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jpfletch
New User
Feb 9, 2014, 9:12 AM
Post #1 of 5
(1726 views)
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battery corrosion
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Why do battery cables corrode on some cars and not others. On my wife's 2007 Avalon the battery cables keep corroding. I cleaned them really well and several months later they are corroded again. On my other cars I have never cleaned the battery cables. Am I missing something. Thank you
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kev2
Veteran
Feb 9, 2014, 9:15 AM
Post #2 of 5
(1718 views)
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Re: battery corrosion
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without over thinking this - could the material composition of the posts and cables be different -
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 9, 2014, 9:17 AM
Post #3 of 5
(1717 views)
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Re: battery corrosion
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Most of the time it's due to acid fumes seeping up through the batter post.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Feb 9, 2014, 9:26 AM
Post #4 of 5
(1711 views)
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Re: battery corrosion
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There are multiple factors involved. You have the battery which is constantly discharging current to power to car and then being recharged by the battery. This causes gasses to vent out of the battery due to the chemistry between the sulfuric acid and the lead plates. It is a flammable gas and will have a bit of acid in it. There is a pretty fair amount of this going on in your car, as it has a lot of features and uses a fair amount of power.
Toyota uses thin metal at the end of the cable to hook onto the battery. The acids react upon the metal, creating corrosion. Something with say, a heavy lead battery lug end like my truck doesn't have that. So the thin metal is more susceptible to this chemical reaction.
Another factor here is the airflow around the battery. The hood of your car and the placement of the battery create a small area with not a lot of airflow around it. So the fumes will hang around longer and have a higher concentration than they would in a pickup or something that has a more open engine bay and more space around the battery.
On dodge caravans, the battery is right ahead of the driver's side strut tower. The wipers and lower cowling go forward and cover the top, creating a pocket that seems to trap the gasses in. I've seen a lot of them with the towers so badly eaten that the strut was pushing through and I had to weld in a new one. On those models the passenger one can rot, but the driver's side will always go first.
What will help you with your Avalon is to use dielectric grease. After cleaning the cables and posts, coat it liberally at the contact points and bolt it on. Then coat all over the outside. The dielectric grease will hold off the corrosion by not allowing the fumes to contact the metal. Its the same idea as when you see a car that has had an oil leak for a long while and while the underside is oily it is not rusty.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 9, 2014, 11:12 AM
Post #5 of 5
(1701 views)
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Re: battery corrosion
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Some cars may use AGM batteries which don't have the problem of terminal corrosion unless a post seal goes bad and they gas out more than they should.
Another factor is the seal around the post of your wife's battery has gone bad causing the corrosion to intensify. Only fix is to replace the battery if you have a post seal leak. You can also use brass marine terminals.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Feb 9, 2014, 11:18 AM)
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