Tips n' Tricks

I heard a few tips and tricks today and thought it would make a great thread.

Tip #1 - Battery Acid can be easily removed by Coke. Simply, unplug you terminals, and pour a coke on them and allow to sit. Then spray with water and wipe clean.

Tip #2 - To prevent battery acid from either returning or forming in the first place, use vaseline. Remove terminals and coat the studs in vaseline and replace terminals.

Thought they were pretty interesting :)

[taflocks]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

awe jeeze i thought this thread had to do with the worlds oldest profession..

[SKIPIFE]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

Good tips, but...did you ever wonder why you got rust in the battery try and the surrounding area's? It's because of the reaction of soda-water and battery acid (saltwater), so don't forget to remove the battery before you pour the soda-pop or soda-water on it, and of course, clean it thoroughly...best choice is #2, just try to prevent it from forming in the first place.
Thanks for the tips Justin.

[Dave123]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

I'm with Tom on this one. I think Tips should be very lucrative for Tricks :)

[AZT442]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

Battery acid accumulates on the tops of lead-acid batteries via the vent holes in the caps. The best solution for cleaning batteries of this accumulated dirt and acid is clean water and baking soda.

I suggest removing the battery to clean it, and clean the battery box as well. Rinse VERY well and dry the top of the battery thoroughly. Pay particular attention to the areas between the fill caps.

Vaseline will work to prevent corrosion on battery connections, as will any standard petroleum based grease or those little red and green pads you can buy at the automotive store.

If you have a volt-ohm meter, you can verify whether or not you have any conductive moisture on the top of the battery by placing the negative lead on the negative battery post, and probe the top of the battery with the positive meter lead. If you show *any* voltage from negative to case, then you have dirt and moisture on the battery that will eventually take its toll. I have read as much as 4.5 volts across the top of a very dirty battery.

If voltage increases as you probe from negative to positive, then the source is most likely moisture and dirt making electrical paths between the cells. Remove the caps, wipe the moisture from inside the holes. Then clean and dry the battery top completely and repeat the test. Presto - No voltage drop! It's also a good idea to rinse the caps in clean distilled water to rid them of any acid.

A lot of lead-acid batteries are replaced because they won't hold a charge when the real problem is this voltage drop across the top. It's like leaving a small light on 24/7, and it simply runs the battery down when it sits for a day or three...

Sealed cell batteries of course don't suffer from this characteristic.

[THNDRBRD02]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

Golleeee,lets have n more about the world's oldest whatever.

[z06bigbird]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

If corrosion persists, place a copper penny on top of battery.

[tbird6t4]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

Golleeee,lets have n more about the world's oldest whatever.

I tied putting a "lady of the night" on my battery terminal once!
Didn't work very well and I had a devil of a time closing the hood too!
She kept trying to escape.
Gord R.

[rmarshal]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

If corrosion persists, place a copper penny on top of battery.

There is a copper coating on modern pennies ('82-now), 2.5%. The rest is zinc. Maybe the zinc will work ok, too?

[Ediron]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

If I'm not wrong ,if you keep getting corrosion on the terminals you maybe overcharging your battery. Not normal to have a large amount of corrosion.

[MATBird]

Re: Tips n' Tricks

There's also a spray that you can use that's very beneficial. Used it on my golf carts over the past 15 years and keeps the terminals clean. Available in most auto parts stores or Walmart.