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School me on battery corrosion.

colbystephens

colbystephens

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I'm fighting an on-going battery corrosion problem. I have dual isolated batteries. When I added the second battery, I got a factory battery tray and sandblasted/painted it. My truck has been in storage for several months now (since December), and the new battery tray is covered in battery corrosion and all of the paint has bubbled up off of the tray. The stock battery is doing much better, but still has some evidence of "battery foam." When I installed the batteries, I covered the terminals and cables with a generous amount of that red anti-corrosion spray.

What's the deal? And how do I permanently fix this problem while still using my lead-acid batteries?
 
The culprit is likely some acid & corrosive vapors sneaking out of the cap vents,(especially during charging )-not so much the terminals..

Battery cases will "sweat" during temperature changes,and the condensation will take the acid down to the base of the case,and it'll soak onto the tray..which will lift off the paint and let it corrode in a short time..

I've noticed with dual batteries,if one isn't a identical mate to the other,one will tend to "outgass" more than the other...usually the one with less plates will tend to be the one with the most acid discharge,I think the larger battery tries to "charge" the smaller one..

Some put a felt pad under the battery ,sprinkled generously with baking sods,to help neutralize the acid and prevent or delay damage to the tray and hold down..it's best to take the battery out once in a while and wash off the tray and replace the pad and add more baking soda..
I have found P-O-R 15 is about the best stuff to paint a battery tray with..
 
I had pretty good luck painting my battery tray with POR-15 probably 10+ years ago, but it has been peeling with corrosion underneath for a few years now.

Not sure how AL or SS would hold up, but I'd sure like something better than what we have for a battery tray. Even plastic would be an improvement, but I've not yet seen anything that is a direct replacement outside of plain steel.
 
I put a piece of 1/2" osb board under one of my trucks batteries and that seemed to absorb most of the acid ,and limited the damage done to the tray..
I have noticed this on other vehicles when I used plywood or wood blocks to make the "wrong size" battery fit in the tray better..

In my '81 van,the battery tray litteraly crumbled away,and I laid a sheet of 1/16" thick steel over the remains of the sides and tack welded it in,and I only used the van maybe a year after that,then took the battery out when I took it off the road...yesterday I was able to pull that sheet metal off by hand,after noticing it was loose and no longer welded..so I guess it doesn't take long for battery acid to chew thru metal,even after the battery isn't even there..:doah:
 
You are not going to like my answer. I have resolved this problem two different ways.
On my old Jeep, many years ago, I found the top caps off a Chevy Van battery in a battery recycling yard.
They had seals and hoses attached to them. I put them on in place of the regular caps, and ran the hoses down away from any metal.

Nowadays, the top caps are more or less sealed, and do not use the two banks of caps.
A friend of mine found some individual caps with carbon filters in them for use in some marine stuff, and they seemed to work.
But, as with my idea, batteries these days do not have a place to put them.

Today, my truck, and tractor are both corrosion free despite lots of hard use. I got tired of replacing battery boxes in my truck, and did not want to start in my new tractor.

So both of them got these put in.

http://www.odysseybattery.com/

Expensive, but well worth it. Not just for corrosion, they are just superior batteries.

I also used to use a messy mat that went under the battery and was soaked with some red stuff.
That helped a whole lot, but the new batteries are fantastic.
 
Battery corrosion -Usually caused by a leaking battery. This can be from a cracked case. Overcharging a battery can cause excessive pressure to build up and cause a leak too.

Testing -To see if your battery leaks you can check it with a multimeter. Just put it on volts and place the negative probe on the negative terminal and place the positive terminal on the plastic of the battery top or sides. If voltage is present there is a leak and the battery needs to be replaced.

Clean up -Battery acid can be neutralized with baking soda. Mix baking soda and water 50/50 and wash the contaminated area. Let it sit for a little while and then rinse it off with water.

I suggest a small rubber mat under the battery in the battery tray as a shock absorber.
 
Thanks for all the great info, guys! Fordum, that's a very expensive battery! I want two. :D
 
I went with an AGM battery as well after my old one leaking. It's been great ever since. I also got a stainless battery tray which probably helps.
 
Hey, I bought two! One for my truck and the other for my tractor. I'm seriously looking at two more for my genset if I put it back online.
I have a local dealer that I do some consulting work for from time to time, and they give me a good price break off list.
But they are still darned expensive.

However, unless you buy super cheap wally world or something like that batteries, they might actually be cost effective.
I had one in my father's truck for about 5 years. The road collapsed under the truck one time, and the battery ripped out of the stupid Ford clamp and lay over sideways in the battery box.
I didn't even know it for about a week until I went to check the oil.

After 5 years, when I took the truck offline, I gave the battery to a friend for a trolling motor battery.
I think he ran it almost flat several times over the next few years and it did fine. Last time I saw it, it was about 9 or 10 years old, and going strong.

They claim an estimated life span of about 10 I think. I know I expect that much from mine.
I also know that the darn things have a lower self discharge rate than any battery I have worked with.
 
Oddeysey batteries are truly awesome. I will eventually get some. I know a guy with a couple that are 10 years old. He has accidentally discharged them completely dead a dozen times. They crank over his power stroke noticeably faster than his brothers identical truck with conventional lead acid batteries
 
Ever decide on anything?

Started my header swap, put my hand on the battery, and found it moved easily. Took it off, bottom leg at the bolt broken through, and one of the two fender bolt mounts was ripped through as well.

Looked closely, the bottom leg is rusty right around the bolt area and a bit up the side, but paint is still intact maybe an inch or two up. I think the top ripped due mainly to the bottom mount coming loose.
Trying to figure out if the bottom rusted/broke simply because it gets wet and water sits there, or some weird reaction I can't think of happening.

Have one spare battery tray, thinking to clean it up good, paint then plasti-dip (spray) the lower leg before and after it's all bolted together to try and keep that spot from corroding. Maybe some minor reinforcement there and at the fender mounting points in case the sheet metal does start to get a bit weak/thin over time. A thick flexible plastic (Visqueen type) barrier to go under the battery to try and contain any acid "sweat" as described above to try and keep the paint intact longer?
 
I was big on optima (15 years ago) - but it seems the later batteries don't get the same life out of them. Last few I've gotten were sears platinum, sealed agm and have tons of power. They're expensive but very good, and have a decent replacement warranty. 3 years free then prorate after that.
 
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