Lubing the battery terminals... DO NOT use CORROSION BLOCK oil

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sk_pete

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Been OCD about battery terminals, i thought lubing it will prevent corrosion in future. šŸ˜¦
Used this oil, but in about week i got nasty dash flashing lights with various esp esr abs and whatnot messages.... šŸ˜±
during ride randomly tacho/rpm dial went on-off. šŸ˜±
http://www.acf-50.co.uk/corrosion_block.htm

now i degreased and sanded the terminals.
problems seems gone , motor starts better now... but esp error is still there. šŸ˜ 
i guess not many people here with citroen/peugeot experience; but i will try my luck with question:
can such error fix by itself with driving, or service visit is neccesary?
 
Need more info, Year/Make/Model of vehicle? Did you pull any codes... In my experience greased/lubed battery terminals will not cause any issues like this as long as the battery is disconnected / re-connected properly.
 
You have a bad clamp then. This has been discussed many times on here but since youā€™re new maybe you havenā€™t seen the threads. The grease does not prevent conduction.
 
atikovi said:
Grease is an insulator. Not sure I want it on battery terminals.
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So is air. If the clamp is not touching the post then there wonā€™t be conduction whether the dielectric is air or grease. If the clamp is touching then both grease and air is displaced and conduction will occur.

Your statement is an often held misconception that is not true. Nye Lubricants used to have a very good technical report on this but it hasnā€™t been available for a while now. They still discuss it but it isnā€™t as detailed.

Oh and before anyone suggests it- you donā€™t want a conductive grease either.
 
^ Except it is true, to some extent. If the contacts were perfectly machined, and the grease viscous enough, the film layer of a non-conductive grease would prevent conduction. The thing is, they are not perfectly machined, and the clamping force causes some deformation, so the clamping force pumps out "enough" grease to make a good, but not as good as if there were no grease at all, connection. There will be some grease on potential regions of contact, that would have conducted because it takes more deformation from clamping force, to pump out a viscous grease, than air.

Having that not-as-good connection, can still end up a better connection over time, than if there were no grease and corrosion set in.
 
Hope people read your post vs just the misleading subject line. It should read

Lubing the battery terminals... DO NOT (insert brand and type of lube that you used here)
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Dave9 said:
^ Except it is true, to some extent. If the contacts were perfectly machined, and the grease viscous enough, the film layer of a non-conductive grease would prevent conduction. The thing is, they are not perfectly machined, and the clamping force causes some deformation, so the clamping force pumps out "enough" grease to make a good, but not as good as if there were no grease at all, connection. There will be some grease on potential regions of contact, that would have conducted because it takes more deformation from clamping force, to pump out a viscous grease, than air.

Having that not-as-good connection, can still end up a better connection over time, than if there were no grease and corrosion set in.
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If there isnā€™t metal-to-metal contact then there wonā€™t be conduction regardless of the dielectric. Both air and grease are ā€œpumped outā€ when contact occurs. There is no difference between grease and air in this instance. It looks like there is but there is not.

And another thing is the grease prevents corrosion. Itā€™s an additional benefit.
 
Fordiesel69 said:
If you want to do it right.....clean, brush, and connect the terminals, and AFTER you tighten them down, apply your favorite brand of anti corrosion lube.
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Well..that's what mfg of that viscous oil says.
It's like 5w sae.
Lesson learnt, sand surface, and do not put anything on terminals.

Clamps are shiny metal color. Plus has quick release. All was tight....
 
kschachn said:
If there isnā€™t metal-to-metal contact then there wonā€™t be conduction regardless of the dielectric. Both air and grease are ā€œpumped outā€ when contact occurs.

And another thing is the grease prevents corrosion. Itā€™s an additional benefit.
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You did not read my post carefully. It takes a higher clamping force and more deformation to pump out grease, than air. At any given, same amount of clamping force, more grease volume, than air, will remain. This increased volume is a reduction in contact area, BUT, it only needs to conduct well enough to work, was engineered with a margin so it doesn't need the hypothetical best connection possible.

I don't even understand not realizing this, on an oil forum where we talk about film strength preventing metal to metal contact for lubrication purposes.
 
Dave9 said:
You did not read my post carefully. It takes a higher clamping force and more deformation to pump out grease, than air. At any given, same amount of clamping force, more grease volume, than air, will remain. This increased volume is a reduction in contact area.

I don't even understand not realizing this, on an oil forum where we talk about film strength preventing metal to metal contact for lubrication purposes.
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Actually no that is not correct. A greased terminal will prevent fretting or sticking and will allow the clamp to tighten more fully. Itā€™s the same thing as in sliding contacts.
 
The way I understand it logically.

The corrosion in battery usually caused by the acid leaking to the terminal and corroding the cable clamp.
So, all we need to do is create a space between the battery and the bottom part of the cable clamp NOT between the terminal and the clamp.

Here in the US, they sell corrosion pad which is wedge between the battery surface and the clamp.
I have done this and it seems to work better than my attempt to prevent battery terminal and clamp corrosion in the past.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-B603S-Corrosion-Terminal-Protectors/dp/B004QCBLJC

If you want to put some sort of paste, put it after you install the clamp and smear it outside the clamp.
At least that is the way I understand it.
I may be wrong, though.
 
kschachn said:
So is air. If the clamp is not touching the post then there wonā€™t be conduction whether the dielectric is air or grease. If the clamp is touching then both grease and air is displaced and conduction will occur.
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Theoretically ok, but that's like saying oil will be displaced from con rod and main bearings when an engine is running which we know is not the case. If you are going use something, use a product made especially for battery terminals.

81waKytmVGL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


  • Seals and coats battery terminals eliminating the formation of acid salt corrosion typically found when terminals are untreated
  • Prevents terminal corrosion and battery drain
  • Increases battery life and improves electrical flow
 
atikovi said:
Theoretically ok, but that's like saying oil will be displaced from con rod and main bearings when an engine is running which we know is not the case. If you are going use something, use a product made especially for battery terminals.
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Itā€™s very practical and is used every day in hundreds of applications and connections. You think an automobile battery terminal is the only one?

And yes oil will be displaced from a bearing with a force that sufficiently lowers the film thickness. In this case however you want that to happen because without it occurring then there is no conduction, whether the ā€œoilā€ (dielectric) is oil, grease or air. Or even a vacuum.
 
I've had pretty good results from a battery terminal protector, which I think is mostly waxy paint? You get your connection bright and tight and then spray the protector stuff on pretty heavy and it keeps water and air off the terminal and clamp. It also works and bare metal to keep it from rusting, if its under hood. I had a battery seep acid on my tractor and the acid took off some yellow galvanizing on the battery holder, so I sanded and sprayed the holder and its been find for years now.
 
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