What kind of sorcery is that? Cars all around the world have got negative body ground and positive supply through wires. Also supply of current via copper wires which is an excellent conductor will result in trouble free running car. This can never be achieved by making the body a source of current.
There is no point of safety here. One system is no safer than the other. By the way, the battery and alternator are the source of current for a car — not the car body.
This caused wires with originally somewhat poor dielectric strength to worsen with age. Where the insulation was compromised, corrosion would form. If it was a positively grounded system, there was reduced corrosion, and with the often damp climate in England, they opted for the least corrosive electrical system. With the invention of quality plastic insulation, they slowly moved to negatively grounded systems, mostly to keep pace with modern electronics, which at the time meant electronic ignition systems and transistor radios.
Note: Dielectric Strength is a measure of the electrical strength of a material as an insulator. Dielectric strength is defined as the maximum voltage required to produce a dielectric breakdown through the material and is expressed as Volts per unit thickness.
Excellent article, very well written. I believe the corroded terminals were impacting the alternator being able to charge battery properly, so I will be replacing them.
The alternator tested good. Next step will be to replace serpentine belt for good measure. I appreciate what you wrote about what to avoid as much as what to do, and why. I hope I can find other articles you have written, I like your style, backed up by knowledge. For once a explanation that I can understand. I read the directions to her step by step and then we got to the step that said do not pour water n soda directly on to the battery post.
Since this was after the step on what to use we were not aware to not pour it on. Can u please make a note in parenthesis in the step on what to use saying do not pour soulutions directly on the battery posts.
Otherwise great information! Thanks Talal for that wonderful explanation. Please why does it only occur on the positive terminal of the battery? What is that blue corrosion called? What effect does that corrosion have on the performance of the battery? When I removed it off I could easily see that is was almost split through.
The battery has three cables going to the terminal. One large maybe 3 AWG going to the starter motor I think, another the same size going to a large fusebox and another smaller wire to a small fusebox next to the battery. My mechanic cut off the old terminal and replaced it with one that has a large stud and a wing nut on it. He then crimped ring terminals onto the three cables and fastened them to the stud on the new terminal.
My question is: He did a lousy job of crimping one of the large cables into the ring terminal, and it is loose where it is crimped. The cable did not fit into the terminal, and there are 4 or 5 strands NOT crimped in it.
The cable is loose in the terminal — I think probably less than half of the strands are really crimped in it. I want to change the terminal, and have a copper ring terminal that looks like it would fit, and I can solder it after crimping it — but have read that copper reacts with either the hydrogen gas the battery out gasses or the sulfuric acid in the battery and will damage the terminal.
Parking brake light and battery light turned on together. Had mechanic check it out he said was bad connection due to corrosion of terminals cleaned it and problem went away……. Am I missing something? What step should I take now, reading about ground cable to alternator may be the culprit.
Anyone have any clue if it sound right? No tip, but a question. White ash was all over the battery, but the terminals were fine! Brushed the ash off, but don t know what caused it. Any thoughts? As I said, the terminals were clean. I have a similar issue. My car is not used often so I disconnect the positive lead from the battery.
I now have a lot of the white corrosion under the battery, none on the terminals. Leaking electrolyte is causing that at the bottom of battery. Leakage could be from top of battery, joints or vents. It is either the starter or the battery. In most cases I would say it is the battery since it does start with a boost. I made a solution using baking powder and applied it on one terminal. So i poured a small amount into it.
Thanks Talal for a great and informative article. Also, thanks everyone for your questions and comments. This really helped me understand why, and what to look for in the future. We have heard of a trick of using pennies placed on top of the battery, one held in place with a drop of oil near each post. The copper supposedly draws corrosion off the battery terminals.
Ford is giving her the run around. Make sure that car alternator generator is working fine. If it is not cutting off charging, that will not only result in excessive heating of battery but electrolyte might also seep out of battery and cause corrosion of its terminals.
Change the battery brand as well. Try something new and reliable. Do batteries have a tendency to corrode more prolifically as they become older?
Is it best to use a brass wire brush to clean off corrosion, rather than ordinary steel wire? I have been advised that using a brass wire brush will not create sparks whilst cleaning the battery posts, thereby eliminating a potential source of igniting the hydrogen gas produced by the battery. Use plastic brush dipped in base solution. Pour a little on terminal but make sure it does not spill away.
Besides you can use brass wire brush. The battery on my car is only a year old. Could this be a bad battery? One thing to add, when you pull the cable off the battery and have done the cleaning with baking soda solution, you then need to brush the battery post as well as the inside of the cable clamp until they are shiny.
You can buy a cheap brush at Wal-mart that is just for this purpose or use sandpaper. I alway thought it was due to a poor connection over a long time and after replacing the terminals and battery I would apply dielectric grease.
However tonite I had this issue on a system that was less than 2 years old. I also found leaking battery acid on the outside of the battery.
If I understand your article the leaking acid was the catalyst that caused the corrision. The bigger the leak the faster the corrision happens. Did I understand you correctly? It is the electrolyte battery acid that seeps out of battery joints or cracks and cause corrosion. Catalyst is a different thing Some manufacturers are too dumb to properly seal the battery. Thus electrolyte keeps evaporating or leaking and cause corrosion of terminals. Thanks for your good article but why this process occur in only one terminal of two positive terminals?
What could be the reason? Thank you for your very good explanation, Talal. Battery corrosion is caused by hydrogen gas being released from the sulfuric acid inside the battery. As the gasses react to the ambient atmosphere, it begins to produce a corrosive environment. If battery corrosion is present on the positive battery terminal, this is a symptom of overcharging. If any corrosion develops along the battery terminals, this may interfere with the connection and the vehicle may have trouble starting.
This can be caused by corroded or even loose battery terminals. The vehicle may experience difficulty starting, slow cranking, or rapid clicking when the key is turned. The Coke will bubble and eat away at the rust and corrosion. The acid in Coke will neutralize the corrosion on the battery and cables.
This is usually a white powdery substance. This is called sulfation. If the vehicle used for short trips, the alternator may not be running long enough to properly charge the battery. Over time, you may notice loss of cranking power. Having too much corrosion can prevent your car from starting.
At Highway Tire, we do a full battery cleaning service. The terminals are cleaned first and then we spray an inhibitor on them. After they are clean, we can test the battery for you.
Below you can see an image of a heavily corroded battery.
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