When the battery is clean and dry check the water level in each of the cells by removing the caps. Each cell will have some full level indicator. Use distilled water and do not overfill. Auto stores also carry premixed battery acid.
Battery posts corrode because of leaks around the post where the case is supposed to seal on the post. I always use some silicone around the post where it connects to the case and the problem is solved. Good to do this when its brand new.
Aaahh...I see how you clean the battery terminals very nice.... except I wished you include on how to also clean the battery terminals clamp connectors
When I had a 64 Plymouth Valiant, I used Coca Cola to get rid of the stuff. I rarely find that it happens with my newer vehicles that are 1999 and 2004,
Dielectric grease does not conduct electricity, it is used to repel humidity. On terminals I would prefer to use Electrical contact grease specially made to conduct electricity.
Don't worry, the dielectric grease will get squeezed out when you tie the connector. In my previous job we did this all the time with lead acid batteries. I know it sounds counter intuitive but it is true. This is more of an mechanical thing than electrical thing. By the way I am an electrical engineer with a degree and with 34 years of experience.
I don't think your suppose to apply dialectric grease straight on to the terminal post! As the grease is non conductive, only apply it on the outside of terminal post
Great point and you are correct, dielectric grease doesn't conduct electricity - it's actually an insulator. Though, when applied to electrical fittings with tight mechanical connections, dielectric grease helps to keep moisture, salt, dirt and corrosion out of those areas. That's why you can literally goop it into an electrical connection with many wires; if it were a conductor, everything in a multi-wire connector would likely fail. Basically, it protects, not conducts. The main takeaway for this videos application is a tight mechanical connection and protection against corrosion. That way the terminals won't look the way they started at the beginning of the video. If your connection is tight, dielectric grease won't negatively impact the electrical system connection - but without it, a buildup of corrosion could definitely impact the electrical connection. I recently replaced the headlights on my daughters RAV4; the inside of the electrical socket was lubricated with grease from the manufacturer. This made the connection clean and no debris such as corrosion. As a side note you can use dielectric grease on light sockets, distributor caps, spark plug boots, headlights, ignition wires, fuses and of course battery terminals.
@@YourHomeGarage Agree. I refurbished my wiring harness when I recently rebuilt my engine on a 92 F250, and the connections are all loaded with dielectric grease. No problems at all from doing that. If the connection is solid, then it's solid...and the grease just insulates from moisture and corrosion.
I think a lot of people would argue both sides of the fence on this question. If your battery is located under the hood, it's naturally exposed to moisture, though the terminals still remain fairly dry. The rule I follow; water does not conduct much, so it's not likely to short out your battery - at least in the context of a car battery. Where it gets interesting is with a dirty car battery. If the battery is dirty, all that debris is electrically charged. Just place a multimeter on the top of a dry dirty battery and take an electrical charge reading as I’ve demonstrated in one of my videos. My concern with pouring water on a connected dirty battery is on the off chance it would move and align all the debris that could act as a conductor.
Thanks, your last sentence is what was missing from videos that say you could short it if you pour water while it is connected, but they really didn't explain why (accept for getting water in the compartments) but no one has mentioned the possibility of debris or other things posing problems as a conductor. You helped to shed new light on the subject, great video!
Not that I’m trying to get you to watch another one of my videos - but if you look at this one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-syT4cuHuSBk.html and measure how electrically charged the dirt is on your battery, it should provide some interesting information.
this is ridicules and it's a waist of time to remove the battery, i have a simple and easy way? just use a cup of hot water on each the terminals, of the battery and the job is done in 5 seconds. cheers
I’ve seen DIY’ers do exactly what you’re recommending - and in a few cases it seems to have worked. I personally wouldn’t recommend it as it’s not a one size fits all solution. The baking soda as a best practice is meant to neutralize the acid buildup. In addition, if the battery is dirty, all that debris is electrically charged. Just place a multimeter on the top of a dry dirty battery and take an electrical charge reading as I’ve demonstrated in one of my videos. My concern would be someone just pouring hot water on a connected battery which could move all the mineral deposits around and then act as a conductor. I likey don’t have to explain the risk at that point. In short, I would still recommend the longer and more effective/safer way of cleaning the battery vs a short cut that could cause bigger issues.
@@thetruth871 water just washes away what is on the surface. The corrosion gets all over the battery and carries a light amount of current, which depletes your battery's ability to supply current to the car's components. You can keep using water....but you're not actually neutralizing the battery acid which can cause current drain.
