Battery terminal corrosion

[eradicator006]

Last year when I bought my Liberty I went out and bought a new battery. Every 6 weeks I need to clean off the corrosion from my battery cables and battery posts. They become covered in a white/green powder. I might know what is causing the corrosion but I want to ask here just to make sure. The new battery I bought is a wet cell. I normally use an AGM battery in my vehicles but at the time I needed one, I couldn't find one. Could it be that wet cell batteries cause more corrosion compared to an AGM battery? Or is this kind of battery corrosion common on the Jeep Liberty?

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I have the same issue here.

 

[tjkj2002]

Last year when I bought my Liberty I went out and bought a new battery. Every 6 weeks I need to clean off the corrosion from my battery cables and battery posts. They become covered in a white/green powder. I might know what is causing the corrosion but I want to ask here just to make sure. The new battery I bought is a wet cell. I normally use an AGM battery in my vehicles but at the time I needed one, I couldn't find one. Could it be that wet cell batteries cause more corrosion compared to an AGM battery? Or is this kind of battery corrosion common on the Jeep Liberty?

Normal for any wet celled battery.When they are heated up and worked hard the outgas pretty bad which is what the corrosion is.Don't bother with those corrosion products that say they will stop it,they won't,it will just take a little longer to build up is all.

The AGM batteries still out gas but in a different location and not as bad and you don't get the "science project" growing on the terminals.

In 8 years with a AGM battery installed in my KJ I have had zero corrosion buildup,not even the slightest bit and never coated my terminals with anything.

 

[riptricket]

I used to have the stock battery and then I upgraded to an Optima Red Top. I am going to replace my post on the pos side, but I have yet to figure out the size I need to order, for no one around here has one that will fit!

 

[kj924]

Last year when I bought my Liberty I went out and bought a new battery. Every 6 weeks I need to clean off the corrosion from my battery cables and battery posts. They become covered in a white/green powder. I might know what is causing the corrosion but I want to ask here just to make sure. The new battery I bought is a wet cell. I normally use an AGM battery in my vehicles but at the time I needed one, I couldn't find one. Could it be that wet cell batteries cause more corrosion compared to an AGM battery? Or is this kind of battery corrosion common on the Jeep Liberty?

Is this corrosion on 1 post or both posts?

A bad connection( usually the ground will also cause this corrosion) can be to blame as well. I have no corrosion on my terminals, and my battery is the original factory unit and my KJ is going on 7 years old now.

 

[eradicator006]

Is this corrosion on 1 post or both posts?

A bad connection( usually the ground will also cause this corrosion) can be to blame as well. I have no corrosion on my terminals, and my battery is the original factory unit and my KJ is going on 7 years old now.

Both terminals...pretty much exactly the same amount of corrosion on both.

 

[Dave]

To start you could clean up the terminals and battery posts and then make sure they are tight when putting them back on. Then keep checking them. The only other thing I can think of that was not mentioned is if there is a tiny crack in the battery near the post which will let more gasses out at the connection which will cause it. (I had this happen once).

I am still running the OEM battery in my 05 with no issues.

Dave

 

[tommudd]

Never had a problem with mine either with stock, Optima or the Interstate I have now

 

[LibertyTC]

Just apply regular Vaseline (petroleum Jelly) to the terminal ends after cleaning and you are good to go for a long time. Use a wire brush then emery cloth for *HJ's fine shine & polished terminal ends.

 

[TAwesome]

Either the Vaseline or next time your at your auto parts store pick up the .50 packet of terminal goo stuffs. Usually you get one of these with a new battery anyway!

 

[J-Thompson]

I have had issues ,big time
then I cleaned them and under the advice of one of the older guys at the shop
I used copper based anti-seize ,lots of it
it will not allow the corrosion to build but at the same time is very conductive
so you can slob it all over both terminals and wire ends
yeah it will make a mess but you corrosion problems will stop

 

[speedracerbubba]

I third liberally applying grease to the cleaned terminals and then putting the cables on. We have a few electric pallet jacks and forklifts at work and they all had bad corrosion (used units) so we cleaned em up, got a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid on/around batteries, let dry, liberally applied grease (some pallet jacks got marine grease because they see water from fresh poultry and the guy had a tube laying around so we figured why not), and we kill the batteries every few years (they all see a lot of use) and never any corrosion with the greased up terminals.

Oh, and one of the pallet jacks we recently replaced the batteries on (4 6volt golf cart batteries) we did 2 batts with grease and the other 2 with over the counter anti corrosion battery terminal spray and the spray terminals had some corrosion within a few months and nothing on the grease batteries.

 

[tjkj2002]

I third liberally applying grease to the cleaned terminals and then putting the cables on. We have a few electric pallet jacks and forklifts at work and they all had bad corrosion (used units) so we cleaned em up, got a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid on/around batteries, let dry, liberally applied grease (some pallet jacks got marine grease because they see water from fresh poultry and the guy had a tube laying around so we figured why not), and we kill the batteries every few years (they all see a lot of use) and never any corrosion with the greased up terminals.

Oh, and one of the pallet jacks we recently replaced the batteries on (4 6volt golf cart batteries) we did 2 batts with grease and the other 2 with over the counter anti corrosion battery terminal spray and the spray terminals had some corrosion within a few months and nothing on the grease batteries.

The military does that also,bad idea since if you have to replace the batteries often(which you have to in the military) all that grease is a mess and ends up after awhile actually preventing good contact between the battery post and terminal end.

Can't tell you how many times(well into the hundreds) I had the stupid operators sit there and spend 2-3 hours cleaning all that grease off and there HMMWV starts just fine after that.

 

[eradicator006]

Thanks for the info. I think I'm just going to pick up an AGM battery next week. All I can find is a 78DT sized AGM battery. Will this fit? The store that carries this claims it won't fit my 2005 Liberty. The battery I have now is a 34/78DT so I don't see why a plain 78DT won't fit.

Thanks.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Never had this issue with my optima. If you ever need to charge that AGM, make sure you use a charge made to do so. Ive got a charger that charges both wet cell and AGM batteries.

 

[moparman]

The chemically treated felt washers help stop this. $1 a pack.

 

[tjkj2002]

The chemically treated felt washers help stop this. $1 a pack.

Those never work,waste of $1.