Back in the day many people would put a thin coat of petroleum jelly on their battery connections to keep corrosion at bay. I’ve personally never used it but on my wife’s new/old 2008 Pontiac Solstice GXP with the 2.0T the negative battery cable connection was corroded so bad I ordered new cable ends. I remembered that mechanics and diyers swore that Vaseline would help fight terminal corrosion but with the turbo and extreme under hood temps I’m thinking it would just melt away after a few drives. Is there any modern alternatives to Vaseline available today or might the Vaseline actually work in this hot environment?
Vaseline on battery posts and cable connections?
- Thread starter gman2304
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Try SEARCH. There are several threads on this topic, having answers to your questions.
For example: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/negative-battery-post-corrosion.351140/
For example: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/negative-battery-post-corrosion.351140/
Silicone grease does a good job as well as these...
PS a real old copper penny next to the post works good too.
PS a real old copper penny next to the post works good too.
Maybe when cars ran 160° thermostats if any, and underhood temperatures were a lot less. That grease I would think is an insulator, so could melt down between the battery cable and the battery terminal causing many problems. Get stuff specifically made for that purpose.
I've been using white lithium grease for almost 30 years, either aerosol or just from a tube; works great! Tons of other uses too.
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About 40 years ago I bought a battery at Sear's Roebuck and they used the Permatex sealer above.
My battery posts/clamps stayed perfect for YEARS. I went out and bought some and never looked back.
That was so long ago I've gone through cans which were dyed red, purple and green.
I've nothing against any other product which works but I needn't think about it.
The Permatex does not attract dirt in my experience.
My battery posts/clamps stayed perfect for YEARS. I went out and bought some and never looked back.
That was so long ago I've gone through cans which were dyed red, purple and green.
I've nothing against any other product which works but I needn't think about it.
The Permatex does not attract dirt in my experience.
I’ve used these at home and they’re REALLY similar to the BG pads I’ve used at work. They’ve been very effective at preventing acid leaks.
Quite a price difference too as the BG kit is 29.99 and the noco equivalent is $10. If you don’t need the cleaning solution(you really don’t, baking soda and water still works best), then the pads alone are $1 from noco.
How could there be grease between the terminal clamp and the terminal post if the clamp has been tightened properly?Maybe when cars ran 160° thermostats if any, and underhood temperatures were a lot less. That grease I would think is an insulator, so could melt down between the battery cable and the battery terminal causing many problems. Get stuff specifically made for that purpose.
I did…..but I also wanted to address the heat under the hood and was wondering if there was a product that could take the heat from the turbo without melting away, as well as addressing the corrosion problem.
Yeah advance auto parts and auto zone have a spray that coats the terminals. Really seems to help
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CRC is all I ever used - never any issues
I have used Vaseline on all car batteries. I would also take our car periodically to the drive-through Exide service center in the city I grew up in, and they would check the batteries, top off the cells with distilled water and coat the terminals with petroleum jelly, all while I sat in the car. A small tub of Vaseline is in my garage as well. Cannot go wrong with it. The smallest tub will last several years.
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I just use a little toot of fluid film on the terminals of my Kia and it stays put. I haven’t noticed any issue with heat melting it away.
Maybe when cars ran 160° thermostats if any, and underhood temperatures were a lot less. That grease I would think is an insulator, so could melt down between the battery cable and the battery terminal causing many problems. Get stuff specifically made for that purpose.
Aka vaseline in a can with solvents and propellant.
Why does oil leak from a properly tightened drain plug? The parts don't fit together perfectly at microscopic levels so the grease will migrate into the space.
A little more than that. And I think I would use something designed by the chemical engineers at a Fortune 500 company made specifically for one purpose over something grandma uses to moisturize her lips.
X15 said:
Aka vaseline in a can with solvents and propellant.
No it is not a little more than that. Propane is the aerosol propellant. Petrolatum is petroleum jelly. Acetone, Xylene, Ethyl Benzene and Toluene are organic solvents used to emulsify the petroleum jelly and to act as the liquid carrier for the aerosol spray. Once the aromatic solvents evaporate, only the petroleum jelly remains on the battery terminal. Simply a more convenient application method than a Q-tip.
Aka vaseline in a can with solvents and propellant.
No it is not a little more than that. Propane is the aerosol propellant. Petrolatum is petroleum jelly. Acetone, Xylene, Ethyl Benzene and Toluene are organic solvents used to emulsify the petroleum jelly and to act as the liquid carrier for the aerosol spray. Once the aromatic solvents evaporate, only the petroleum jelly remains on the battery terminal. Simply a more convenient application method than a Q-tip.
Would you spray it on your lips as a moisturizer? 
If it leaks into a space between the terminal and the clamp then there is already a dielectric in that space (air). There’s no conduction anyway. It’s a complete non-issue.
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Dielectric grease typically. I also have spray protectant at home too. The spray doesn’t last long the dielectric grease does. I work with some old timers who use anti seize on the terminals but I can’t see how or why that would be a wise thing to do.
I've seen some sort of brownish looking, translucent grease on my Integra. When I replaced it I got a battery at Sears and they also sold me some sort of red spray to put on the terminals. It was nasty stuff including MEK as a solvent and when I got it on my garage floor (should have spread out a newspaper) I couldn't clean it off.
Other than that, I some Victor branded purple battery terminal grease. But these days I leave the battery terminals naked.
Other than that, I some Victor branded purple battery terminal grease. But these days I leave the battery terminals naked.
