Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?

Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will
slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.

- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking
soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water,
usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not
wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling,
it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.

HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and
as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is
meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more
than one car.

Thanks

mm wrote:
On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?

Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will
slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.

- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking
soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water,
usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not
wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling,
it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.

HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and
as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is
meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more
than one car.

Thanks

That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL need to take
the connections loose and clean the terminals. And one step I forgot in
previous post- lots of fancy stereos don't just lose the station
settings when battery is removed- they lock themselves down in
anti-theft mode, and can only be unlocked with the special code. Check
your owner's manual to be sure. If you don't have the magic number,
they sell a 9v battery thing that plugs into cigarette lighter to keep
the radio alive.

--
aem sends...

blueman wrote:
Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

By a battery post cleaner at your local auto parts store for a couple of
bucks. Spend an additional dollar and get a pair of the washers to put
underneath the connectors, to inhibit future corrosion.

Jon

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:28 -0400, aemeijers wrote:
mm wrote:
On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?

Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will
slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.

- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking
soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water,
usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not
wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling,
it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.

HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and
as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is
meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more
than one car.

Thanks

That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL need to take
the connections loose and clean the terminals. And one step I forgot in
previous post- lots of fancy stereos don't just lose the station
settings when battery is removed- they lock themselves down in
anti-theft mode, and can only be unlocked with the special code. Check
your owner's manual to be sure. If you don't have the magic number,
they sell a 9v battery thing that plugs into cigarette lighter to keep
the radio alive.

Keep in mind that such a device won't work if the ciggy lighter is
switched by the ignition key.

On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

Loosen and remove the cables, wet the battery (water hose) and then
apply baking soda. Scrub gingerly with a tooth brush or such.

Clean the terminals and the cable ends, apply some grease and then
tighten the cables back on. Rise all the acid below the battery,
rinsing any acid under the battery and off the metal frame, etc.

In the olden days a copper penny was placed on top of a car battery.
The copper attracted the "crud". Back then you could just change the
penny out. Seriously!

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:28 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

mm wrote:
On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?

Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will
slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.

- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking
soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water,
usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not
wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling,
it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.

HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and
as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is
meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more
than one car.

Thanks

That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL need to take
the connections loose and clean the terminals. And one step I forgot in

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.

But the OP can get a good terminal brush at an autoparts store, with
one brush to clean inside the terminal and another brush to clean the
outside of the post, all in one convenient tool.

previous post- lots of fancy stereos don't just lose the station
settings when battery is removed- they lock themselves down in
anti-theft mode, and can only be unlocked with the special code. Check
your owner's manual to be sure. If you don't have the magic number,
they sell a 9v battery thing that plugs into cigarette lighter to keep
the radio alive.

Very good idea. My friend got the code from the dealer, even though
she bought her car used from somewhere else.

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:28 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:


That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt.

BTW, I keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge, to reduce odors,
but the fridge had a label that it had a special finish that woudln't
retain odors. I don't know if is special or not. It's a whirlpool
fridge. Nonetheless, I keep it there. For one reason or another, I
don't smell odors.

I've been using the same box for 27 years and the only time the
amount in the box decreases is when I clean the battery, which has
only been about 10 or 15 times in the last 27 years.

Some people use baking soda for baking.

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:46:12 -0400, mm
wrote:

But the OP can get a good terminal brush at an autoparts store, with
one brush to clean inside the terminal and another brush to clean the
outside of the post, all in one convenient tool.

True. without that specific tool, as a young man a pocket knife worked
nicely. I've cleaned many battery terminals and cable connections with
just a pocket knife. Cranked the truck and left the swamp - more than
once.

The OP should " clean car battery terminals " G

Nothing wrong with new tools!

