Anybody's guess?

 

The pos terminal on my battery turns a greasy black within 24 hours of being cleaned with a wire terminal brush. This happens whether or not it is connected in the car or in my house. I've never seen this happen.

 

Battery holds 12.4 volts at 70% charge; water is full.

black sounds like H2SO4 leaking-does it smell or burn your skin? a good battery holds 14.3 or so volts I think. How old?

black sounds like H2SO4 leaking-does it smell or burn your skin? a good battery holds 14.3 or so volts I think. How old?

 

I thought I smelled a hint of rotten egg; not sure about the burn as I did not touch the stuff. Battery is less than a year old. How many days will a good battery hold 14.3 volts? What is H2S04????

 

Just googled it: Sulfuric Acid. Does this pose a danger to the car/electrical system? Probably best to replace the battery at this point.

 

Thanks

How many days will a good battery hold 14.3 volts.

 

Fully charged you should see about 13 to 13.5 from the battery. 14.3 is alternator output levels. Most batteries will decay to around 12 to 12.5 volts or so after a period of a few days.

 

I agree that the battery is likely leaking. Best to just replace it.

 

GD

yep if you smelled eggs that is the key signal of sulfur present. on a side note if anyone is looking to protect their battery terminals from corrosion and to guarantee good connection, vasoline is a great coating to keep the battery connections clean and corrosion free. i have used this for all my life and it keeps things to a squeeky good contact.

yep if you smelled eggs that is the key signal of sulfur present. on a side note if anyone is looking to protect their battery terminals from corrosion and to guarantee good connection, vasoline is a great coating to keep the battery connections clean and corrosion free. i have used this for all my life and it keeps things to a squeeky good contact.

 

ah, that's probably neater than the red spray c**p I'v used. thanks.

Almost any grease will protect the battery terminals.

i use a silicone grease, its more expensive than vaselene, but it stays on longer in the heat, vaselene is good too, it keeps the corrosion off

Also if leaking the gas is HIGHLY explosive. Had a battery years ago that had a crack in the top. One day I removed and reinstalled the pos cable. Got that little spark you always get and the battery literally exploded in my face. Only reason I am not blind today is the sunglasses I was wearing saved my eyes.

i had a battery explode in my face serviceing a u-haul truck. i was popping the cap off and grounded my tool on the frame. i was not wearing safety glasses but i was lucky to escape with my vision. i go inside to proclaim that a battery exploded in my face, and the girl at the counter's response was "would you go pull up this truck for me"

Charging a frozen battery also a big no-no. Recall about 40 years ago a cousin had this homemade battery charger. Just a generator powered off the motor on a compressor. No voltage regulator either. As he was connected the battery to the charger I voiced the opinion this was probably not a good idea and why not just give the battery time to thaw? He connected the battery and I headed for the door. Didn't make it. Battery went off like a bomb.

Years back, my Mom had a '73 Montego. Nearest I can figure is the voltage regulator failed, over-charging battery. She stopped at a gas station for some gas. Upon the attempted re-start of the engine, the battery exploded. Mangled hood, fender, headlights just plain gone, and a few pairs of soiled undies.

I had two truck batteries blow up in my face. I was wearing a new pair of jeans. The jeans and my shirt dissolved when I washed them later.