How to Clean and Prevent Battery Terminal Corrosion

We’ve all been there before. You turn the key on your car and…nothing. Not even the tell-tale clicking sound of the starter solenoid.

Your first reaction is to pound the steering wheel and curse the darkness. But it should probably be to grab a battery terminal cleaning brush and pop the hood. In many cases, cleaning the white, flaky deposits from the battery terminals is all you need to restore the flow of electricity and summon your car back to life.

 

What is that flaky powdery stuff, anyway?

A battery is just one big chemical reaction, and the white, scaly deposits on the posts are simply one of the byproducts. A typical car battery is made up of individual cells, with each housing alternating plates of lead and lead coated with lead dioxide submerged in a sulfuric acid solution. This causes a chemical reaction that releases electrons, providing the juice that spins the starter motor, powers the radio and keeps the lights on, among other functions.

Sometimes, especially on cheap batteries, the seal around the post allows sulfate in the battery to escape and react with lead in the post, producing white, flaky deposits. If bad enough, they’ll interfere with the battery connections and prevent the flow of electricity, leaving you stranded.

How to clean battery-terminal deposits

Fortunately, this is one of the easiest areas of your vehicle to maintain. Just make sure to wear safety glasses and protective gloves since sulfuric acid can be dangerous.

Water and baking soda is a tried-and-true cleaning method. Mix them to create a concoction the consistency of pancake batter and smear it on the terminals. The mixture will slowly eat away the deposits. Although it works, it’s a mess. I remember my dad performing this trick on my sister’s Ford Pinto back in the 1980s. Incidentally, my dad rarely swore, but my vocabulary expanded a little every time he had to work on that “rolling piece of…”.

I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks.

I’ve heard you can accomplish the same effect using Coca-Cola. But why waste a good can of sugary goodness (Yeah right lol),  when you can use a battery terminal cleaning brush. I have about three of them scattered around the basement and garage. One reason I like them is because they’re like me – cheap, but effective.

How to prevent corrosion

I like preventing battery-terminal deposits even better than cleaning them. Battery-terminal grease can be applied to the terminals to help prevent corrosion. It’s available at any auto parts store and usually comes in a little ketchup-like packet.

Another great option is AMSOIL Heavy-Duty Metal Protector. It creates a protective coating on terminals that wards off corrosion. Plus, you can use it as vehicle undercoating to guard against rust.

Whatever your method, pop the hood periodically and give the battery terminals a good cleaning. Living where sub-zero cold is common, I clean my battery terminals every fall regardless how they look to ensure I’m not met with that a dead engine when I turn the key on a cold morning.

Extend Turbodiesel Engine Life Turbodiesel vehicles have established a loyal customer base in North America. Follow these sound maintenance practices to extend the life of these powerful and expensive engines. Allow the Engine to Warm and Cool Upon startup, allow the engine to warm up before revving it or driving off. This is especially important […]

15W-40 Commercial Grade Diesel Oil 50% Synthetic AMSOIL’s newest Diesel oil is dialed in for your commercial equipment using normal service intervals but wanting longer life and better performance.  We now have a product customers can buy at the same price (better as a preferred customer or commercial account) of our competition but a better […]

Premium Protection 5W-50 for High-Horsepower Ford Mustangs (Including Track Pack optioned units) We move a LOT of this. If you are not using it you’ll never know the full potential your engine has at power take off!!! Yes – you can feel the difference at the light. AMSOIL adds 5W-50 viscosity to its Signature Series […]

Noack Volatility

Low-Volatility motor oil helps unlock vehicle performance   To meet today’s strict motor oil specifications and adequately protect modern engines, motor oils must demonstrate increased resistance to volatility. Nearly 30 years ago AMSOIL became the first oil manufacturer in the United States to use the NOACK Volatility Test (ASTM D5800) as a measure of performance […]

2022-2023 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Season Gears Up Scheuring Speed Sports driver Hunter Patenaude enters this season with his eyes on the title. We preview his path. _by Lindsay Tousignant|December 12, 2022 Hey race fans, last March we took a trip up to the Klim Compound to catch up with Scheuring Speed Sports between AMSOIL Championship […]

Be Prepared for Winter Driving Prepare your vehicle for hazardous roads before winter arrives. _by David Hilgendorf|October 25, 2022 Ice storms are most common when the air temperature is close to freezing and blizzards become more likely as temperatures fall below freezing. Both can reduce visibility and create slippery road conditions that require enhanced vigilance […]