Don't bother with the paste stuff. Go to the medicine cabinet or under the sink and get the jar of Vasaline. We've used it for years on all our trucks and cars and NEVER had a corrosion problem. Petrolium based, Good for the environment. Sound familiar?? Oh and the cost cant be beat.
I've always heard that Anti-Seize (commonly called Never Seize) will work well - used in the process step where you are using silicon paste. Any thoughts?
@@MrRustyFord I would only use antisieze after you put the terminal back on the post. I’ve heard of people using grease or even oil on the terminals. The key to keep corrosion out is to not have the post exposed to the air.
what part of the USA do you live here it gets 100 percent humidity and 70 percent dew point really hard time for corrosion when i leave battery hooked up to vehicle
Do you think it will work if the cap came off the bolt that is under the cap i stripped it thought i was getting it off but no luck . Hopefully this will work
I enjoy your videos about battery maintenance and learn from them, thank you. Would you please do a detail video “Done Right,” showing how to add distilled water to a battery, and how to connect and re-charge a battery? Thank you.
Any reason you didn't backflush the heater core and get that funk out of the system? Remove the thermostat so you don't have to wait for it to open up??
Yes it is, but when you tighten the terminal down it does not prevent metal to metal contact. Therefore is seals out any corrosion without preventing electrical contact.
I tried the dielectric grease on cleaned terminals, and I use a blade type post cleaner which leaves a smooth, like new finish, not all scratched up. After assembling it, the battery wasn’t able to start the car, and there’s no solvent I know of to remove the silicone grease, other than just aggressively wiping it with rags. Once recleaned, everything worked fine. I would consider applying it to the top of the terminal after connecting it, but I think fluid film or some other product might be better and cleaner .
@GreenosGarage The terminals on a good battery will clean up with two turns, the shavings are minimal, I also pull the blade back while putting the tool both on and off, to avoid cutting a groove. The matching reamer usually involves a bit more cutting, because the clamps tend to deform, but the finished surfaces have a matching taper. As to how tight, that’s difficult, we know what too tight looks like, a broken clamp. I’m usually working on classic cars with original hard to find components, so I’m cautious.
Baking soda neutralizes acid well and is harmless and cheap. Also, spraying the terminals instead of gooping them up is cleaner, more efficient, and does not interfere with intended conduction paths.
Lead is toxic If the outer surfaces of the battery terminals are really made of lead, using a wire brish to sand off the surfsce corrosion would seem to create many tiny lead particles. A solution for manufacturers might be to coat the terminals in something that conducts well, does not corrode, and does not contain lead
I had a motorbike battery showing signs of failing so I ordered a new one from my friend's bike shop . I had noticed the main lights being a bit dimmer and had topped up the cells , cleaned the earth points and battery posts . Anyway my friend asked if I wanted to install the new battery when I arrived at his shop as his guys were a bit busy . No problem I said and borrowed a couple of tools . When I lifted the battery acid poured from the bottom of its casing ! A lead plate had come free inside and worn a groove through the casing ! Under the casing was a closed cell rubber mat and that had saved most of the acid from leaking . Whoops .
Just buy marine grade corrosion inhibitor and leave the grease to applications it belongs. NEVER use vasoline !... as it can catch fire easily, especially in an accident if your positive post is arcing, you don't want a flammable jelly (that will burn a long time) going while you or others are in need of help. Don't put anything on the mating surfaces of electrical connections, this will raise resistance and is more terrible advice. A small can of marine grade corrosion inhibitor will last a decades for one car and should only be used after the connections are tight. If you're in a pinch, aerosol hair spray will work too... heck, toothpaste would work better than vasoline.
I found this very helpful and have purchased the supplies to clean up my wife's car today. Just curious though, why do I only rinse things off with distilled water? I know you only use distilled water to top off the old style batteries but wonder why it's used to clean them up as well.
Does the baking soda method of cleaning have any issues compared to a spray cleaner? Have a new battery but the terminals will be cleaned as they still have some acid on them.
I was looking this up because my battery keeps dying over night. Im trying to figure out what to do about it. I want to properly clean the connectors because the positive was very corrosive on mine. I was thinking of looking for the fuse to the auto door locks and pull that, see if itll help because my door locks at random times.
If the battery is draining overnight, there may be a parasitic drain like you are talking about. Look up videos on parasitic drains. Also it’s colder at night so if your battery is old that may be a sign you need a new one. You could take your car to autozone and have them test the battery for you. Good luck.
Finally someone teaching me how to take care of my car the right way. I dont trust mechanics, Ive had my share of HORRIBLE mechanics. I just do what I can myself. Thank you for this. New subscriber.
@@GreenosGarage Thanks for the video; as well as for your reply. It's very helpful. I had a hell of a time moving the clamp from its current position on the hose using a wrench; especially the clamp at the lower left compartment of the engine. I saw your video after the fact; and thought wow, that tool would have made the job so much easier. Thanks again, and sorry for the rambling.
@@forhisglory700 so what can help are hose hooks They are like picks that you slide under the hose and breaks the bond between the hose and the radiator neck.
You show how to remove the light from the part that holds it . Yet ,you do Not show how to open those tabs while the wires are still connected to the car . Hummm. What's up with that ?
i USE vaseline on the outside of the connection. My last battery lasted a little over 6 yrs. Before using the vaseline it/same brand of battery would only last about 3 YRS. I'll keep using the vaseline.
By far the best video on this topic. I read the manual for Honda. They recommend putting baking soda on the corrosion and adding a little bit of water to dampen it. Let it sit for a while until color changes and then cleaning it off. I will be using your method combined with Honda instructions.
