Re: (ET) battery terminal question

[John Jeno <jjjeno hotmail com>]

Sounds like a classic case of corrosion occurring between the post and the 
clamp. I had an old vehicle/battery with this problem.  The goal is to 
prevent any moisture getting into the pockmarks as this will propagate 
oxide to creep in between the post and clamp, no matter how tight the 
clamp is.  I filled mine using a scrap battery post and a big ... 
Soldering iron.  Not a real good idea for lots of reasons. If I was faced 
with same problem again I would fill it all up with copper grease and 
after tightening clamp seal top and bottom with LPS HD, WD, or grease.  In 
order of preference. 

You want to eliminate as many dielectric corrosion potential issues as 
possible. So try to avoid adding steel or aluminum into the mix;)

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 4, 2014, at 9:28 AM, "tb" <tbamc gbta net> wrote:

> Not exactly E-T related but does pertain to 12v lead acid batteries:  
> I've been having trouble with the + battery connection at the battery in 
> my pick-up.  The battery is old, and the post isn't smooth but is what 
> I'd call 'pock-marked'.  Generally it all works fine, but especially if 
> it sits unused a while, it will act dead when I try to start it.  
> Loosening and moving the clamp on the post, just slightly, will then 
> allow cranking.  Sometimes it takes multiple attempts at moving it 
> slightly.  
> 
> I've cleaned (with a battery post, wire, cleaner tool) the clamp and the 
> post many times, without solving the problem.  Swapping a different 
> battery into the truck completely resolves the problem which makes me 
> fairly certain the old battery--and not the cable, is the problem.  I'm 
> suspicious, but am far from certain, the weird surface texture of the 
> post is contributing to this, but am unsure how to fix it.
> 
> Any ideas or suggestions?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Thon
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