Battery posts corrosion wtf

[Radiohead]

To be fair, this isn't a new thing, just way more prevalent these days.

I'm nursing 9 and 12 year old examples for this very reason.

 

[Octane]

Hot water over the posts will clean the corrosion. Battery expert told me batteries last 40 months

My battery was 40 months old in 2016,dang I knew I should have replaced it then. Since it is still cranking my truck in 2022,it is only a matter of time anyway...

 

[SirRobyn0]

Those "stupid" green battery rings that you put over the terminals, before putting the cable end on the battery are actually pretty effective and can save you from ruining your cables. I'm just saying they are worthwhile IMO I HATE changing battery cables BTW.

 

[Grit dog]

I was a rental construction equipment and fork lift road service technician for over 20 years in Cleveland OH, Austin TX, Houston TX and Phoenix AZ. Troubleshooting a "no start" was often a several times a day situation while maintaining various companies warehouse fleets and working at larger construction projects. I never ran a spread sheet or actually verified the data but over time knew the first hot days of summer and the first week of when the weather changed towards fall, I sold more far more batteries than other times in the year. I could understand the the heat knocking them out but never had a reason for once the weather changed back that we had the same run on service calls. Phoenix is by far the worst but saw the same trends in OH on a smaller scale.

My bad. I was equating change of weather with getting cold.
Yes having live in the desert SW including Phx for 2 years and being in heavy civil construction, summer in AZ is a death march for batteries.
Never seen em go so quick.
Personal truck was an early 01 at the time and the battery died end of summer 03. Company rig in AZ was a 03 and the battery died summer of 05.

 

[Camar068]

I was a rental construction equipment and fork lift road service technician for over 20 years in Cleveland OH, Austin TX, Houston TX and Phoenix AZ. Troubleshooting a "no start" was often a several times a day situation while maintaining various companies warehouse fleets and working at larger construction projects. I never ran a spread sheet or actually verified the data but over time knew the first hot days of summer and the first week of when the weather changed towards fall, I sold more far more batteries than other times in the year. I could understand the the heat knocking them out but never had a reason for once the weather changed back that we had the same run on service calls. Phoenix is by far the worst but saw the same trends in OH on a smaller scale.

could it be due to poor ventilation design on the battery? . I've seen that in our IV pumps at the hospital. Changed to a different battery, good to go. Of course, these pumps are supposed to be plugged in all the time.....heat.

Local battery vendor said no you dont need to use our batteries after comparing his after a year and a good one after a year.

 

[Turbo4whl]

As you all know flooded batteries are effected by temperature. A trick I learned that will work sometimes when it gets cold is to warm up the old battery. You can do this by starting the chemical reaction by turning on the parking lights for 5 or so minutes. Turn them off and wait just a couple minutes, then try to crank the engine.

I have been successful with this several times. This only works when there is still a little life in the battery. Not going to work with a very low battery.

 

[AuroraGirl]

could it be due to poor ventilation design on the battery? . I've seen that in our IV pumps at the hospital. Changed to a different battery, good to go. Of course, these pumps are supposed to be plugged in all the time.....heat.

Local battery vendor said no you dont need to use our batteries after comparing his after a year and a good one after a year.

If you buy a battery (78-34 group sizes, the combo or one or the other come with vents that poke out the sides if they dont have water caps.

You must be registered for see images attach

This is not the normal store-shelf battery, but most non-water cap of this size which I think is the normal size for the squarebody battery trays, have the little cute vents that point outward on the sides. See the little quarter of an inch cut out on the right side? by the 1380ca (or so) on the label?
Thats the vent openings on many batteries. If you have a battery this size or similar, you can probably find a fume harness meant for an interior installed car. SUch as a buick lesabre or an oldsmobile aurora, but I think those had wider group sizes.

I just looked up a buick lesabre, 2005, which most of them had a group size 78 side post battery. The vent harness for that battery is 25720112

You must be registered for see images attach

the top part is for a group 79 battery, which is 2 inches wider and shorter than a 78 (I believe)

You must be registered for see images attach

The point of all this is if you wanted to direct the fumes down and away from the top of the battery, this is one way you could do so. They were meant to seal into a grommet in the floor pan under the rear backseat, but They could just as easily vent freely down and away

 

[Grit dog]

All this over a leaky old battery?

 

[AuroraGirl]

All this over a leaky old battery?

Well all of what I said for trying to minimize acid fumes on the top of the battery, since it seems to be complaint people have. I guess the harness could also limit corrosion to the battery tray as well , but not sure how much.
I would just get a AGM if the fume and vent situation was bad enough. The situation could probably be aided if people upgrade to a CS or AD series alternator which 1987 trucks had CS130 factory. The regulator would have some quality of life differences compared to 10 and 12si alts that would barely help reduce the issue at hand(barely is just my guess, I guess its possible it does more but I would caution against being too hopeful that fixes anything on its own

 

[dvdswan]

4 years out of a battery in TX. You're lucky.

 

[SirRobyn0]

A little off topic, but not to far. And I don't mean to hijack the thread, Doug is running a top terminal battery, so this kind of goes along with that. So w]hile the square is getting the transmission rebuilt I'm planning to do a number of things to it while it's out of service, one of those things is probably going to be a battery. I'd like to go to a top terminal, specifically I'd like to go to a group 27. Couple of reasons, the group 27 has slightly high CCA than a 78, but the bigger reason is the larger reserve compacity, which is handy from time to time when I need to use the lights to work in on the farm, but don't want to leave the engine running the whole time. And then of course a top terminal battery can interchange with my vehicles if need be.

My cables are in great shape and I hate to cut them up just to run a top terminal. So what about running a set of these adaptors, anyone ever do that and did they work very well. Thanks.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[82sbshortbed]

I've gotta red top optima that finally took a crap and won't take a charge. It has both top and side posts. But they're really proud of those.

 

[SirRobyn0]

I've gotta red top optima that finally took a crap and won't take a charge. It has both top and side posts. But they're really proud of those.

IDK, if you like optima then that's great. I had a bad experience with one of those years ago. I use to be an Interstate guy, but they have jacked their prices so badly we carry ACDelco at the shop now and that's what I'd put in the square. They are about as good as any other lead acid battery, and don't break the bank.

 

[Grit dog]

A little off topic, but not to far. And I don't mean to hijack the thread, Doug is running a top terminal battery, so this kind of goes along with that. So w]hile the square is getting the transmission rebuilt I'm planning to do a number of things to it while it's out of service, one of those things is probably going to be a battery. I'd like to go to a top terminal, specifically I'd like to go to a group 27. Couple of reasons, the group 27 has slightly high CCA than a 78, but the bigger reason is the larger reserve compacity, which is handy from time to time when I need to use the lights to work in on the farm, but don't want to leave the engine running the whole time. And then of course a top terminal battery can interchange with my vehicles if need be.

My cables are in great shape and I hate to cut them up just to run a top terminal. So what about running a set of these adaptors, anyone ever do that and did they work very well. Thanks.

You must be registered for see images attach

Ben usin those things just aboot since GM concoted that brilliant, I mean stupid, idea to be "different" with the chitty side post terminal connections. They work great.

 

[82sbshortbed]

IDK, if you like optima then that's great. I had a bad experience with one of those years ago. I use to be an Interstate guy, but they have jacked their prices so badly we carry ACDelco at the shop now and that's what I'd put in the square. They are about as good as any other lead acid battery, and don't break the bank.

It was In the 2000 camaro SS when I bought it. Had it for 6 years before it died. Replaced with a Walmart battery before I sold it.