Acid on top of battery, defective?

[Tempest]

I was just looking under the hood for something else and noticed liquid and dirt collected on top of the battery. I put some baking soda on top of the liquid and it bubbled so its acid.

This is an Autozone gold battery purchased about 1 year ago. It is a cap type battery but I've never had the caps off.

Is this a defective battery or should I just pop off the caps and refill?

 

[StevieC]

I would pop the caps off and see what the fluid level is. Make sure to check all caps.

If it's low fill up with distilled water.

If there is corrosion on the terminals, take them off, clean them up with some sandpaper or emery-cloth and coat with some dielectric grease, re-attach and coat with more grease.

Enjoy a cup of coffee and call it a day!

 

[JHZR2]

SOme do, some dont. Some do it seems even when full and properly maintained.

Just keep a watch on it, and I agree with StevieC about technique.

 

[Solo2driver]

I wouldn't worry about it. Those batteries are not truly sealed and with temperature and use there may be a very small amount of acid around the top of the caps. Sprinkle some baking powder on it to neutralize the acid, and clean it up. No worries. Note-- if you remove the caps and add distilled water to the battery, the manufacturer/retailer may not warranty it. Years ago when I worked retail auto parts for several major chains in college, each store was trained to not take batteries back under warranty if water was added, though that is what you were supposed to do if it was low to "service" the battery. Oh well. Take it or leave it, but I think you'll be fine. Just neutralize the acid on top and call it a day.

 

[Drew99GT]

My Autolite Titanium (same things as a Duralast Gold) does the exact same thing. It's about 4 years old. The electrolyte level is fine and I just had it tested the other day and it passed.

The guy at the auto parts store says some of them do it and some don't, but most every unsealed battery I've seen end up with moisture and dirt on the surface after a few years.

Mine also has the white corrosion in the hold down clamp, but not on the terminals and cables since I use the felt pads.

 

[oilboy123]

Pretty normal.

 

[Quest]

As I previously replied in my postings RE: battery, some batteries will experience such problem, and not all of them are like that.

This has to do with either (a) electrolyte overfill; or most common of all (b) poor seam sealing practice/design between the battery post and the casings.

Gas will leak out from a poorly sealed or defective seam causing major terminal corrosion, even though the battery seems to be new or has been in service for a short period of time.

It all depends on how "well" they are built and design, and quality plays a bigger part of this.

Unfortunately, I have had my fair share of battery gassing problems her in N/A but very few cases from those Japanese made ones (Yuasa, Panasonic, Hitachi, etc.). Those Exide, Johnson Ctrls and such even the ones that came with my wifey's camry/dad's 7th gen civic all gas quite a bit, causing moderate to severe battery post/terminal corrosion.

They only way to work around this is to (a) use those chemically-treated felt rings and also battery post spray, and (b) wash down your battery vent cover with sodium bicarbonate + water every several months...

Q.

 

[Drew99GT]

It looks like on my battery it's evaporation coming out of the vent caps.

 

[Eddie]

You might want to check the charging voltage. A too high of a charging rat will do this.

 

[Rolf]

Originally Posted By: Tempest
I was just looking under the hood for something else and noticed liquid and dirt collected on top of the battery. I put some baking soda on top of the liquid and it bubbled so its acid.

This is an Autozone gold battery purchased about 1 year ago. It is a cap type battery but I've never had the caps off.

Is this a defective battery or should I just pop off the caps and refill?


It's normal.

When the battery is charging it generates hydrogen gas. That will exit the vents and take a small bit of the battery acid/water solution with it as vapor. It then condenses and settles around the caps or vents.




.

 

[oilboy123]

What I believe helps is not to have the water touch the bottom of the cell holes. To fill it short of the bottom of the hole before it becomes concave. JMO

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: Solo2driver
each store was trained to not take batteries back under warranty if water was added


How would you know?

 

[Tempest]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll just have to clean it up and keep a watchful eye.

I'll check the voltage just in case but last time I checked it was good.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: Solo2driver
each store was trained to not take batteries back under warranty if water was added


How would you know?

you can tell. or another easy one was the customer said "i added water".

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal

you can tell. or another easy one was the customer said "i added water".


You can tell if they overfilled it with water. You can't tell if they popped the caps off and were careful about filling it.

 

[CivicFan]

Sounds like the kind of quality attributed on BITOG to Chinese products.

Are these Chinese batteries?

 

[andyd]

I only add water if the plates are showing. I add water until the plates are just covered.

 

[brianl703]

I think many leakage problems are due to improper installation of the battery clamps. You don't need to tighten them so much that the posts are bending sideways..but many people do. That breaks the seal between the post and case, and it then starts leaking from there.

I use nothing larger than 1/4" ratchet to tighten battery clamps.

 

[George7941]

On top post batteries, overtightening the clamp nuts will at most squeeze the lead of the of the posts excessively but there are no sideways forces involved if the wrench is being properly used. I have never come across a bent top post.

 

[brianl703]

Where does the applied force go when the nut is tight?

I once loosened a battery post with a ratchet and saw the post moving in relation to the battery case as I applied force.

That post was bending. I can't help but think that the same force I had to use to remove it, which caused it to bend, was applied to tighten it and probably damaged the post/case seal.