Battery Cable Corrosion Question

[ryankmasuda]

Hey guys, I'm in need of some help from someone on the forum.

I have a '99 SR5 and for the past couple years I've replaced the battery 3 times. I continually have to clean the battery terminals from the white powder. I've tried baking soda and water but that seems to only work for a day or two before it starts reoccurring.

I've done a few water crossings in the past and was wondering if corrosion in the wiring harness that leads from the battery to the starter and alternator would cause this. Another possibility is a bad ground.

Would a bad ground or short in this wiring harness lead to the corrosion in the terminals or would a bad ground or short anywhere in the vehicle cause this corrosion at the terminals?

I took a few photos from today, two days ago I removed both terminals and cleaned them with baking soda and water and took a wire terminal brush to them. From the photo you can see the cables need to be fitted better but with a 2" BL I don't have any excess cable to work with until I lengthen the cables.

 

[kball]

The acid is from fumes that are coming out of the battery itself. Buy AGM batteries and you'll never have to deal with this again.

 

[Kanoe]

That's a pretty gross looking battery if it has been replaced lately. Is the wetness on top coming out of the battery?

Could you be over charging it? That could cause exessive offgassing and corrosion, and reduced battery life. Check that your charge voltage is not out of spec.

 

[KidVermicious]

This will help: Amazon.com: CRC 05046 Technician Grade Battery Terminal Protector - 7.5 Wt Oz.: Automotive

But if the corrosion's climbed up the cables, they're done. Now would be a great time to replace them with cables of the correct length

 

[csp]

What material are those terminals made out of?

 

[ryankmasuda]

Every battery I've had installed has shown "wetness" on the top. About three years ago I replaced my alternator and prior to the replacement the batteries had the same appearance.

I'm not sure what the terminals are made of but they're a Rockford Fosgate terminal that I installed 5+ years ago when I installed my amp and subs.

I'll check to see what the alternator should be putting out and what it's actually putting out.

 

[wc11]

Your connections look dry to me.
Just me but I've always lightly coated the post and connectors with dielectric grease. It prevented any moisture and corrosion.
Done this since day 1 and have never experienced anything like that.

 

[Chuckles89]

Slather the terminals with grease to keep air away from them. I did this to my mom's car about 3 years ago and they have been great since! Before I did it, they corroded within a month.

 

[pluton]

The acid is from fumes that are coming out of the battery itself. Buy AGM batteries and you'll never have to deal with this again.

Read this again ⇧
+1
I haven't seen battery terminal corrosion since 1998, across four different Toyota trucks...because I've had AGM batteries.

 

[Buckaroo]

It sounds like you are seeing quite a bit of build-up on your terminals at an extremely high rate and you have replaced your battery at a very high frequency. Something is not right. Build-up is due to fumes generated during charging as K-Ball said....perhaps the voltage regulator/alternator is overcharging. Check voltage across battery terminals with truck running.....should be about 13.7 - 14.7v DC at ~room temp. Also, if you have a good multi-meter like a Fluke, you can check AC voltage at the terminals. Should be very close to zero - may not get good results with cheaper meters. If you do not have access to a multi-meter, take it to Auto Zone - they can do an in-car alternator check on it for free.

Buckaroo