Quote:
Originally Posted by extrashaky
I was also thinking the red stuff is anti-corrosion spray. Do you have the car serviced at the dealer? They probably saw your corrosion and sprayed it on there. It looks like they sprayed it on top of the corrosion without actually cleaning it first, which is just stupid.
The crud on the terminal is not exactly acid. It's corrosion. It's formed when acid fumes from the battery react with the lead in the terminal. The crud is not conductive, so it will cause voltage problems that can grow more crud.
To clean it off, use baking soda and water with a wire brush or old toothbrush. Degreaser doesn't really do the job; you need the baking soda to neutralize the acid in the corrosion to stop the chemical process. Try to get it spotless and rinse it thoroughly, then hit it with a corrosion inhibitor. You can buy that red stuff at auto parts stores. A lot of the Jeep guys coat their terminals in Ox-Gard from Lowe's instead to keep the fumes from reaching the metal.
As for the cause? You might have an electrical problem, or you might just have a shitty battery. Try cleaning and protecting the terminals and see where that gets you.
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Only had my car serviced at dealer so far since it has been free. I have not checked it since my last oil change last month so it is very likely that it is the spray you speak of. The red (positive) terminal is covered with it as well so makes sense. Thanks for helping me make sense of it.