if you have a side post terminal battery, check it!

[1 FMF]

my oem acdelco battery in my 02 camaro has been leaking acid out the positive terminal. I don't know how much for how long, but lucky I pulled it out of the car to charge it. The next day I had a puddle of acid on my bench. This problem is commonly reported among camaro/firebird owners, but I can't see why it wouldn't happen with any other battery brand that has side terminals. The level of acid inside the battery is above the terminal, so if the seal lets go it's gonna leak.
If you have even a little corrosion on your battery terminal, it's probably from acid leaking. My battery was great, the eye was black but went green while charging, and never gave me any problems. Spent the extra bucks and got an optima red top. I think I'll redo the battery wiring before I buy another side post battery.

acid on the bench:

this is all the corrosion I had on my + terminal

 

[Chris142]

You need to pull the bolts out of the terminal and slide the red rubber cover off. Soak it in baking soda and water for a few minutes. Then put it back together.

If you just put the old acid infested terminal on the new battery you will have more trouble down the road.

 

[bdcardinal]

ive been noticing this a lot with ACDelco batteries at my work recently. they come in with the positive terminals completely stripped out.

 

[Greaser]

I believe there was a run of overtightening on the assembly line somewhere that led to ALOT of broken positive posts on G.M. vehicles...can't remember where I read this but it's not a battery problem ,it's a torque issue ,from the factory on several different vehicles.

 

[Mike_dup1]

I have owned vehicles with side terminal batteries dating back to a 1970 Chevelle SS 454. Never once in these 35 yrs have a I had a problem whatsoever. The one in our 93 Lumina lasted until 2001.

You just got a "once in a blue moon problem" and nothing more. Over 1 million AC Delco batteries are installed in GM vehicles every year not to mention the ones sold as replacments.


btw
I checked the Service bulletins and found nothing about improper battery connections or anything related to defective batteries on Camaro's.

 

[T-Keith]

Something my dad has done on bad side terminals with lots of problems: Cut most of the rubber boot and use a 3/4 long 3/8-16 hex head bolt and nut instead of the normal bolt. Run the nut all the way up the bolt, then tighten the bolt into the battery. Next tighten the nut up against the cable. This assures your getting maximum connection.

Really though, I've rarely had problems with side terminals, they're 1000 times better then top posts.

 

[labman]

I have to go with Mike. I think my last 3 cars cam with a side post Delco, and no problems. I have been so happy with them, I converted my old truck. Never seem to even need cleaned. Guess Delco could always have a QC problem come up. Maybe they have changed suppliers.

 

[Matt_S]

That happened with my '00 Monte Carlo, too. I put another Delco battery in it since I've never had this problem before. I suppose time will tell if it was just a fluke or not.

 

[Scimmia]

A number of people have complained about this on the Regal and Grand Prix boards. I don't think it's a "once in a blue moon problem."

 

[The_Jeff]

This is happening on 3rd gen saturns (00-02) as well.

The conventional wisdom on saturnfans is that the OE AC delco batteries are decreasing in quality but I could buy into the overtightening argument. Still, a well engineered battery could stand a little overtightening; the hex heads on those bolts are tiny and you can't put that much torque into 'em.

 

[Boomer58]

Very well documented problem with delco batteries.
Check any GM related forum.

I don't recall all the details.

Basically, the lead insert is put in from the outside and then crimped over from the inside. This crimping operation would cause minute fractures in the lead that, coupled with... electrolysis?... would eventually result in acid leaking. The fix was to change the way they installed the lead pads into the battery housing. They're now put in from the inside and the crimping operation is done from the outside. Any microscopic cracks are not exposed to the acid and no more leaks. Why it took years to accomplish this change is beyond me.

[ January 12, 2006, 05:49 PM: Message edited by: Boomer58 ]

 

[frankiee]

When I worked in the scrap yard I seem to remember them batteries to be hard to take out and put in.
Maybe past Owners of the F-body or the battery were rough on the cables while they were connected on the battery, and they were positioning the battery for taking it out or putting it in?

 

[Mike_dup1]

I said there were over 1 million GM vehicle built per year. I was off by a lot.

quote:

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General Motors sold 9.17 million cars and trucks around the world in 2005, up 2 percent from the 8.99 million vehicles sold in 2004, according to final sales figures released today. It marked only the second time the world’s largest automaker has sold more than 9 million units in a calendar year.

---

Thats a lot of Delco batteries.


More tidbits

quote:

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Here in the U.S. , Johnson Controls, Inc. led the development of an initiative to promote recycling of lead-acid batteries. Today, the batteries that JCI supplies to GM are made of 70 to 80 percent recycled lead and plastic. And overall, this is the leading recycled consumer product with a recycling rate of over 97 percent. To put that in perspective, aluminum cans are recycled only at a rate of 55 percent.

---

 

[oilboy123]

AGM batteries all the way..................No corrosion worries.
I will see how long they last.............

 

[Donald]

In my Moms 96 Buick we had this problem, not sure but think it was AC Delco battery. We had to replace the side bolt on the + side as the last 1/4" was corroded away.

 

[wtd]

Its a well known problem with the AC-Delco batteries. My 98 chevy truck and my ex-wife's 98 Grand Prix both suffered from this problem. The Delphi replacement battery on my truck started leaking after 2 1/2 years and I never used the positive side post. I used the postive top post.

Wayne