How to Clean Car Battery Terminals

If you are having problem in starting or your electrical system is not working effectively, there are chances that your battery or battery terminals are not in well shape. Corrosion and debris takes hold of battery terminals gradually with time. Inspecting and cleaning them periodically is a part of routine maintenance of your vehicle.

Causes

There are so many reasons for dirty and corroded battery terminals. Some of them are:

• Sometimes excessive heat causes the carbon and corrosive particles to get hold of the battery terminals.

• Due the presence of the exhaust particles, soot and other substances gets to the terminals and causing dirt and debris to settle down inside rifts and cables.

• Another factor is the acid vapors. The acid vapors from battery also cause the corrosion on the battery terminals.

Corrosion process may take years or even months, depending upon the use of the vehicle. As much as you use the car greater will be the corrosion.

Items Required

Cleaning battery terminals is not a difficult job, it requires following items:

• Water
• Pliers (long-nosed)
• Electrical tape
• Goggles and gloves
• Sponge
• Steel brush
• Toothpaste (white tooth paste not a gel type)
• Steel wool

Instructions

It is strongly recommended to use safety goggles and gloves before you clean the battery terminals. However, this is not a tough task, but it requires your full focus and attention. Battery contains acid and the corrosive substance is also highly acidic and harmful for your skin and eyes.

• Switch off the engine and let the engine cool down.

• Using long nosed pliers, dismiss the battery cables from battery terminals. Do not remove cables with naked hands.

• Examine the cables carefully for any damage. If cables are damage, replace them. Use the electrical tape for covering the ripped insulation.

• Take a steel brush and clean the soft part of the corrosive material off from the battery terminals. Use toothpaste to dissolve the hard corrosive substance. Later clean it with the brush.

• Take the steel wool and wipe off the remaining debris and corrosion. You need to do it gently otherwise steel wool may damage the surface of the terminals.

• Use warm water and kitchen sponge to wash off the terminals. Once you are done with it, leave the terminals to air dry completely. In the end, reconnect the cables with battery terminals.

Reasons to Clean Dirty or Corroded Battery Terminals

Corrosion and dirt develop slowly with the passage of time. Most of the time battery terminals are neglected during routine maintenance. People do not take care of them until they have either the damage battery or damage cables and terminals or both simultaneously. Regular check of the battery and its terminals is much cheaper than to install new batteries and cables.

Some of the reasons that why you should keep your battery terminals clean are:

• For Safety: Clean and clear battery terminals are very important for you and for your passengers. Corroded or dirty terminals raise the chance of short circuit and this will cause fire through sparking inside the engine hood.

• For Maintenance: Battery is the only source for transmitting electric power to different components of the vehicle. If it does not transmit electric power to other parts properly, many parts will not perform effectively. So, to maintain the effectiveness of other parts clean battery terminals are important.

• For Performance: Corroded terminals reduce the conductivity of electric current. This reduces the performance of the battery. For better performance, it is required to clean the battery terminals after every 2 or 3 months.

Routine maintenance can keep you from paying big amounts for repairing battery or terminals. A little effort can allow you to replace to clean battery terminals yourself. Battery is the main part of which is necessary for so many tasks. With the help of this article you can clean your battery terminals very easily.