How to Clean Battery Terminals

Most of us love keeping our cars clean from the outside, and therefore regularly wash or wax our cars. However, that is not sufficient to prevent car problems. It is much more essential to regularly clean and maintain internal parts, to ensure your car keeps performing at its optimum. Car battery is one of the most important internal car parts. In spite of this, it is only when the car does not start, or starts after a lot of difficulty that you pay attention to your car battery. Solution to this problem does not involve replacing the battery always. Sometimes corrosion or loose connections of the battery terminal can also be the reason.

Tools Required

Before understanding the process, you will need to arrange for the following materials:

• Wrench
• Locking Pliers
• Baking Soda
• Toothbrush
• Water
• A piece of dry cloth
• Petroleum jelly or grease
• A battery terminal brush
• Battery clamp brush

The last two items can be purchased from any auto parts store in your neighborhood.

Cleaning the Terminals to Your Car Battery

Step 1
Use your wrench to loosen the nut present on each of the cable clamps, to remove the battery cables from their terminals. Bear in mind, you need to take out the cable clamp from the negative terminal (-) before moving on to the positive terminal (+). If you are not able to remove the cables easily, try using locking pliers.

Step 2
If you notice excessive wear and tear or corrosion of cables and clamps, make sure you change them and get new ones to prevent future problems. Also look on the battery exterior for any signs of damage or cracks and replace if necessary.

Step 3
A very effective homemade battery terminal cleaning solution is baking soda. Apply some amount of baking soda on the posts. Now take a toothbrush, immerse it in water, and rub it hard onto the cable clamps and terminals. If you find a toothbrush inadequate or ineffective, you can always use a battery terminal cleaner brush. Also scrub internal parts of cable clamps, either using baking soda and water or a clamp cleaner.

Step 4
Take a piece of dry cloth and wipe everything off. To decelerate the speed of corrosion, apply petroleum jelly or grease on all metal surfaces which are exposed and open. Re-attach positive and negative clamps (in that order), and fix them tightly on their respective terminals. Lastly, you will have to change the rubber or plastic covering present on the positive terminal.

Tips and Warnings on Cleaning Battery Terminals

• It is advised not to remove the nuts on the battery terminals, entirely. The smart thing to do would be loosening them enough so that they slide down the cable and when you are reconnecting cables back to your battery, it becomes easier to just slide them back upwards and tighten them.
• Nuts can get tight at times due to corrosion. At such times, place your wrench under the terminals and apply force to loosen it.
• A crucial aspect to remember, while disconnecting battery terminals is to remove the negative terminal first and while replacing them attach the positive terminal first.
• While cleaning battery terminals, do not, at any point in time touch either of the negative or positive wires. Chances of you getting an electric shock are high.

Cleaning battery terminals is one of the easier car repair jobs and does help you to save money, which would have otherwise gone to a mechanic. Though modern car batteries use anti-oxidation compounds and threaded posts to reduce occurrence of any problems, it is better to clean your car battery terminals periodically.