battery change question

[Thump553]

I replaced my battery (manufactured in 2004) this week. There was not the slightest trace of corrosion anywhere-not on the terminals, the tiedown or the box the battery is in. Everything looked brand new.

I've done a few battery changes in the past and they always had corrosion, sometimes severe.

This battery had a drain tube attached to it, something I've not encountered before. Was this drain tube the reason? If so, it's a great development.

BTW are you now supposed to check or otherwise maintain a battery with a drain tube, as the battery isn't sealed?

 

[LTC8K6]

My 2008 Grand Cherokee's battery terminals still look brand new as well. It does seem odd to me. There ought to be a sign that they have been in service for a while, but there isn't. They look perfect.

 

[SSSnail]

That drain tube is for the excess gas to escape and should be vented outside, and I don't think it has anything to do with the corrosion, or lack thereof.

My battery is in the trunk, and of course there is no corrosion there either.

 

[Ferzerp]

My battery is in the trunk, and of course there is no corrosion there either.

Hello fellow trunk battery buddy!

 

[hanoverphist]

That drain tube is for the excess gas to escape and should be vented outside, and I don't think it has anything to do with the corrosion, or lack thereof.

My battery is in the trunk, and of course there is no corrosion there either.

that is the key. no exposure to the elements, and drainage for the excess gases that cause that corrosion. i just had this discussion with a girl that is worried about her battery since it is 6 years old. the thing still works like a champ tho.my truck, on the other hand, the battery looks like it has sat out in the sun for 20 years.

 

[exdeath]

Corrosion by definition requires physical contamination with the battery contents. Metals don't just spontaneously corrode other than light oxidation from normal air (or that aged pitted look you get in salt climates).

If you have corroded terminals, as in can scrape solid pasty white and green gunk out of them, then at some point liquid or gaseous acids from the battery have seeped out an infected your terminals.

The last time I dealt with corroded terminals, the battery case had a tiny crack at the base of one of the posts due to excessive tightening force and had to be replaced.