What would be good to clean battery leads?

GDawg

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#1

• Aug 12, 2006

• #1

My battery cable connectors have a lot of that white crusty stuff on them. What would be good to clean that off? I tried carb cleaner but it wasn't much good.

tia

 

streethorse

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Oct 8, 2005

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#2

• Aug 12, 2006

• #2

I use a steel brush, like a toothbrush with steel bristles.

 

helty

some Ukrainian's enjoying a handjob via my credit

Mar 30, 2005

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#3

• Aug 12, 2006

• #3

someone once told me.........coke?

never tried it though.

 

K

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?

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#4

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• #4

Coke works good. Any acidic substance will do the trick.

However, there is a lot more to it than just getting the white stuff off.

You should get a battery terminal cleaner and disconnect the terminals and clean the posts and everything.

Then slip some shrink wrap tubing over the negative lead and cover up the little bit of exposed copper near the crimp to the batter terminal that gets water spray on it from the under hood gap.

Then install felt washers on the posts.

Then coat all exposed metal with silicone dielectric grease.

Then reconnect battery.

And if you really want to get fancy pull the battery completely and also clean all the garbage out of your battery tray such as dirt and dead insects. If you have any problems with the battery tray just get a new one at the Ford parts counter for $14 like I did.

Illustration of "exposed copper near the crimp" with shrink wrap applied:
View attachment 448961

View attachment 448963

 

GDawg

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#5

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Is it hard to put new connectors on? Mine are so rusty and crusty. I think it's time to replace them.

 

K

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?

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#6

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I do not think it would be hard and there are some really nice aftermarket terminals out there.

 

helty

some Ukrainian's enjoying a handjob via my credit

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#7

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• #7

killy, your attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. If you ever sell your car, the re-sale value should be the highest of any mustang of the same year/mileage. Good on ya.

 

K

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?

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#8

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Its amazing what one will think of while just standing out in the garage drinking beer and staring at the engine all winter One day I thought; "Hey, those battery terminals need some attention..."

 

J

JimC

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#9

• Aug 12, 2006

• #9

steel/copper brush and rinse it off with baking soda and water to neutalize the remaining acid. If you don't it will come back in no time.

 

DTNODYA

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#10

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• #10

JimC said:

steel/copper brush and rinse it off with baking soda and water to neutalize the remaining acid. If you don't it will come back in no time.

Click to expand...

+1

After you do this and it dries, put some vaseline on the terminals and it will keep the corrosion from coming back for a long time.

As for terminals ... you could get some like these:



They are gold plated and work excellent. They are like 25 bucks for both of em' and super easy to put on. You just cut off the old pieces of junk right where the wire connects and then strip it down just a little, then slide the wire into the new connectors and two screws tighten down to hold it on. And on the positive terminal, there are hex screws that hold the wires in (even easier) and plus it has like 4 slots in case you have speakers or other accessories that need to be connected to the positive terminal.

Just a thought ... I got them at like Autozone I think.

 

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GDawg

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#11

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DTNODYA said:

+1

After you do this and it dries, put some vaseline on the terminals and it will keep the corrosion from coming back for a long time.

As for terminals ... you could get some like these:



They are gold plated and work excellent. They are like 25 bucks for both of em' and super easy to put on. You just cut off the old pieces of junk right where the wire connects and then strip it down just a little, then slide the wire into the new connectors and two screws tighten down to hold it on. And on the positive terminal, there are hex screws that hold the wires in (even easier) and plus it has like 4 slots in case you have speakers or other accessories that need to be connected to the positive terminal.

Just a thought ... I got them at like Autozone I think.

Click to expand...

Those are nice.

My negative connector was so rusty that I couldn't turn the nut. I ran out and bought a replacement for it for the short term. It's brass and went on easy. My positive connector looks fine for now. I'm going to look around and see what I can find and then buy a red top Optima.

 

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triggz

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#12

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• #12

You can replace the terminals with some gold plated ones from walmart. They look a lot better and wont corrode.

 

BLK_ROUSH

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#13

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All great suggestions ..... +1 on the aftermarket terminals and Red top Optima.
So love the cranking power, since mine sits more.


Also, a good time to think about a battery Relocation kit too.

 

Stang|ess

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Aug 12, 2006

#14

• Aug 12, 2006

• #14

a wire brush and get the felt washers like killy said. I had a massive problem with corrosion, and had to clean the terminals every few days. I cleaned it off real well, threw on the washers, and 3-4 months later, theyre still as clean as day 1.

 

White Stang

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#15

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I got these quick release ones from my bike seat. J/k:



I actually picked them up at Pepboys and they're great for me since I'm always working on the car.

 

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GDawg

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#16

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White Stang said:

I got these quick release ones from my bike seat. J/k:



I actually picked them up at Pepboys and they're great for me since I'm always working on the car.

Click to expand...

Where did you buy them from? Got any closeups?

Nice SC!

 

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black_96_GT

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Aug 12, 2006

#17

• Aug 12, 2006

• #17

Baking soda and water mixture does the trick. Scub them down with a wire brush (terminals also) and put some vaseline on the terminals to prevent the corrosion from coming back. The ultimate cheap route.

 

DTNODYA

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#18

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• #18

GDawg said:

Those are nice.

My negative connector was so rusty that I couldn't turn the nut. I ran out and bought a replacement for it for the short term. It's brass and went on easy. My positive connector looks fine for now. I'm going to look around and see what I can find and then buy a red top Optima.

Click to expand...

Here's a pic I found of how I did my trucks terminals ... used a gold connector for the positive and a quick disconnect (cheap-o, but works great) for the negative terminal.



Yeah, I think I am going to get an Optima sometime soon also. My car eats normal batteries for some reason.

 

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