Battery Terminal Corrosion – Causes and prevention in Details

Corrosion is nothing but the reaction of hydrogen gas, which is released from the acid and the other particles which are present in the air. This happens under the hood and causes to produce the corrosion on the terminals of the battery.

There are two possibilities that the corrosion occurs on which terminal, if the corrosion occurs on the positive terminal, then it shows that the battery is undercharged.

On the other hand, if the battery is overcharged, then the corrosion will occur on the positive terminal of the battery.
The battery of the car is very important for the good performance of the car. It helps in running the smooth operations of the car like headlights, starting the car, listening to the music, and horn, etc.

If the terminals of the battery are corroded, then the power of the battery will not deliver properly to the tools.

If you think that the corroded battery is not harmless for your car, then you are wrong. When the terminals of the battery are corroded, then it causes the breakdown of the engine and decrease the overall performance of the car.

Causes of Corrosion:

Most of the lead-acid battery terminals cause in corrosion, and sulphuric acid is filled in the batteries. There are many causes of such corrosion on the terminals of the battery. Some of them are discussed below:

1) Overcharging:

Battery should be charged properly and until a certain limit. If the battery is charged extra, then it will cause in increasing the temperature of the electrolyte and thus increases the volume of the electrolyte.

By increasing the volume, the pressure of the electrolyte will also increase.This pressure of the electrolyte will cause the leakage of the electrolyte through vents because these batteries are tightly sealed or flooded type.

This action of the battery will cause corrosion on the terminals and thus decrease the efficiency of the battery.

2) Hydrogen gas:

The reactions in the battery cause in producing the hydrogen gas. The work of the battery is to convert acid into the electric current.

The hydrogen gas is a bit harmful, and when it leaks through the battery and reacts with other gases, then cause in producing the corrosion on the terminals of the battery.

The corrosion may be occurring on the positive terminal or maybe in the negative terminals. Both show different characteristics as positive terminal corrosion indicates overcharging and negative show undercharging.

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3) The reaction in the copper clamps:

The metal which is best in performing the task of connecting the battery to the cables is copper. Copper cannot react itself easily, but it can react when sulphuric acid.

This is present in the battery and leaks through it when the pressure of the battery increases. This copper reacts with sulphuric acid in the presence of the current, which passes through it lead to produce copper sulfate and cause in corrosion on the terminals.

The color of the corrosion is kind of bluish-green.

This corrosion will cause in decreasing the output power of the battery and cause in the ignition of the car properly.

4) Electrolyte leakage:

The container in the battery is very strong enough to bear the pressure of the electrolyte. But there are many cases such as old batteries and lack of maintenance in which electrolyte leaks and cause in producing the corrosion on the terminals of the battery.

The maintenance-free batteries have less chance of leaking the electrolyte, which causes corrosion, but there are still possibilities. The batteries which require water constantly have more chance of corrosion on the terminals.

5) Aged Batteries:

It does not matter that how much you take care of your car battery, but if you used your car battery up to 5 years, then there will be a more chance of producing corrosion on the terminals of the battery.

In such a case you don’t have to worry about this. The one simple solution to this problem is that to replace the old battery with the new one because the life of the battery is five years, and after these years, the performance of the battery will decrease.

If the battery of your car is not in good condition, then it will show some sign as the performance of the engine will reduce and there will be a difficulty in igniting the car.

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6) Overfilling Batteries:

The electrolyte or water should be filled in the battery up to the limit, which is specifically marked. If the water is filled extra, then there is a chance of leaking the water, and it will affect the terminals of the battery and cause in corrosion.

It is best practice to fill the battery with the water in the cold environments so that there is room for the liquid to expand due to temperature. And there is not needed to fill the water constantly.

How to prevent it:

There are many methods by which you can prevent your battery from being corroded. By following those methods, your batteries will remain good. Some of the methods of preventions are discussed below:

1) Charging of the battery:

One of the most common corrosion on the terminals of the battery is due to the charging issues with the battery.

If the corrosion occurs on the terminals, then it is due to overcharging or undercharging. In such a case, you should consider taking the battery to the mechanic.

This cause of undercharging can be many, but one of them is due to continually on the AC, and the music in the car leads to a decrease in the performance of the battery. This should be handled in time so that there will be no more loss occur.

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2) Anti-corrosion Spray:

There is a lot of anti-corrosion sprays that are available at the car shops and many other retail shops.

Many sprays are expensive, but there are many other inexpensive ways that can be used to prevent the terminals of the battery to be corroded.

One of the inexpensive ways of this is to use the Vaseline or grease. Grease is preferable on Vaseline because it has the capability to resist the heat.

For applying this spray, you must first remove the cable and then apply the spray. After this, install the first positive terminal and then the negative terminal.

3) Petroleum Jelly:

One of the inexpensive methods of preventing the terminal from being corrosion-proof is to remove the cables from the terminals of the battery and then apply the petroleum jelly on terminals.

This action should be done by wearing gloves because this makes your hands greasy. Also, try to install the positive cable first and then the negative cable.

4) Copper compressor terminals:

One of the major causes of corrosion is the use of other materials in the forming of terminals. The material should be such that the whole terminal will conduct the electric current. And there will be no other resistance in the way.

The most preferred material is the tinned copper, which conducts the whole electric current. There is very little resistance in their way. By doing this, the efficiency of the battery increases.

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5) Maintenance of the vehicle:

To save the terminals of the battery to be corroded, you should maintain the maintenance of the car. You should use the gadget when the engine is on and try to reduce the usage of the electric things when the engine is running off.

To maintain the performance of the car and the battery, you should follow the maintenance advice of the car. Try to put less burden on the engine by cleaning it and other things that affect the performance.

Final Thoughts:

In the end, all the things which you need to know about the terminals of the battery, the causes, and all the ways to prevent it from being corroded are discussed in the above article.

You just need to read it carefully and follow the instructions. The most common cause of the corrosion on the terminals of the battery is the leakage of the hydrogen gas.

This gas will intact with the other gases and cause to produce the corrosion on the terminals.

Other possibilities are if the case of the battery is cracked or the terminals are loose; then the electrolyte will fall outside the battery and cause in the corrosion on the terminals. The battery is very important for the good performance of the car.

If the battery of the car is low, then the performance of the car will also be affected. The major cause is the hydrogen gas, which comes out from the battery. If you are away from home, then you can use soda water, which reacts with the corrosion and try to remove it.

You can also use the other inexpensive liquids like Vaseline or grease, which help in maintaining the surface friction-less and corrosion-free to pass the electric current without any loss.

Their corrosion on the terminals of the battery causes a decrease in the efficiency of the battery and the overall performance of the vehicle.