Corroded Battery/Cable... any TSBs on this?
Corroded Battery/Cable... any TSBs on this? The battery/battery cable has developed a nasty problem of corroding like a **** on my 2002 SS.
First I noticed was about a month ago when it wouldn't start after I cleaned up the car on the driveway. Upon opening the hood I found a nice clump of crap all over the battery cable and on the frame under the battery. I took it in stride, cleaned all of the crap up myself and figured all was well (although I was rather pissed because the corrosion ate the paint off the frame rail). Problem has resurfaced for the 3rd time in less than a month, so I'm going to take the dreaded trip to the dealership.
My car is still under warranty (2002 SS, 19k miles) - my question is if there are any TSBs or documentation on this problem I can note to the service tech? This is by no means normal, but my past experiences have told me that the dealership's service department is all for not doing a damned thing...
Thanks for the help.
First I noticed was about a month ago when it wouldn't start after I cleaned up the car on the driveway. Upon opening the hood I found a nice clump of crap all over the battery cable and on the frame under the battery. I took it in stride, cleaned all of the crap up myself and figured all was well (although I was rather pissed because the corrosion ate the paint off the frame rail). Problem has resurfaced for the 3rd time in less than a month, so I'm going to take the dreaded trip to the dealership.
My car is still under warranty (2002 SS, 19k miles) - my question is if there are any TSBs or documentation on this problem I can note to the service tech? This is by no means normal, but my past experiences have told me that the dealership's service department is all for not doing a damned thing...
Thanks for the help.
Yea, I put corrosion prevention spray on the bolt, cable, battery terminal, etc when I cleaned it up the first and second time... didn't do any good though 
...
Oh well - dropped it off at the dealer on the way home from work - we'll see what they come back with.
...Oh well - dropped it off at the dealer on the way home from work - we'll see what they come back with.
TECH Veteran
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,012
Likes: 1
From: Beaumont, TX
I doubt there are any TSBs about this, but if there are, they've come out after 2003 (I have TSBs up through then, and don't see any related to this).
http://www.ibsa.com/www_2001/content...rouble.htm#a-7
http://www.ibsa.com/www_2001/content...rouble.htm#a-7
My battery quickly gets corrosion build-up on the terminals. Although all batteries contain highly corrosive sulfuric acid, corrosion should not occur under normal conditions without spillage or one of the following:
Overfilling: Add distilled water to the electrolyte of a fully charged battery if it is lower than 1/8" to 1/4" below the vent well at a full charge. If the battery requires charging, only add water if the electrolyte is at or below the plates.
Overcharging/overheating: Overcharging by the alternator or normal charging at an extreme battery temperature can result in excessive gassing of the battery, which may produce increased corrosion.
Inadequate metal contact: When current passes through poor or loose electrical connections, a form of corrosion may form.
Metallic exposure: When an electrical wire is exposed to salt particles in the air, corrosion will eventually occur. Remember to keep connections clean, tight and sealed by protectorates. Do not overfill the battery or allow it to become overcharged or overheated. If battery corrosion persists, check with your local electrical professional.
Overfilling: Add distilled water to the electrolyte of a fully charged battery if it is lower than 1/8" to 1/4" below the vent well at a full charge. If the battery requires charging, only add water if the electrolyte is at or below the plates.
Overcharging/overheating: Overcharging by the alternator or normal charging at an extreme battery temperature can result in excessive gassing of the battery, which may produce increased corrosion.
Inadequate metal contact: When current passes through poor or loose electrical connections, a form of corrosion may form.
Metallic exposure: When an electrical wire is exposed to salt particles in the air, corrosion will eventually occur. Remember to keep connections clean, tight and sealed by protectorates. Do not overfill the battery or allow it to become overcharged or overheated. If battery corrosion persists, check with your local electrical professional.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 95
Likes: 1
From: Brighton, CO
Originally Posted by LankyLS-1
Yea, I put corrosion prevention spray on the bolt, cable, battery terminal, etc when I cleaned it up the first and second time... didn't do any good though ...
...
Originally Posted by mike3605
That just means you didn't fully eliminate the root source of corrosion. All you did was cover it up and it continued to corrode.
Dealer was good to me for once though - they replaced the battery, positive cable, battery tray, and re-painted the frame rail for me. Their explanation of the problem - that there have been issues with the length of the bolts and the depth of the terminal on the batteries that was causing the housing of the terminal to crack and leak acid...
Lovely!
At least it's fixed.
Thanks for the input guys.
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TECH Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 341
Likes: 0
From: oklahoma city
Welcome to the delco nightmare!I work for a national automotive shop and OE delcos seem to leak on the positive side all the time!Even if you replace the battery after the original goes bad, you had better clean the cable like theres no tomorrow or it will crap out on you.After replacing batterys in customers cars since 1989 I can tell you 100% that battery maintence should be done every six months or sooner if you like cheap batteries. That includes taking the battery out and cleaning it and washing off the cables and the tray.If you have an original delco take the negative and then the positive off the check them and DO NOT over tighten them!Keep it clean and your battery will last longer and you will have fewer electrical problems. 
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 95
Likes: 1
From: Brighton, CO
Originally Posted by LankyLS-1
Understand that
Dealer was good to me for once though - they replaced the battery, positive cable, battery tray, and re-painted the frame rail for me. Their explanation of the problem - that there have been issues with the length of the bolts and the depth of the terminal on the batteries that was causing the housing of the terminal to crack and leak acid...
Lovely!
At least it's fixed.
Thanks for the input guys.
Dealer was good to me for once though - they replaced the battery, positive cable, battery tray, and re-painted the frame rail for me. Their explanation of the problem - that there have been issues with the length of the bolts and the depth of the terminal on the batteries that was causing the housing of the terminal to crack and leak acid...
Lovely!
At least it's fixed.
Thanks for the input guys.