On Mar 21, 9:54*pm, blueman wrote:
Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

Yea clean them good, dont forget the inside of the cable terminal, I
used to clean mine every few years they corroded so bad, then I wore
down the terminals so they would not tighten, and my car would not
start often, I had to make shims, so dont over clean and wear them
down like I did. You also need to clean the battery casing real well
with soap and baking soda, a battery self drains from dirt on the
casing. On my newer car mine dont corrode, they have spraayed a
coating to keep the terminals sealed and i have a battery cover to
keep off dirt. Corrosion may be in part from a bad connection, maybe
grease works as well as a spray sealer I dont really know but get rid
of it, seal the terminals and keep it clean. www.batteryuniversity.com
has good charge and technical data.

Yes, I think it's a good idea to clean. I've seen top post
and side post terminals. Most cars, the red / positive is
the "hot" terminal. So, it's common advice to remove the
black terminal first. Less likely to throw sparks when your
wrench bumps some other metal. As to cleaning, a wire brush
is the common way. Rinse with water, let it dry or dab it
dry with the paper napkins you get from the drive up food
place. Put a bunch of axle grease on, and put the terminals
back on (red first, black second). Now, rest your radio
clock and station presets.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"blueman" wrote in message
...
Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an
extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy
white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red)
terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

aemeijers writes:

mm wrote:
On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?

Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will
slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.

- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking
soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water,
usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not
wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling,
it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.

HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and
as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is
meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more
than one car.

Thanks

That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL need to
take the connections loose and clean the terminals.

-Is it recommended to also completely remove the battery from the car or
is it enough to remove the connections and do it in place?

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...

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

I clean it in place.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"blueman" wrote in message
...

That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around,
and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL
need to
take the connections loose and clean the terminals.

-Is it recommended to also completely remove the battery
from the car or
is it enough to remove the connections and do it in place?

"blueman" wrote in message
...
Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

The fastest/easiest way is not the best. Any soda pop can be drizzled on
there, and it will cause some of the corrosion to be dissolved. But it does
not get down into the terminals.

To clean terminals, you need a battery brush.

http://www.amazon.com/Car-Automoble-.../dp/B000UEMNYM

You must remove the terminals, and you must use two wrenches, one on each
end of the bolt to keep from cracking off the whole terminal. Also, if it
is severely corroded, you might break off the bolt. Once the cable is off,
it can be cleaned with a battery brush until it is shiny. Special grease
can be put on the terminals to keep corrosion down. Treated felt pads can
then be put on the terminals before reinstalling the cables.

If you have green corrosion on your terminals, you are not far away from
hearing the click click rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Pouring Coca Cola on there might buy you a little time, but they need to be
cleaned RIGHT.

Steve

On Mar 22, 10:28*am, "Steve B" wrote:
"blueman" wrote in message

...

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

The fastest/easiest way is not the best. *Any soda pop can be drizzled on
there, and it will cause some of the corrosion to be dissolved. *But it does
not get down into the terminals.

To clean terminals, you need a battery brush.

http://www.amazon.com/Car-Automoble-.../dp/B000UEMNYM

You must remove the terminals, and you must use two wrenches, one on each
end of the bolt to keep from cracking off the whole terminal. *Also, if it
is severely corroded, you might break off the bolt. *Once the cable is off,
it can be cleaned with a battery brush until it is shiny. *Special grease
can be put on the terminals to keep corrosion down. *Treated felt pads can
then be put on the terminals before reinstalling the cables.

If you have green corrosion on your terminals, you are not far away from
hearing the click click rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Pouring Coca Cola on there might buy you a little time, but they need to be
cleaned RIGHT.

Steve

If the battery is 3-4 years old, andfails after the lights are on for
an hour, that is a warning that you should get to your local Walmart
and buy a replacement battery!!!!!

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:38:07 -0400, blueman wrote:

aemeijers writes:

mm wrote:
On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?

Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will
slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.

- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking
soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water,
usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not
wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling,
it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.

HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and
as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is
meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more
than one car.

Thanks

That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL need to
take the connections loose and clean the terminals.

-Is it recommended to also completely remove the battery from the car or
is it enough to remove the connections and do it in place?

I clean it in place too. It's fine that way. Someone called
attention to your subject line. I pay little or no attention to those
and only look in the body of a post, but you did emphasize terminal in
your first post too, yet I concentrated on crud.

