How To Clean Car Battery Corrosion? 2023 Best Guide

Several issues can affect the performance of your car’s battery. One of them is car battery corrosion. Once it happens, you need to put measures to remove the corrosion before it generates a more serious problem.

The good news is you can remove car corrosion by yourself. In this article, I am going to guide you on how to clean a car battery corrosion.

Table of Contents

How can one identify a car battery corrosion?

Corrosion is a physical issue. That means you can easily identify it. You can identify the corrosion by checking out the following aspects.

The battery case is dirty.
When you touch the battery, you can feel a slightly sticky feeling in your hand.
The battery terminals are corroded and brownish.
When you clean out the corrosion, it leaves a white coating on the battery case and wires. You might also notice that when you press the battery terminals with your fingers, they will bend easily.
If corrosion has gone deep into the wiring of your car’s battery, it might be difficult to remove it by yourself as well as corrode your other electrical components in your car’s engine compartment if you try to use a wire brush on them to clean them off (this is my personal experience).
If corrosion has gone deep into the battery terminals, your battery might become weaker or not charge when you remove it from your car.

Other than the above physical properties, you can also experience the signs of car battery corrosion.

Your car battery may not charge up when you start it up.
Your car’s gauge might not work properly or the needle may be stuck in one position, indicating low battery power.
The alternator may not charge the battery when you are driving and it is warm outside due to the engine heat cooling down the voltage in your car’s electrical system.
If your car has a high idle, there is a chance that it will have problems starting and running as well as poor performance overall if you try to drive it over long distances even with a fully charged battery.
If your car has a hard time starting, it might have low power or no power at all.

What are the causes of car battery corrosion?

Several factors can lead to the corrosion of car batteries. here are some of them.

Discharge of hydrogen gas from sulphuric acid

This is the most common cause of car battery corrosion. When you are charging your car battery, sulphuric acid is released and fills in the pores of the lead plates inside your car battery. This is a natural process and there is no need to worry much about it. If a sulphuric acid leak occurs, you can easily seal it with tape or some other material.

Overcharging

You should never overcharge your car battery and if you do, you will also experience corrosion. The first thing that happens when a large current goes into a lead-acid battery is that the electrolyte becomes highly concentrated which results in a high voltage between the plates of your battery. This high voltage causes damage to many components within your car’s electrical system.

Improper Maintenance

You should never let your car battery go dead and you should also keep it away from extreme temperatures. It is important to keep your battery properly maintained and if you do, it will serve you for a long time. Your battery will last longer when it is fully charged at all times and kept away from extreme temperatures.

Excessive Heat

If you have an automatic car, then this problem can be solved very easily. With the help of an automatic transmission, all the power can go smoothly into the engine and not directly into the battery. This way, excessive heat will not cause any damage to your car’s electrical system or its battery. If you have a manual transmission, then you should avoid using the car in the summer.

Improper Use

If you use your car often and heavily, then it is inevitable that you will have to charge it frequently. This is because there are times when your car’s battery will drain which will ultimately lead to a dead battery. If you charge your battery frequently, then you can extend its life and also prevent unnecessary wear and tear on your car’s electrical system.

Steps for cleaning car battery corrosion

Time to do the cleaning! Here are the sure steps that you should follow to remove the corrosion from your car battery.

Step 1: Remove the connecting cables

First of all, disconnect the cables from your old car battery. Then, remove the cables from your new car battery.

Step 2: Cleaning the Battery’s terminals

You need to clean the terminals very well. This will help in preventing future corrosion. Also, it will prevent any kind of electrical short or even fire. It is best that you use a baking soda and water mixture to clean these terminals.

You should not use any kind of chemicals or cleaners on it because this can damage the battery’s insulation and lead to a dangerous situation for you and your family members.

Step 3: Waterproofing

After cleaning the terminals, you should completely fill up all the gaps between them and also around them with a waterproofing compound.

Step 4: Adding a Battery Terminal Protector (BTP)

You should protect the battery’s terminal once again by using a BTP. This will help in preventing corrosion, making it last for a long time. You can use any kind of BTP that you want as long as it helps in protecting the battery’s terminals and also prevents corrosion.

Step 5: Connect the Battery

Now, you should connect the battery to your car’s battery terminals. You need to use a BTP on these terminals as well. Also, you need to connect the positive lead of the battery to a red positive terminal and the negative lead of the battery to a black negative terminal.

Step 6: Charge it Up

After connecting it all up, you should charge it up fully and then keep it in a safe place for future use. You also need to put on some kind of cover over this battery as soon as possible so that it will not get exposed to any kind of moisture or rain. If you are going on a trip by car, then make sure that this battery is installed and charged up before you leave.

Precautions to take when cleaning car battery corrosion

It is important to be safe whenever you are cleaning your car battery. The following precautions should be taken while cleaning the battery.

Always wear clean clothes and gloves while cleaning the battery. This will help you to avoid getting any kind of chemicals on your skin.

Do not use a lot of water to clean the battery terminals as this can damage them. If you need to use water, then use a small amount of water and allow it to dry up before using it again.

If you are using a chemical for cleaning, then make sure that it is safe for the environment and does not contain any toxic chemicals in it before applying it to the battery.

Also, if needed, consult your mechanic or someone more experienced about this matter so that they can give you advice on how to clean up your battery.

Should I replace the corroded car battery?

The answer to this question depends on the severity of the corrosion on the battery. If you find it caused by a short circuit, then you might want to replace it.

If there is no short circuit, then you can still use the battery for a few more years without any problems.

If the corrosion is caused by a chemical reaction, then you should not replace it as this will only make it worse.

In this case, you need to consult your mechanic or someone more experienced about this matter so that they can give you advice on how to clean up your battery.

You can also contact your mechanic and we will help you with all your car battery-related problems.

Conclusion

In the end, remember that the battery is your car’s most important part and needs to be taken care of well. If you follow the above tips, then they will help you to extend the life of your car battery and get rid of corrosion.

And in case you consider replacing the car battery, ensure that you buy a quality one. You can buy it from a place that specializes in selling new batteries and also from an auto parts store.

At ICRFQ, we are a reliable supplier of car batteries in China. We offer high-quality and latest model car batteries for sports cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles. We are committed to providing the best quality of car batteries. You can buy it online or visit our store in Shenzhen if you need it on your own.