ckkl

I just realised there's white build-up on the red terminal of my battery. This is something I haven't seen before on my car.

What is it? And what could it mean...

t0p_sh0tta

corrosion, it happens. you can clean it off with pepsi or baking soda.

ckkl

So does it indicate something about the health of the battery, starter motor, alternator, etc.?

It's never appeared before...

squirrel

I think it's natural.
Just clean it off and lube it up with a bit of vaseline(inhibits it from happening again)

ckkl

OK thanks...
Some guy was telling me it happens when you jump start a car and cross the positive and negative cables.

Since I'd never noticed the corrosion there before, I couldn't really disprove what he was saying. :sigh: so much misinformation...

Mjfan12

yeah that's normal. Just brush it off with water and baking soda. and put some petroleum jelly(Vaseline) on it to prevent it in the future. Remember take off negative first, and put it back on last.

ckkl

Is the effect of battery terminal corrosion noticeable when driving?
I've been experiencing poor idling and poor low rpm torque (yes, bad even for a B16) of late... especially poor moving off from standstill

Visually, the corrosion isn't that bad (noticeable but not totally engulfing the terminal)

E-Rok

i had such bad corrosion, it corroded my entire battery ground wire....the car wouldnt start or anything.

ckkl

Just for some closure, I cleaned out the terminal; low-end response is much better. Used vaseline to cover up the terminals -- hopefully no more oxidation will occur. There wasn't much oxidation so it's amazing how much difference it made.

Also, does vaseline (petroleum jelly) make the contact conduct better?