Corrosion on battery/holder?

gooner99

Hi. Wondering what would have caused what you can see on the attached picture?

Pete67

It's caused by a leak of battery acid. Car batteries contain sulphuric acid which is highly corrosive. How old is the battery? As batteries age the internal resistance increases causing the battery to generate heat when charging or discharging. In extreme cases this can cause pressure to build up inside the battery casing, which can then vent releasing acid.

I'd say it's time for a new battery, the corroded bracket and any other corroded metal will need to be removed if possible and thoroughly cleaned in fresh water, followed by a rinse in a mild caustic solution such as baking soda to neutralise any remaining acid. Rinse again and apply a coat of paint if necessary to prevent any further corrosion. If the bracket is very badly corroded it may need to be replaced but that is unlikely.

gooner99

Thanks for that. Battery/Car will be 3 years old in the new year.

Hal1

That looks dangerous. A 3 year old battery shouldn't leak like that though, unless it was damaged over overloaded etc. Maybe there's a manufacture warranty? Either way it's time for a new one, as in today.

9935452

Hal1 wrote: »

That looks dangerous. A 3 year old battery shouldn't leak like that though, unless it was damaged over overloaded etc. Maybe there's a manufacture warranty? Either way it's time for a new one, as in today.

Overloaded - check the alternater is giving out 13.8-14.2 volts.
The regulator can fail in an alternater . A friends car was giving out 20v for this reason. Batterys have been known to boil if this happens

boardsuser1

My own car, a ford also was in last week for a service, the main dealer who serviced it wanted €180 for a new battery.

I eventually sourced one for €80.

Are ford own brand batteries rubbish or am I missing something? It also leaked like the OP's.

gooner99

This one has ford and varta branding on it. Did they say the cause of the battery problem?

boardsuser1

gooner99 wrote: »

This one has ford and varta branding on it. Did they say the cause of the battery problem?

Dodgy cells, the voltage was down also as a result,as to be expected.

The car was a bit reluctant to start and I thought it was due to being overdue a service,but no the battery was fcuked.

Hal1

I wonder if it was the correct rated battery for your car. Have you any ice setup that might be drawing more power than the battery can provide?

gooner99

I'd imagine it is the correct one, as it's the original.

What's the best way to check this?