A chalky white, green, or blue substance may have formed on the connectors of your car battery. You get this from mild battery corrosion. While it appears nasty, if you deal with it quickly, there won’t be any long-term problems.
Car battery corrosion on the battery posts and connecting cables are common, yet if you leave it too long, you can find the copper cables rotting, and thus you lose your battery connection.
If you lose the connection, your car won’t start. Luckily, it’s not too challenging to clean car battery terminals with some basic information.
Besides this, to clean car battery corrosion doesn’t take any expensive items or products. You can use things from around the home, and the most extensive thing you may require is protective gear.
In our guide, you can learn more about cleaning corroded battery terminals. By the end, you’ll see how to clean corroded battery terminals quickly, effectively, and safely without the need of an expert mechanic or commercial cleaning solution production. (Read Spark Plug Sizes Socket Guide)
Do You Have To disconnect Battery To Clean Terminals?
Cleaning battery terminals is a tedious and often dirty task. Many people in this scenario who have corroding on their car’s battery terminals as if they need to disconnect the battery’s terminals before working on their vehicle.
Luckily, cleaning automobile battery connections without disconnecting is entirely safe.
It is a matter of keeping the ignition turned off and ensuring you don’t accidentally touch both battery posts simultaneously.
A quick way to get rid of any corroding is to pour hot water from a spray bottle on the terminal posts until the white substance disappears.
To help clean corrosion off, you can gently use a wire brush or an old toothbrush to loosen the remaining residue.
You can use an old rag to wipe away any water, and then you can see the condition of your cables and connectors on your negative clamp and the positive clamp.
Will WD-40 Clean Battery Terminals?
By successfully removing oil from poles, WD-40 Expert Fast Drying Contact Cleaner can clean car battery terminals and protect against corrosion and oil deposits and the hydrogen gas from the battery.
Corrosion of battery terminals is common and happens because of oxidation from the air, moisture and hydrogen gas released from the battery.
If the car battery terminal shows signs of corrosion, the charging process can be affected and thus cause more corrosion on your positive lead and negative lead terminals.
Here’s how you can use WD40 for battery cleaning and maintenance to add a protective barrier on each battery terminal. (Read Coolant Reservoir Empty But Radiator Full – What To Do)
The ultimate clean requires removing the terminals, yet you can offer a spray regularly to keep lubrication levels maintained.
- Remove the battery terminals. Remove the negative cable first, followed by the positive side terminal.
- Remove rust by spraying WD40 and scrub with a stiff bristle brush. WD40 loosens rust, dirt, oil, moisture, and more from the terminals.
- Clean car battery terminals using a paper towel
- Reattach your terminals to the battery post. Start with the positive cable first and connect the negative terminal to the negative battery post.
How Do You Clean Battery Terminals When Connected?
The terminals of car batteries accumulate deposits, which decrease the performance of both the battery and the working car.
When you don’t want to use a terminal cleaner, you can resort into the methods here to clean your battery terminals. Leaving them can be hazardous and reduce your battery’s life expectancy because of corrosion.
Considering that vinegar includes acetic acid, which is a mild acid, it is an excellent DIY option to remove corrosion deposits from electrical connections without causing damage to the connectors.
To get you started, here’s all you’ll need to know about the subject:
- Wrench
- Baking soda and vinegar
- Dry cloth or towel
- Wire brush or toothbrush
- With the wrench, begin by removing all of the connections in order to ensure your own personal safety.
- It is usually important to disconnect the negative terminal first, followed by the positive terminal.
- Make a baking soda paste with vinegar and apply it to the terminals.
- Rubbing the baking soda solution in to remove corrosion and cleanse the area.
- Once the baking soda removed as much corrosion as possible, clean the terminals with hot water and a brush.
- You need to wash way the traces of baking soda and vinegar to avoid any other corrosion, especially on the positive terminal of your car battery.
- The recommendation is to wipe away dirt and or residue, by drying with a paper towel.
