to the point of inadequate conductivity to start the car. The latest one, photo attached, did it in 4 months and only about 300 miles of use. Measuring voltage at top of battery post reads 12.66V, while on cable I only got 11.62V.
Putting my C-TEK battery charger/conditioner on the cable ends results in a process fail, and it happened again on the bare battery posts. After using wire brush post cleaning tool, repeat of process was successful, so apparently it left a residue on the posts.
Oxidation on cable end rivals AMS 2485 black oxide coating. Have now ordered brass plated ones, but has anyone else seen this?
Moral to this story: Don’t put cheap parts from AutoZone on one’s Jaguar.
And to cure the current problem, mix some baking soda with some water to make a liquidy paste, then pour or brush on (depending on how liquidy the paste is) the mix on the corrosion. The baking soda neutralizes the acidic corrosion and washes it away.
Don’t get the baking soda on the battery. Mechanically clean the post.
Dielectric grease is Non-conductive. Good for exterior of clamp but not on post or interior of clamp.
If needed, use a conductive paste like Conductive Cu paste on the post. Apply sparingly and don’t allow it to be exposed, it’s conductive.
Assemble and spray the clamp with a battery clamp Anti-corrosive spray.
Sounds like you have an electrical issue in the system.
Any evidence of electrolysis?
Inaqequate grounding?
That’s what I use my electrical engineering friends travelling the world as consultants tell me it’s the best and is what they use in big generation plants . I keep a small container in the shop you don’t need much and the price is right too
I suggest you check to see if you have a voltage drain with everything off. You might have to pull some fuses for a radio, clock, bluetooth device, etc. Disconnect the Battery ground terminal and measure between that and the ground cable with your multimeter set to Amperes (A). You can also make this test by connecting a small light bulb between the terminal and the ground cable. Typical shorts are more or less 50 milliamps. If you have a 1 amp discharge, you’ve a serious problem. To find the source of the current draw, pull one fuse at a time and check the multimeter (or the light bulb). When the draw goes to zero or the light goes out, you’ve found the circuit that has the problem.
I used to get oxidation, the fluffy, yellow-greenish-white kind, on the positive battery terminal and clamp of our Mazda 6 when the battery got old and near needing replacement. It never happened for years after a new battery was installed.
The battery is two years old, and is a Duralast Gold.
Will check for any current flow, but battery held charge for as long as a month and engine cranked well.
Negative cable ground attachment on firewall was made shiny before this last positive cable was installed.
New brass plated cables arrive tomorrow and will be installed with some Vaseline, aka petrolatum.
Vaseline or any dielectric grease will not insulate the post from the clamp. If the two of them were perfectly machined to match each other any Vaseline would be squeezed out and the metals would be in contact. If they are not perfect and there was no Vaseline in between them there would be air in the gaps, which is also an insulator. The Vaseline fills the gaps that would normally be filled with air, which keeps out moisture and anything else that might find its way in there. All modern cars use grease in their connectors, and it is not conductive. Any conductive fluid would need to be used Very carefully, since if it were to flow it would certainly cause problems.
Will have to disagree on this one! I ran a couple of tests on the very far-from-perfect shaped posts and cables and got voltage drops across them with Vaseline in there.
You do you, and I’ll do me!
Another thing we will disagree on: I’ve removed the battery cables on the last three new cars that I’ve been involved with, and not a one of them had any grease between the cable and the post.
Doesn’t matter. What’s probably causing that is gas venting from somewhere. A lead acid battery produces hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. Wherever that stuff is being vented, it’s too close to your cable.
It’s also possible that the battery is being overcharged. What sort of voltages are you seeing when the engine is running?
I’ve been using the felt anti-corrosion rings for like 20 years on both cars and haven’t seen a speck of oxidation. They’re impregnated with something. Helps me not mix up the terminals when charging too.
