How Do You Clean Car Battery Terminals?
Battery Terminal Corrosion The problem arises more often if you don’t drive your car regularly. When the engine is not running and the battery is sitting, the terminals oxidize at a faster rate. This means you need to check the battery terminals more often for corrosion. Corrosion appears as a white, ashy deposit around one or both battery posts. Sometimes there is also a bit of color mixed in. These deposits are the result of one of several possible chemical exchanges involving vapors and the battery post. How to Clean Car Battery Terminals Supplies: • A combination tool – battery post brush and battery clamp brush, obtainable at any auto parts store. These generally come in two designs, one employing wire brush elements and the other using two cutting blades and a reamer. Though old pros prefer the latter, either will work and either is suitable if you’re not cleaning battery posts on a daily basis. • Locking pliers (vice grips). • Toothbrush. • Baking soda. • Water. • Clean, lint-fr
If your car refuses to start, you may have a costly problem such as a failed starter or alternator. On the other hand, it could be something as simple as the battery failing to initialize properly. If you know how to clean your car’s battery terminals, you can quickly check to see if built-up gunk around the terminals is affecting your car’s performance. Open and secure the hood of your car. Disconnect the battery terminals from the battery. Wear protective gloves to avoid contact with corrosive battery acid. Take a wire-bristled brush and scrub off any visible corrosion around the battery terminals, both inside the ring terminal and out. You may need to scrape the inside of the ring terminal with a screwdriver if the wire bristle does not do the trick. Blow off any excess dust that the wire brush or screwdriver loosens. If you scrape the terminals properly, you should be able to see clean, shiny metal (lead) instead of gunk or corrosive material. Examine the wires leading into the bat
