How to Clean Car Battery Corrosion

Did you know car battery corrosion can lead to issues like a decreased battery life and a higher risk of inconvenient breakdowns? It’s an unfortunate fact of automotive life, but our Latham service team will always be happy to remove corrosion from car battery terminals on your behalf. With a little caution, you can even learn how to clean car battery corrosion yourself, so we’ve put together a quick guide covering everything you need to know.

Just read on for answers to the following questions:

• What Causes Car Battery Corrosion?
• How Should You Check for Car Battery Corrosion?
• How Do You Remove Corrosion from Car Battery Terminals?

What Causes Car Battery Corrosion?

It makes sense to find out why corrosion occurs as well as learning how to remove it, and this is easy enough to understand.

As you travel between Albany and Troy, your battery will continually heat up and cool down. Hydrogen gas is released during this process, and the electric charge on your battery’s terminals can cause a reaction when that gas comes into contact with the surrounding material. That reaction creates corrosion.

How Should You Check for Car Battery Corrosion?

Ready to check if there’s corrosion? Simply follow these steps:

1. Turn off the engine and wait at least 30 minutes to ensure it’s completely cold.
2. Open the hood and find the battery and terminals. You can always check your owner’s manual for help.
3. If any terminal is coated in a white, green, teal, or blue residue, that’s corrosion.

How Do You Remove Corrosion from Car Battery Terminals?

Some Schenectady drivers still believe using cola is the best way to clean car battery corrosion, but what you’ll actually need is:

• Protective Gloves
• Goggles
• A Respirator
• Wire Brush
• Scrub Sponge
• Paper Towels
• Professional Battery Cleaner
• Battery Protectant

You can use baking soda and water, but it’s best to pick up the proper cleaner and protectant from our parts department.

Now put on that protective gear and follow these steps:

1. Spray the terminals with battery cleaner, then tend to each affected area with the wire brush.
2. Use paper towels to dry the area, removing any residue with your scrub sponge.
3. Apply a battery protector to each affected terminal.

Get Servicing Tips & Tricks Ford of Latham

Whether you’re looking for a new vehicle or need help keeping your current model in prime condition, you should always make Ford of Latham your first port of call. For any further advice or assistance, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.