clean it all over with baking soda/water and let it dry. Apply THIN silicone film to ALL seams, especially around the posts. I do this with all batteries.. truck, alarm system, computer UPS, etc., it works.

 

FF seemed to dry up after a year or so and greenish stuff started to sprout again
Stock battery on relatives 2011 still working after almost 10 years!


Wiped with shop towel and trying some nutz lube spray to see how it goes

 

Just an fyi..

I used some generic soda (cola) and rinsed with water... I know it's weird but it worked.

Cheap and biodegradable

 

Fizzy still or flat cola no fizz left?

 

I *think* it does not matter

 

Carbonation doesn’t matter, you’re using the cola as an acid (phosphoric acid, which is an ingredient in soft drinks).

Same reason soft drinks remove rust.