If there is crud right on the terminal, right next to the where it
touches the post, it might be under the terminal too. It's probably a
good idea to remove the cables and clean the posts and inside the
terminals too.

Remove the ground first. The one with a - symbol on the battery (not
a + ). Now the symbols can be hard to see, and in all recent cars the
plus terminal is the one whose cable goes to the starter motor or a
solenoid. The negative terminal goes to a bolt on the engine. It's
the negative, the ground, you want to remove first. This seemed
counter-intuitive to me, but if your wrench touches the body of the
car while you're working on the negative, nothing will happen. Then
after the neg is disconnected and you are using your wrench on the
positive, and your wrench touches the body of the car, nothing will
happen. If OTOH, the negative was still connected, there would be a
big hot spark, enough to melt metal, at least a small amount. So
disconnect the ground, the negative, first. If you're not sure,
there might be a label somewhere, or someone with a meter or who knows
cars can tell you which is the negative.

If that doesn't work, clean the battery once without disconnecting it
and then maybe you'll be able to see the + and - symbols, although
they can be on the side where it's hard to get a good look, or
obscured by the terminals.

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:41:03 -0400, 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?

Yes, they used to be a dollar a pair. Maybe a little more now. I'm
sure they have them at "real" autoparts stores but they have them on
display usually at consumer autoparts stores like Pepboys.

I know some people don't think they work, but my personal impression
is that they work great. There have been some battery changes that
might possibly have made battery problems get less frequent but I'm
pretty sure I bougth the washers when I didn't change my battery and
there was a big improvement with the same battery. Put the red on
positive and the green on negative. I use the same washers for
years. It *is* a little hard to believe they don't wear out, use up
their chemicals, but who knows. All I know is I don't have gunk
problems anymore, and only use baking soda once every year or two or
three.

- Also, what causes this accumulation of gunk?
- Where does the "gunk" come from?

The liquid in the battery is sulfuric acid with a little lead
dissolved in it. The gunk is some sort of sulfate, with maybe, I
don't know for sure, some lead sulfate. That's why it's yellow, from
the sulfur.

- Does it mean the battery is leaking?

No. It does mean some acid got out, but that's not the same thing.

- Does it cause permanent damage to the battery?

No. There's loads of acid still left inside. It doesnt' take much
acid to make that crud.

- Does it mean the battery is nearing the end of its lifespan?

No. It's not like a flashlight battery's leaking.

About 20 or 30 years ago they came out with No-maintenance batteries,
which couldn't be opened to add water, and which also I think meant
that the acid coudn't get out. I lost track of whether these things
were as good as they said. Ialso lost track of whether there was
some small vent for each of the 6 cells in a 12 volt battery. I think
there was. I think they used a slightly different acid or plate
chemistry.

A couple years after that, they came out with Lo-maintenance
batteries, that looked like No-maintenance, in that there seemed to be
no caps for the cells, that the battery coudln't be opened to add
water. But they had just redesigned the caps, put 3 caps together
(and used two of them, for a total of 6 caps) with a very low profile
and no apparent place to lift, so they looked like No-maintence, and I
think the chemistry was slightly different so it was not necessary to
add distilled water as often as it used to be. And maybe voltage
regulation of the charging system had gotten better, because charging
with too high a voltage causes water to evaporate from the electroyte,
which is water and acid. Anyhow, it's true, I think, that one
doesn't have to add water to batteries nearly as often as one used to.
I'm not the best example of maintenance, but I only check the battery
ever couple years. I never needs much water, if any.

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

Be sure to tighten the terminals tight enough, but not too tight!!

I haven't looked for stainless steel bolts, and I did once in 45 years
have the bolt rust through, largely because of the battery acid, but
they sell replacement terminal bolts, and it was easy to replace it.

