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Hello,
I bought a 2003 Lexus LS430 late last year and have been loving the car. Last winter shortly after I bought it I started getting a lot of weird behavior – sunroof opening intermittently, wheel speed sensor warning, headlight leveling alarm, etc.
I found that the positive terminal on the battery had a lot of corrosion so I cleaned it up. Not sure if it’s just coincidental with the changes in seasons, but suddenly all of the error messages went away.
Recently I’m starting to get intermittent “Check VSC” messages with the ABS light and when I pull the codes for it with the paperclip trick, the codes are for the left and right front wheel hub sensors (31, 32 and 36).
I just got back from a holiday today and had a look at the positive battery terminal again and it’s full of blue corrosion again. Attached is a picture. Why is it doing this? Defective battery? Parasitic drain?
I noticed that the positive terminal is copper and the other one seems like grey metal (steel / aluminum)? There is never any corrosion on the negative terminal.
Any advice you can give to prevent this reoccurring would be appreciated. It is very annoying.
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This should be cleaned with terminal cleaner or baking soda solution.. probably should replace the terminal connector… coat with petroleum jelly to protect it…
Just out of curiosity do you live near an ocean?
Karl
I poured baking soda over the corrosion last time and also soaked the terminal. Think I’ll replace the terminal as you suggest and try coating it with petroleum jelly. Which is better dielectric grease or vaseline?
Do you think the battery is leaking acid?
I live in a suburb of Montreal, so the biggest body of water would be the Saint Lawrence River. However the section near where I live is fresh water. The nearest ocean is the Atlantic, which is quite far away.
The corrosion is a chemical reaction… It can be speeded by other factors.
Since I am a bit old school I suggested petroleum jelly, but dielectric is totally fine.
Replace the terminal connecot and clean everything spotless, coat with preferred coating. Tighten and watch for codes…
All the best..
Karl
Alright I’ll give that a try. I noticed that this car battery goes flat if I leave it for a week.
Do parasitic drains cause this? Maybe I’ll check that out as well.Usually, if it is as severe as you say I would say that the battery terminal post is not sealed to the top of the battery anymore. When the battery is being charged is gives off hydrogen gas and if it’s escaping around the post, corrosion will quickly build up there.
Is there anyway to confirm if this is the case?
That’s what I’m thinking – that there may be a leak
from the battery and the gases from the battery are causing
the corrosion.[quote=”Arcturus” post=108975]Is there anyway to confirm if this is the case?
That’s what I’m thinking – that there may be a leak
from the battery and the gases from the battery are causing
the corrosion.[/quote]You already know one way to confirm it… your positive battery terminal is wearing blue-green fur coat. Left to it’s own devices the copper in your battery terminal will typically form a hard black oxidation (cupric oxide II). But in the presence of sulfur and hydrogen you end up with copper hydroxide instead. So you end up something more the shade of the Statue of Liberty.
If you need a more definitive test, you can find terminal cleaners at your local auto parts store that contains a dye pack that will change color in the presence of battery acid.
I use plain bearing grease I buy in a tub. It will say around longer than vaseline. Cosmoline spray works good too.
All non sealed batteries leak acid to some extent.
The fact the battery is going flat in a week could mean it is on its last legs. Maybe have it tested.
Is this leakage considered normal or abnormal?
Is my battery toast? The reason I am asking is that this
battery is relatively new – it’s a Lexus battery from 2011.
I have never seen corrosion like this before on any of
my other cars.When I have seen the type of corrosion you describe it has been from failure of the seal between the battery post and the battery case. I have never found an effective way to fix this other than to replace the battery. In one case I know it was from me being brutal installing the cable.
There are several ways to determine if the battery going dead is due to parasitic draw or a battery fault. I would disconnect the battery, make sure it is fully charged with a battery charger, and let it set disconnected. If it is a serviceable battery you can check the individual cells with a hyrometer. After it sits overnight, use a voltmeter to see if it is still charged. If not, it’s the battery.
As for normal or abnormal leakage, it is whatever you are willing to put up with.
How long batteries last is mostly determined by how hot they get. I once owned a car that would eat a battery every year. The battery was located back by the firewall and that apparently was a hot spot under the hood of that car. Anyway, shops that sell batteries have battery testers for warranty issues. So, take your battery there and have it tested.
Since batteries and battery acid are messy and dangerous to “dick” around with all we can do is speculate on the reason for the corrosion. After 45 years of working with and around batteries tells me the battery has lost it’s seal around the post.
Yeah that’s what I’m thinking. The battery is leaking somehow and will need to be replaced.
I actually took the battery out to clean it up. There was greenish and white spots all over it and surrounding areas.
I cleaned up the battery and terminals and then put some grease on them. Have a new positive terminal on order. For a hoot I went to the Lexus dealership and asked them how much a new battery costs (it says 84 month warranty) and they told me normally around $500 dollars. Hahaha funny. Does anyone actually pay that? Dollars to doughnuts its an Exide or Interstate battery with a lexus stamp on it.
Could there be the odd chance that the alternator is overcharging it? I guess I can test the voltage at idle and then when revved up. Will do this tomorrow.
You can test for an overcharge… Here is a website with a Powerpoint presenation… It is not for Toyotas, but the voltage numbers and the techniques are very similar.. follow this…
That being said, I think you should just replace the battery…. Not worth screwing with…
JMHO
-Karl
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