I use the baking soda treatment on the battery tops, too. You will be surprised at the acid on there. Sometimes it’s enough to create a circuit between the posts.
I’ve been doing this for 45 years. - Mark Sent from my Fuel Cell powered iPhone > On Sep 1, 2019, at 2:48 PM, brucedp5 via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > > 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) > _______________________________________________ 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)