But once or more I havent' tightened the bolt enough. When it is at
all loose, that makes it more likely the crud on the outside will get
up between the post and the terminal. When it's properly tight, it
either doesn't or it takes longer, not positive. So one time, I'm
driving and the car stalled and I was taking a friend to catch a train
so I didn't want to waste time. I touched both terminals and one was
hot. That's because it was loose. I just turned it left and right as
much as it went and then tightened the bolt and the car was fine after
that. It wasn't actually that loose, and there was none of the
visible crud, but maybe there was something else.


Thanks for ALL the helpful replies...

On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:42:45 -0800, Oren wrote:

On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

Loosen and remove the cables, wet the battery (water hose) and then
apply baking soda. Scrub gingerly with a tooth brush or such.

Clean the terminals and the cable ends, apply some grease and then
tighten the cables back on. Rise all the acid below the battery,
rinsing any acid under the battery and off the metal frame, etc.

In the olden days a copper penny was placed on top of a car battery.
The copper attracted the "crud". Back then you could just change the
penny out. Seriously!

So why can't we do that now?

blueman wrote in :

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?


Sure is. It will keep building up until it literally severs the battery
cables and destroys the hold-down clamp..


- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?



Replace the battery, quickly.

That corrosion happens because the battery-to-post seal is broken, either
through age or (far more common) mishandling. You can clean it off and even
install those neutralizing-felt washers, but it /will/ come back again.

Clean off the existing corrosion on the cables using a thick paste of
baking soda and water. Do this before installing the new battery. And when
you tighten the cables onto the new battery, be GENTLE. The terminals only
need to be tight enough that you can't rotate them by hand AND NO MORE.
Counter your tightening force with opposite force applied to the other side
from the tightening nut.



--
Tegger

blueman wrote:
aemeijers writes:

mm wrote:
On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
Yes, if there's enough I believe it conducts electricity and will
slowly drain your battery. Or maybe even quickly at some point.

- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?
I pour 5 or 10 heaping tablespoon's worth, I'm guessing, of baking
soda from the box on to the top of the battery and then pour water,
usually warm water from a tea-kettle, on top of that, slowly to not
wash it off before it neutralizes the acid. When it stops bubbling,
it's done, and I wash the rest off with the rest of the tea-kettle.

HR Bob's is the correct method but you asked for easiest/fastest, and
as far as I know, mine works just as well. Maybe the other method is
meant for shops which will keep a bottle of solution around to do more
than one car.

Thanks
That is a good first step, if you have baking soda around, and reduces
the chances of trashing your favorite shirt. But you STILL need to
take the connections loose and clean the terminals.

-Is it recommended to also completely remove the battery from the car or
is it enough to remove the connections and do it in place?

Take a flashlight and look down alongside the battery, and see if the
tray is painted metal or plastic covered. If painted metal, and you see
rust when you peek down there, good idea to pull the battery and repair
as needed. (paint, reinforcement, etc.) It can ruin your whole day if
you are driving down a bumpy road, and the rusty hold-down bolt breaks,
and the battery bounces and shorts out against the inside of the hood. BTDT.

Yes, I grew up driving junk. (Why do you ask?) But on a young car,
cleaning in place is usually fine.

--
aem sends...

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:14:24 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Yes, I think it's a good idea to clean. I've seen top post
and side post terminals. Most cars, the red / positive is
the "hot" terminal. So, it's common advice to remove the
black terminal first. Less likely to throw sparks when your
wrench bumps some other metal. As to cleaning, a wire brush
is the common way. Rinse with water, let it dry or dab it
dry with the paper napkins you get from the drive up food
place. Put a bunch of axle grease on, and put the terminals
back on (red first, black second). Now, rest your radio
clock and station presets.

And sometimes the car won't run as well for a while after
disconnecting the battery. For me, that's about 5 seconds, but the
manual makes it sound like it could take an hour to get back to
normal.

--
Christopher A. Young

aemeijers writes:
Take a flashlight and look down alongside the battery, and see if the
tray is painted metal or plastic covered. If painted metal, and you
see rust when you peek down there, good idea to pull the battery and
repair as needed. (paint, reinforcement, etc.) It can ruin your whole
day if you are driving down a bumpy road, and the rusty hold-down bolt
breaks, and the battery bounces and shorts out against the inside of
the hood. BTDT.

