Yes, Vaseline! Its an EV old timer method that works. The 'quick and pretty' spray on types just do not last, and should not be used for a long term prevention.
See 1min+18sec in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZB8oKNDajA Yes its an ice video, & I do not agree totally with their methods. Nor do I in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMzvqQGJGEc I do not spoil my tools with acid build up. I neutralize the acid first, then rinse & clean that up, before using my tools. This link yaks about acid build up https://no.co/blog/ultimate-guide-to-clean-and-remove-car-battery-corrosion ... https://www.google.com/search?q=lead+acid+gassing+acid+spray+corrosion I used the same type of anti-acid grease that jay posted, only I bought it in a tube size. Even on a 132VDC EV (22 6V wet-cell PbSO4) pack replacement, I never used much of the tube. I might be wiser to only buy what you need by going with Jay's approach of either several small packets for a pack change, or just 1 or 2 for only a few batteries. If you can't find these, here are some links: https://www.rvautoparts.com/09976-Permatex-Battery-Cleaner-For-Sealing-And-Coating-The-Terminals_p_374771.html Permatex Battery Cleaner For Sealing And Coating The Terminals Price: $1.04 (+shipping) https://www.walmart.com/ip/American-Grease-Stick-AGS-Battery-Terminal-Protector-Dielectric-Grease-Pouch-4-g/128539358 American Grease Stick (AGS) Battery Terminal Protector Dielectric Grease, Pouch, 4 g $1.19 Free delivery I would 1st be concerned as to why there is a build up. Is the pack old (on its last year of tired life) thus its voltages have changed, but the charger is still banging away like it is a new (higher voltage) pack? Could be the last equalizing charger-stage is on too long. Or was electrolyte spilled out of the cells because of over flow. Cells should never be 'topped off before charging. Each cell should only have enough 'distilled water' added to cover the plates before charging. Then once the battery is fully charged, distilled water is added to the ring at the hole for the cap. My approach to working the PbSO4 pack is to first put on old-clothes you don't mind allowing acid to eat holes into, wear rubber/kitchen gloves, and eye protection. Items you'll need are: baking soda, a cup to mix to with tap-water, paper-towels, a glass (windex) type glass cleaner, rubbing alcohol, and the tools to loosen & tighten the terminal clamps. With the ac cord unplugged from the EV, the pack power 'kill switch set to off, and all caps on their cells, I lightly hose down the tops of the batteries. Then make several cups of baking-soda solution (2tbs per cup of tap-water) to pour over the visible acid build up (to neutralize it). Let that bubble up, and set for a few minutes, until bubbling stops. then rinse off with tap-water. Repeat if acid-build up is very bad. Now that the acid level is much lower, use your tools to remove the terminal cables. Place each cable end with acid build up in a baking soda solution for several minutes (to neutralize the acid). Rinse & repeat if needed. I lightly spray the tops of the batteries with the glass cleaner (to remove road-grime contamination), and wipe down with a paper towel. With a new paper towel fold it in a pad, put alcohol on it, and use that to clean the cable ends and terminal sides that with make metal-to-metal contact with each other when joined back together (using your tools). An EV old timer said he put Vaseline on the terminals before you put the clams on (he was a EE). He said the tight frictional fit makes the cable end bite-into the terminal post (making metal-to-metal contact, despite the Vaseline) Im of a different mind-set that has worked well for over 15 years. I do not coat the cable end nor the terminal post, until after I have put the alcohol cleaned pieces together tightly. I then coat all surfaces of each post union (bottom and tops) with said anti-acid grease. With a clean paper towel folded as a 2 ply, I remove the caps and lay them out on the towel. With another clean paper towel, I gently wipe away any road grime still on the battery top that were held by the battery caps (being careful to wipe away from the holes in the battery). I then ensure each cell has enough 'distilled water' to cover the plates. Then check/clean the bottom of a cap with a clean paper towel before replacing the cap back onto the battery. Then I do a slow level-1 l1 charge overnight to fully charge the battery. Afterward, I again remove the caps in the same manner, and then fill with 'distilled-water' the now fully charged battery to its ring at the caps hole. Place the caps back on, check the cable tightness again, and again lightly glass cleaner spray the tops of the battery, wiping down with a paper towel. (btw, the glass cleaner is a mild alkaline solution, so it helps neutralize any residual acid, besides keeping the tops clean for when you show them to the public or keeping pack leakage currents to a minimum). Then, rinse off your tools, recycle the used paper towels, wash your gloves and hands with a mild soap, then change, and rinse your clothes. For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/archive/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
