Battery Terminals

[bateau beau]

Just finished cleaning my battery terminals and replacing all the bolts. I used some spray-on battery terminal cleaner from NAPA. I would rather have used old fashioned baking soda and washed it off with a hose, but I don't know if there are drain holes in the bottom of the battery boxes, and I wasn't about to lift out an 8D to find out!

Now I have 3 choices:

1. Leave the terminals the way they are, nice and clean.

2. Spray them with NAPA battery terminal coating.

3. Grease 'em up the old fashioned way.

Anybody got any suggestions? I want to get this right so I don't need to crawl around behind those 671's again anytime soon......

 

[Maynard Rupp]

I clean them with a wire brush or battery terminal cleaner brush.Also make sure you clean the inside of the cable end. Now I install and tighten the cable and cover the area with grease. I don't like using baking soda and water and never let those terminals get so bad that you think bking soda is needed.

 

[luckydave215]

I use the abrasive method (wire brush, scotchbrite pad, whatever) to clean them to bright metal, and then coat every surface liberally with vaseline before reassembly, to make sure the mating surfaces are protected. The mating surfaces are the ones that count after all.
You want to grease 'em, but you don't want any metals in the grease like wheel bearing greases usually have, the only way to be sure is use vaseline.
And guess what? Vaseline is what battery manufacturers recommend.

 

[bateau beau]

Maybe I should use Vicks Vapo Rub and clear out my cold at the same time......

 

[Nonchalant1]

I used the Permatex SA-9 battery protectant spray (the purple stuff) and the terminals still look like new, 2 1/2 years later. All the cables, connectors, everything still looks sjiny like new. Of course, every time you grab one to make sure it's still tight, you get purple on your hands, but it washes off.

On my dinghy, I used Permatex SA-8 cleaner first, then SA-9 prtectant. Same results.

Doug Shuman

 

[Capt K]

Years and years of using Vaseline on my HATTERAS' battery terminals has worked great. The great part is that Vaseline is like duct tape. It can be used on the batteries, snaps, zippers, wind burn, sun burn, etc, etc.

The Vicks sounds like a good idea about this time of year!

K

 

[Trojan]

I use a commercial product to clean the terminal ends. I then clean the terminals and tops of the batteries with a baking soda wash. I rinse lightly and let the soda water run into the battery box. Where I let stand and evaporate. Any acid that is boiled off of the batteries or spills when I over fill is neutralized. Leaving no hot acid in the box. I once was removing a battery and was leaning over the battery trying to lift it. I just started to lift when I slipped and dropped the battery just an inch or so back down into the box. Unknown to me there was a small amount of water and acid from charging lying in the bottom. It shot up and out between the battery case side and into my face and eyes. Instantly I could not see anything and I was in pain. I started groping around trying to get out of there. I was by myself so there was no one to help. I managed to get to the sink and started washing out my eyes with water. The pain continued for a couple hours. I was Lucky there was no damage to my eyes. The mixture must have been diluted just enough. That's why I leave the soda mix in the box. It doesnt hurt anything and eliminates the acid build up in and around the battery box and on top of the batteries.


BILL

 

[spartonboat1]

Ouch...adds a whole new meaning to dropping acid...with a 150# battery that is...

 

[bateau beau]

This isn't over yet. I lied when I said I had just finished cleaning the battery terminals. Actually, I had just finished the port (house ) bank and was heading for the starboard (starting) bank. I put about a quart of distiled water in each of the port bank. They needed water, but they were no where near exposing the plates. By the way, the 8D's are about 2 years old. After I put the water in, the 12v stereo died, and I watched the 12v engine room lights gradually get dim and die. I assumed that that much water would drain them to the point that they would need a hot charge.

I then cleaned and buttoned up the starboard (starting) bank. To my amazement, the Hatteras battery monitor showed the port house bank to be as dead as the proverbial Pee pot. I noted that the "DC Output" switch on my old Sentry charger was "off" (or tripped), so I turned it "On". The meter went to 50 amps, which is not a good thing for a 40 amp charger..... It stayed there for a few minutes, then tripped again. I then disconnected the port batteries from the boat and hooked up a Sears automotive type charger to each of the port batteries. In both cases, the Sears charger also tripped after a few minutes. Is it possible that both two year old batteries have an internal short? Sounds like a weird coincidence. Could one battery have had a dead cell or short and that battery drew down the other one when I added water?

Unless somebody has a better idea, I'll put in two new batteries on the port side, and probably retire the old Sentry charger.

 

[MikeP]

"Sounds like a weird coincidence"

Yep it sure sounds like too much of a coincidence to be one.

If the batteries were nearly discharged, adding water at that point may have caused the problem. Batteries should be charged first, THEN water added. If you do it the other way round, and the batteries are in a very poor state of charge, the electrolite could be so depleted that it will no longer function. The amount of water in the water/acid mix increases as the charge state of the battery decreases. So, if you add water to a discharged battery you are further reducing the battery's ability to produce power (and reducing it's state of charge).

Check the voltage of the batts - keeping in mind that if these are 12V batteries and the voltage shows less than around 12.7V, they are not fully charged; if they show 12.2, they are 50% discharged; at 12.0 they have only 25% of their charge. Some electrical stuff won't work once the batts drop to around 12V (despite what the label on the electrical product says).

If one battery's charge state dropped, the other would drop as well when reconnected as they try to equalize. I suppose there could be some mechanical-related thing involved as well. Maybe there were particles of antomony (lead/antomony is what the plates are made of in a conventional battery) ) adhering to the plates that were disturbed as water was poured in and they came loose and bridged the plates causing an internal short.

Try charging and see what happens but watch for possible boiling over. If the batts were discharged and water added, they will be overfull when charged.

 

[bateau beau]

But how do I re-charge them if the charger keeps tripping?

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Let them equalize on their own for a bit, if they were that low. Let the electrolyte fishies swim upstream into the fresh water and find a place to drop their eggs. You can fill a new dry battery with acid and it will show 12+ volts but have no ampacity. After adding water to our 125VDC banks it is neccesary to eqaulize then float charge the bank.
If you try to charge a dry (low) battery, the plates can also warp and cause a short. Invest in a battery load tester. ws

 

[bateau beau]

Thanks for the input. That's just what I was thinking of doing- bringing my glass of Jack Daniels down there, and just watching them and maybe even talking to them for a while. Might also be able to "trick" the external charger by trying the "deep cycle" setting.......

What would happen if I set the charger on the 100 amp setting for a brief period?

 

[yachtsmanbill]

I would try "bumping" the charger on and off a few times. Not to the trip point, but enough to put a little back in before you go to full charge. do you have a trickle charger? ws

 

[bateau beau]

Yes, I can try a trickle charger. I'll also try the bumping method. Thanks to all for the help.

 

[Trojan]

Try letting them set for a while with no draw on them. Use a trickle charger as low as it goes. Adding that much water the electrolyte needs to equalize and charge. Providing you didn't short out a plate with the big charge first. Under those conditions of high charge you cause particles to drop of the plates and lay on the bottom of the chamber shorting it out. I sometimes turn smaller wet batteries upside down and pound on there bottom with a nylon mallet. Then drain the battery into a plastic pan. When I feel I have shaken all the particles out. I invert the battery and refill the battery with the same acid mix less the particles. Topping off with water. Sometimes this works sometimes not. I do not suggest you do it with the 8Ds.



BILL

 

[Banshee36]

I keep waiting for the KY jelly to appear again, 1001 uses or 1002.
JW

 

[yachtsmanbill]

The KY is great for sliding an 8D into the box outboard of the engines! AND its water soluble. FWIW-- try the new mint flavor!! ws