Wow - that sounds quite unlucky - so just out of curiousity what were
the symptoms and results you observed from the broken-free battery and short?

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:14:24 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Yes, I think it's a good idea to clean. I've seen top post
and side post terminals. Most cars, the red / positive is
the "hot" terminal. So, it's common advice to remove the
black terminal first. Less likely to throw sparks when your
wrench bumps some other metal. As to cleaning, a wire brush
is the common way. Rinse with water, let it dry or dab it
dry with the paper napkins you get from the drive up food
place. Put a bunch of axle grease on, and put the terminals
back on (red first, black second). Now, rest your radio
clock and station presets.

And sometimes the car won't run as well for a while after
disconnecting the battery.

Not many people center post.

For me, that's about 5 seconds, but the
manual makes it sound like it could take an hour to get back
to
normal.

--
Christopher A. Young

blueman wrote:
aemeijers writes:
Take a flashlight and look down alongside the battery, and see if the
tray is painted metal or plastic covered. If painted metal, and you
see rust when you peek down there, good idea to pull the battery and
repair as needed. (paint, reinforcement, etc.) It can ruin your whole
day if you are driving down a bumpy road, and the rusty hold-down bolt
breaks, and the battery bounces and shorts out against the inside of
the hood. BTDT.

Wow - that sounds quite unlucky - so just out of curiousity what were
the symptoms and results you observed from the broken-free battery and short?

Magic smoke, and car no worky. (Magic smoke is what makes all electrical
devices work- you let out the smoke, and the device doesn't work any
more.) Dead short across the battery fried the fusible link in the feed
cable, like it is supposed to. A little blacksmithing on battery tray, a
new hold-down clamp (the old tall kind, not the modern low clips) from
the junkyard, a new fusible link segment and some compression
connectors, and it all came back to life. This was a
pre-electronic-everything car, mind you. Hate to think what it would do
to a modern rolling computer.

--
aem sends...

On Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:54:29 -0400, blueman wrote:

Perhaps not technically home repair but my car is like an extension of
my home...

Anyway, I noticed that there is a lot of "crud" (grainy white/green
stuff - looks like dried toothpaste) on the positive (red) terminal of
my car battery.

Car otherwise works & looks fine.

Question:
- Is it important to clean the crud off?
- What is the best & also easiest/fastest way to do it?

Thanks

Yes. Use a wire brush. Cover the vent holes and cover the entire
battery case and terminals with a baking soda paste using a
toothbrush. Rinse. Cover both terminals with a thin layer of
Vaseline. Repeat yearly. Check the water level and make sure the
terminal clamps are tight.

mm wrote:
On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:14:24 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Yes, I think it's a good idea to clean. I've seen top post
and side post terminals. Most cars, the red / positive is
the "hot" terminal. So, it's common advice to remove the
black terminal first. Less likely to throw sparks when your
wrench bumps some other metal. As to cleaning, a wire brush
is the common way. Rinse with water, let it dry or dab it
dry with the paper napkins you get from the drive up food
place. Put a bunch of axle grease on, and put the terminals
back on (red first, black second). Now, rest your radio
clock and station presets.

And sometimes the car won't run as well for a while after
disconnecting the battery. For me, that's about 5 seconds, but the
manual makes it sound like it could take an hour to get back to
normal.

the computer can lose it's settings for engine control, and goes back to the
default. on some cars, it could take driving around for 10-20 miles before
it's running the way it was after losing power.

--
Christopher A. Young

regards,
charlie

On 24 Mar 2010 03:54:43 GMT, "Lisa BB."
wrote:

My husband has a gizmo that looks like a giant thimble. Inside are
wire brushes. The thimble goes on top of the terminal and all you have to
do is spin it around while the brushes do the work.

Yeah, that's called a battery post brush. It usually or often comes
with a battery terminal brush (which is sort of the opposite of what
you describe) as part of it, but not always.

It's also good if you are a giant and need to do some sewing.