On Mar 22, 8:41*am, blueman wrote:
mm writes:
On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:28 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:
Oh yeah, I forgot to say something about that. * Probably because I
haven't needed to do that for a long time. *I think those red and
green felt washers must be responsible. *I haven't had much in the way
of dirty batteries since I started using those.

- What are those "red and green felt washers"?
- Are they some after-market product that I can buy?

- Also, what causes this accumulation of gunk?
* *- Where does the "gunk" come from?
* *- Does it mean the battery is leaking?
* *- Does it cause permanent damage to the battery?
* *- Does it mean the battery is nearing the end of its lifespan?

- Other than "red and green felt washers" is there anything I can do to
* prevent such build-up in the future?

Thanks for ALL the helpful replies...

I don't know that the washers really work... I have a non-sealed
battery in my pickup truck and it still gets a little cruddy.

I'd recommend using Vaseline or Sil-glyde on the terminals and also
put a "battery mat" underneath the battery to keep from rusting the
tray out. Just this past weekend I removed the battery tray in the
pickemup to assess what hardware was corroded, and I've ordered
replacement hardware, some POR-15 to paint the tray, and a couple
battery mats so I can put one in each vehicle.

I'd also recommend slathering the clamp bolts with anti-seize so the
nuts don't seize up on them. It'd be nice to find some stainless
battery bolts but I forgot to check to see if McMaster-Carr had them
in stainless the last time I ordered.

nate