- Once the posts and terminals are clean, you can rejoin the terminals by connecting the positive terminal first followed by the negative terminal.
- Make sure the connections are tight as loose terminals mean you won’t have a good connection.
- Cover the posts and connectors with grease or petroleum jelly to prevent corrosion, and assure long-term durability.
Clean Battery Terminals with Coke?
There are tons of ways to clean a battery with corroded terminals. WD40, boiling hot water, baking soda and vinegar are all quick ways to deal with this type of corrosion.
However, nothing beats the fun of doing the old Coca-Cola trick.
Since Coca-Cola is a mild acid and corrosion is a mild alkali, it causes a chemical reaction and eliminates corrosion.
- Screwdriver
- Wire brush or toothbrush
- A plastic container
- Coca Cola
- Start by removing the battery terminals and turning off the ignition. First, get rid of the negative one followed by positive.
- Scrape off as much of the deposits as you can with a screwdriver.
- Do this for the terminals and the rest of the battery’s top.
- Use a wire brush or old toothbrush to get the most out of your cleaning.
- Add Coca-Cola to a plastic container.
- Sit the terminals in the Coke and wait 10 minutes for your terminals to go through the reaction.
- After around 5 minutes, most rust on the terminals may be eaten from the Coca-Cola.
- Pour directly over the coke battery and the posts on the top of the battery, let it sit for up to 30 seconds max, and then pour very hot water over the top.
- Once cool, wipe it down, and your battery connectors are ready to be reinstalled.
Note: Coke comprises phosphoric acid, a natural rust “converter, which has enough power to convert iron oxide to ferric phosphate, a black coating that you can wipe off metal surfaces later.
A solution of vinegar or citric acid from lemon juice could provide very similar results.
How to Stop Battery Corrosion?
Removing the battery cables from the connectors with a wrench is recommended, as is pulling the connectors off the posts using metal pliers, so you don’t touch any car battery terminals or corroded areas with your bare fingers.
It is critical to preserve the battery and its terminals’ corrosion resistance; therefore, maintaining them clean and free of any accumulation is necessary. If you want to stop the corrosion process, you can utilize the following methods:
Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly
The application of a spoonful of petroleum jelly to the positive and negative terminals of the vehicle battery is a practical technique to prevent corrosion on the battery terminals by adding a thick protective layer to the metal surfaces that air and gas can’t penetrate. (Read Why Is My Power Steering Fluid Milky)
After cleaning, apply an even layer of this jelly to the terminals, which will stop as much corrosion as possible from moisture, filth, and salt from getting into the system.
You can add it up the terminal to the wire and sheath to stop green corrosion, leading to new battery cables.
Dielectric Grease
Permatex 22058 Dielectric Tune-Up Grease is a good option for this application. Using a fine brush, scrub the terminals thoroughly to minimize voltage leakage and collect dirt, salt, and other deposits.
Anti-Corrosion Washers
A significant improvement in the condition of battery terminals has been achieved with NOCO NCP2 MC303S Oil-Based Battery Anti-Corrosion Washer.
The gel has excellent consistency and does not dry out or evaporate so that it may be used for an extended period. It significantly decreases corrosion and boosts cranking ability, resulting in a reduction in voltage leakage because of reduced voltage leakage.
Does corrosion mean a bad battery?
Battery corrosion will always show as visible corrosion and is among the most common symptoms leading to battery replacement.
You get a corroded car battery as the poles in direct contact with the battery are exposed to the battery acid and the fumes it gives off.
Without proper attention, the car battery can rust if not maintained, leaving you without a running vehicle. In addition, corrosion can deplete a battery’s capacity and limit its lifespan. Battery corrosion is frequently apparent on the connections, which can be remedied by thorough cleaning.
While a corroded car battery doesn’t mean the battery is bad, the combination of the battery acid, the corrosion that takes place, and loose battery terminals all lead to a battery that can be ruined.
