Car Maintenance : How to Clean a Car Battery

[aznlilhero]

Thank you, sir!

[ckwan28]

I think you need to make a video on how to clean the rest of your engine bay.

[hemi446]

coca cola works better and keeps it clean

[pearum1984]

other quick and easy way (Hot Water and Silicone Lubricants CRC) done.

[unique32journalist]

Is it safe to rinse the car battery with the hose while it's under the hood like that? : /

[konajap]

Thank you, Sir! I learned something I've always wondered how to do.

[casper123]

Good tip.

[AdamLPhotography]

Just an FYI, baking soda is all well and good, but you can also just take a cup of boiling water and pour it on the terminals. Most of the corrosive gunk will melt away with just the water. This way you avoid spattering battery acid all over the place with the toothbrush. I suppose you could do the baking soda and water tip, then follow up with boiling water to flush it, which would be the best of both worlds and avoid acid flying everywhere.

[ybl12]

Remember using a safty glasses b-cuz the acid on the battery while using the tootbrush

[guitarplayer3602]

all this did was clean the outside...what about the contact points actually involved in using the battery?

people: remove your terminals then do this. It actually does something

[hypnos315]

I have corrosion on the clamping mechanism holding my battery in my car but not on the terminals, should I clean it off?

[FateEternal]

Is it safe to do this without gloves? I once saw a tow truck guy help someone with a battery and I think he tightened it (using his bare hands) and there was powdery stuff around it. He didn't seem concerned about it, but wouldnt getting it on the person's keys from his hands to start up after messing with that be a problem later on for the owner of the vehicle? Just wondering.

[mss829]

what is with the old toothbrush in these videos, what about a battery terminal brush!

REALLY

[Jak3Mac]

whats the difference

[mss829]

@Jak3Mac a battery terminal brush is steel, and it is designed for cleaning both cable terminal and battery post. It help gives that shiny metal surface that allows for a better connection and they are under $5.

[Jak3Mac]

Its a fancy brush is what your saying. I work in this industry, i know what it is.

[ShaneRaweewon]

@spirit774 I guess if you really want to do a thorough clean of the terminals you could take off the wires and clean all the contact points then reattach.

[edgaremac4]

Great vid

[z3r0zx1]

This is right, but you should apply the baking soda with a damp cloth, and when rinsing it off, only use a tiny bit of water, not just throw some on like what this guy did, and rub the battery with a dry cloth to remove water. I know water doesn't affect the battery largely, but I dont like the fact that water is entering the engine bay, all you got it paint protecting it, and sometimes you scratch the bay paint with a tool or something.

[spirit774]

@z3r0zx1 you do know what enters the engine bay anyways right? what do you think happens when you drive through a puddle or in rain.

[z3r0zx1]

@spirit774 What happens when you scratch the bay paint, water enters? If you dont notice for a few months, it could become structural.

[grangermotors]

Thanks for sharing this detailed video.

[unaffiliatedperson]

thanks for posting. i also heard about using coca cola i tried it once didnt work for me. i just use a terminal brush and put the terminal grease they sell at autozne

[z3r0zx1]

@unaffiliatedperson Battery residue is an acid. Coca Cola is an acid. No reaction, you need a base like baking soda to neutralize the acid.

[shuab]

he didnt remove the terminals

is that safe?

[RommelMcD]

Jeep Cherokee, very classy

[sargentlokar]

wow it is gooooooood and pasty ay 0:30 man. that is like paste.

[z06vette2009]

@sargentlokar I thought the same thing. It wasn't pasty at all

[Hitez04]

Remove neg (-) terminal first. Then Pos (+) follow these same steps to clean, and you can clean the connecting terminals easier with them disconnected. ALWAYS USE PROTECTIVE EYE WEAR, the scrubbing can splash acid to any part of your clothes and skin/body, so be careful!! cover terminals with petroleum jelly, reconnect pos(+) first then neg(-)

[puphop]

Pfft.. your on you-tube remember?

[OSCAR56684]

USE A PENNY AND WATER..

[dzuze94]

dish soap works, water works, anything if you have a brush!

