Corroding Battery Terminal

[wayne]

One of my RE5's has a lead-acid battery that persistently corrodes around the positive terminal.

Of the 5 batteries that I have on trickle charge in bikes, this is the only one that does it. The Trickle chargers get randomly swapped from time to time so no one charger seems to be involved.

I'm sure there is an electrical type out there who may be able to tell me that this is symptomatic of ??......what ?

I periodically clean it and cover it in vaseline but that just makes the next lot of corrosion a gooey gel mess.

Any ideas ?

Thanks,
Wayne

[FC Zach]

Defective battery in that particular bike? Try swapping battery between that one bike with another bike and see if problem follows.

[Al Corelli]

Maybe that positive terminal is not perfectly sealed, and electrolyte seeps out?

I could make some joke about you being below the equator, and saying that all we get up here (New York) is leaky negative terminals....

If you can get all the petroleum jelly off of the terminal, try to seal it with some liquid epoxy.

[wayne]

No it's just that battery. It does it in the GT, on the floor if I leave it there for a few weeks and recently has been doing it in my A model. I've removed it but it's still a "good" battery.

I'll investigate the leak idea Al.........but I could also mount it upside down and see if the negative corrodes !

Wayne

[FC Zach]

Jan 13, 2012 17:45:17 GMT -5 wayne said:

.........but I could also mount it upside down and see if the negative corrodes !

LOL

[wayne]

Just a follow up. I think that you're right Al. The seal around the terminal is faulty.

I topped the battery and left it and now notice that the cell directly under the positive terminal is significantly lower than the other 5.

I guess this otherwise good battery is toast.

Wayne