Battery anti-corrosion pads- maybe a worthwhile investment

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GON

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All of my Ford framed vehicles get monster battery induced corrosion at the battery, all of them. Regardless of year (2019 through 2002), or age of the battery.

Earlier this morning went to put a battery tender on my 2016 F350. I was aware the battery had a lot of corrosion around it.

Decided to clean the terminals before putting on the battery tender. To my surprise, lots of corrosion but none at the terminals. A closer look shows the previous owner put anti- corrosion pads at the base of the terminal. I have never touched this battery since purchasing this vehicle, which I purchased at a salvage auction and a drained battery. I used a jump pack to start the truck at the auction yard.

Starting to think I will buy these anti-corrosion pads for my frame on Ford vehicles.

Supplemental, battery manufactured on sep2019, no idea when the battery or pads were installed. Battery is a Super Start Premium, marketed by Ozark Automotive Distributor l, Springfield, MO
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GON said:
All of my Ford framed vehicles get monster battery induced corrosion at the battery, all of them. Regardless of year (2019 through 2002), or age of the battery.

Earlier this morning went to put a battery tender on my 2016 F350. I was aware the battery had a lot of corrosion around it.

Decided to clean the terminals before putting on the battery tender. To my surprise, lots of corrosion but none at the terminals. A closer look shows the previous owner put anti- corrosion pads at the base of the terminal. I have never touched this battery since purchasing this vehicle, which I purchased at a salvage auction and a drained battery. I used a jump pack to start the truck at the auction yard.

Starting to think I will buy these anti-corrosion pads for my frame on Ford vehicles.

Supplemental, battery manufactured on sep2019, no idea when the battery or pads were installed. Battery is a Super Start Premium, marketed by Ozark Automotive Distributor l, Springfield, MO
View attachment 332504View attachment 332505View attachment 332506
Click to expand...
One reason to switch to an AGM battery, less off gassing & no leaking (dry cell).
 
It's good that at least you are trying to take care of your battery, so good for you.
I clean my battery terminals often, but on my 3 year old battery, it's in very good condition and does not need anything special.

On my brother's 04 Toyota Matrix, I think he has an alternator issue, I was cleaning his battery posts every 30-45 days or so . I bought him the red/green felt disk pads to put over the posts, but they don't do much, still battery acid build up.

On my 20 year old Nissan ( Nissan Xtrail, sold in Canada only in 2005-08. After that we got the 2009 Rogue like everybody else ). It has the 2.5 L , 4cyl, Altima engine. What I did last years was track down the Negative battery cable. My local Nissan parts department was asking over $145 plus tax and two weeks from Japan.
Ended up buying it from Rockauto USA for $45 plus $15 shipping to me here in Canada . Was way cheaper even with currency exchange and the shipping versus the local rip off price.

Look into replacing your negative battery cable, should be relatively cheap for a 2016 Ford F350. The battery cable gets corroded over time and you get all sorts of poor performance issues because of that .

Or you can do what I did before buying the new cable: Remove your existing one, clean both ends of the cable lugs with fine sand paper or whatever. Clean the threads on the bolts that ground the cable. Clean up around the hole where the bolts screw into, scrape of any paint so it is bare metal, then install the cable with the bolts. it is said it is a good idea to add anti corrosion grease /dielectric grease or paint after bolting the cable up.
I noticed when I cleaned and later when I replaced the negative battery cable, my engine turned on quicker, the idle was better, the vehicle electronics seemed better, the stereo/headlights etc, power windows a bit quicker.

Look into it. might be worth it on your F350. ------https://www.tycorun.com/blogs/news/when-do-you-need-battery-cable-replacement?srsltid=AfmBOoptbXeZdAjvamkzDgfHknu_hc2eijiQssLHRj3SAbdBMrmC384t#:~:text=Battery%20cable%20replacement%20restores%20stable,ensure%20long%2Dterm%20performance%20and%20safety.
 