[dzuze94]

dish soap works, water works, anything if you have a brush!

[BigJohnIsOn]

OldHowlingHound below notes the most important safety item of eye protection, which should be mentioned explicitly, but the glasses the man is wearing work okay. Another good note would be to wear old clothes and especially gloves since bits of the solution can still be acidic. Really good video though. Thank you.

[oddsource]

@BigJohnIsOn he should also have said to cover up the distributor lol.

[FateEternal]

@BigJohnIsOn how dangerous is it without using gloves? does it matter what type of material the gloves are made from? thanks.

[jimhack3]

After cleaning terminals, It's good to spray a treminal protectant on them to minimize future corrosion, or you can spread some petroleum jelly on them which will do the same thing.

[whitetailhunta]

and kind of soda will work like sprite,coke...

[mrmadmike427]

A LEMON WORK GOOD TOO !!!

[TraumaER]

Yeah your battery is clean but what is up with the rest of the engine bay? Looks like it has never been cleaned EVER lol.

[ika6667]

You should always remove the battery from the vehicle, it is much safer and you also get to clean the whole thing as well as the casing. Also, you should use a wire brush on the terminals and the poles as well. Dry with a clean rag before reinstalling and put a bit of Vaseline on the terminals to prevent corrosion.

[bot06]

CAUTION: You are using water which almost shorts the two terminals. I would say this is dangerous and can cause current to flow between the two terminals. What I would suggest is pour little water on one terminal at a time and then clean the other. Or even better remove the terminals and then clean one by one.

This could be dangerous. No warning is given in the video. It is suprising it is from eHow. or I could be wrong.

[strikeagle1]

this is 12v battery.. no harm can be done...

water resistance is high...current will flow, but very little...

BTW: when flowing current through water, one terminal will have Heliume and the other terminal will have Oxigen :) you will see bubbles....

[sprengel01]

@strikeagle1  electrolysis of water = H2O = Hydorgen-2 parts, Oxygen-1 part

[spirit774]

@strikeagle1 you mean hydrogen right? not helium. theres a reason you don't put fire near a battery, hydrogen is flammable.

[strikeagle1]

@spirit774 :) sorry, you are right... i got confused...

[swss12]

@strikeagle1 hydrogen and oxygen bud

[atourdeforce]

@strikeagle1 that is not how you spell helium but anyway's this is not a spelling class. you wont get helium from water sorry, as there isn't any in it. you will get loads of hydrogen though.

[strikeagle1]

@atourdeforce Yes, i know, i got confused, you can see one message above....

[robbiewangyang]

@strikeagle1 I suppose its hydrogen...

[shockflames]

@strikeagle1 , it's hydrogen :), not helium

[wordreet]

@bot06

Actually plain water is not a very good conductor of electricity. And the impurities in tap water increase it's resistance. So the baking powder will be fine. But I agree with disconnecting before cleaning anyway. ;-) Salt water, on the other hand, would definitely be dangerous! It conducts very nicely!

[bdk00]

to anyone who tries this: remove the positive terminal and clean it seperately

[fawad411]

hey man i got my first got i need your help you know when iam pureing the soda powder do i unplug anything on the battery  i kno that you got to take off positive and negative but do i unplug anything else? please reply Thanks

[leafedaduffa]

You always remove the negitive terminal never remove the positive unless you have already removed the negitive.

[kranthived]

THANKS A LOT ...

[Andhika1993]

why dont u just use washing machines..? this is a waste of time..

[OldHowlingHound]

Goggles please ... You do NOT want to splatter any of this into your eyes. Protect them

[xs1ner]

You know....It would be easier to use a Coke

[tgamirov]

You may also apply a thin coat of grease or engine oil on the terminals after the battery dries to prevent future corrosion.

[hockeyvideomaker]

I did it, but i know it sound verry weird, everyone say a have a bad breath

[mbcarif]

whatz the name of you clean the bettery?

[abdullahzs]

Thank you so much!

[bvilleD]

isnt there a chance of shorting the battery when you water it down?

but thanks for the tips! my car battery is a nasty build-up.

[305eddie1]

yeah i thought the same thing...i didnt like the way that looked.