Clean off just the top of the batteries. You don't have to wash the engine bay. Just use the rag/paper towel you check the oil with.
It looks like you are conducting voltage/current across the top of the battery. The sacrificial lamb when using the corrosion pads
is the hold down bracket now.
 
GON said:
All of my Ford framed vehicles get monster battery induced corrosion at the battery, all of them. Regardless of year (2019 through 2002), or age of the battery.

Earlier this morning went to put a battery tender on my 2016 F350. I was aware the battery had a lot of corrosion around it.

Decided to clean the terminals before putting on the battery tender. To my surprise, lots of corrosion but none at the terminals. A closer look shows the previous owner put anti- corrosion pads at the base of the terminal. I have never touched this battery since purchasing this vehicle, which I purchased at a salvage auction and a drained battery. I used a jump pack to start the truck at the auction yard.

Starting to think I will buy these anti-corrosion pads for my frame on Ford vehicles.

Supplemental, battery manufactured on sep2019, no idea when the battery or pads were installed. Battery is a Super Start Premium, marketed by Ozark Automotive Distributor l, Springfield, MO
View attachment 332504View attachment 332505View attachment 332506
Click to expand...
My Geo had a similar issue. The corrosion pads helped as does a light coating of anti corrosion terminal spray.
 
That is a conventional Clarios (formerly Johnson Controls Industries) manufactured battery labeled as a SuperStart from O'Reilly's. You can identify a Clarios battery by the rectangular fill cap design with their unique (patented?) 45 degrees clipped corners. JCI batteries had a notorious reputation for seeping acid from the terminals, especially at the negative terminal. However, they apparently changed the design of the battery case/terminal interface seal several years ago since complaints about terminal leakage on Clarios batteries no longer abound in the automotive forums. Most SuperStart batteries are now supplied by East Penn, which I consider to be an upgrade from Clarios for FLA batteries.

Based upon your photo, I believe the corrosion on the hold down bracket is caused by acid and fumes escaping from the fill cap vents, either due to overfilling the electrolyte, overcharging, and/or long term evaporation. I would not disturb the felt pads or touch the terminal posts since it hasn't leaked in years.
 
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Wash the battery with a solution of baking soda and water. Rinse with plain water. That hold down is too far gone and should be replaced. Clean the cable ends in some of the baking soda and water. Wire brush and reinstall with the felt washers. coat everything with grease. Keep an eye on it.
 
oldcodger said:
Wash the battery with a solution of baking soda and water. Rinse with plain water. That hold down is too far gone and should be replaced. Clean the cable ends in some of the baking soda and water. Wire brush and reinstall with the felt washers. coat everything with grease. Keep an eye on it.
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Hate to admit it, but almost all of my vehicles are missing the battery hold downs.

One of my future tasks is to but replacement hold downs. I may see if I can design a hold down that doesn't corrode and is easier to remove.
 
GON said:
Hate to admit it, but almost all of my vehicles are missing the battery hold downs.

One of my future tasks is to but replacement hold downs. I may see if I can design a hold down that doesn't corrode and is easier to remove.
Click to expand...
Not worth designing a battery hold down bracket when you can buy four of them for $13 shipped. The adjustable LYNX plastic bracket works well for me.

(4) Lynx Battery Hold Down Brackets
 
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What a cluster.
Clean that mess up with some soap and water.
Hit up Amazon and get yourself a decent hold down.
I use the felt washers and the Lynx spray (EP) on mine. Eliminates the mess.
 
Chris142 said:
The 3 times I have sprayed off my jeep engine the TPS quit working and had to be replaced.
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You and I are both in the desert . Clean the engine bay today, in 48 hours looks like we never cleaned anything.

When I work under the hood I clean the area and surrounding area I am working on. The risk reward for a engine bay clean with chemicals and water weighs significantly more towards the risk and significantly less towards the reward.
 
My dad was a truck driver/mechanic for the 406th Fighter Group as they moved across France and Germany providing close ground support for the Army. He always coated the battery terminals and clamps with axle grease. His vehicles always started and I never saw any corrosion.
 
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