Battery terminal

[Erik the Awful]

Whitworth.

 

[454C2500Longbed]

I’ll never understand the “side posts are an issue”. Old worn parts are an issue anywhere. As if this doesn’t happen:

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That does happen quite a lot, but it's always people who have never opened their hood. (In my experience.) And for whatever reason, it seems once they get that bad, you clean em off and spray protectant on em and they corrode again anyway.

I've voiced my opinion on side posts before due to all the problems I've had with them. About a month or so ago I drove my truck to work. Started right up, not an issue. I go to leave for lunch, and click-click-click-click. Figured ok, my battery is being retarded, let's throw the jump pack on. Same thing. Ok, lets jump it using the wrecker. Nope. Well, let's check the starter connections, I had it off, maybe something got loose. No, nothing. Then my boss suggests I check the battery cables, and well, hadn't thought about it. I never had the negative cable off because I couldn't get it off. If it's not broke, leave it alone, right? Well I got the vice grips out and man was that post stuck. It came free and tons of corrosion tumbled out. Cleaned up fine and went back on, it started even quicker than before.

The battery is only 2 years old, not sure what it's doing getting the post stuck solid within a year (it was stuck when I got it in 2023). After then fixing the positive terminal my battery has been just fine. Side posts are definitely not the greatest thing ever invented, but they're also not the worst. I'll leave it till it dies, then put in a top post.

 

[Caman96]

That does happen quite a lot, but it's always people who have never opened their hood. (In my experience.) And for whatever reason, it seems once they get that bad, you clean em off and spray protectant on em and they corrode again anyway.

I've voiced my opinion on side posts before due to all the problems I've had with them. About a month or so ago I drove my truck to work. Started right up, not an issue. I go to leave for lunch, and click-click-click-click. Figured ok, my battery is being retarded, let's throw the jump pack on. Same thing. Ok, lets jump it using the wrecker. Nope. Well, let's check the starter connections, I had it off, maybe something got loose. No, nothing. Then my boss suggests I check the battery cables, and well, hadn't thought about it. I never had the negative cable off because I couldn't get it off. If it's not broke, leave it alone, right? Well I got the vice grips out and man was that post stuck. It came free and tons of corrosion tumbled out. Cleaned up fine and went back on, it started even quicker than before.

The battery is only 2 years old, not sure what it's doing getting the post stuck solid within a year (it was stuck when I got it in 2023). After then fixing the positive terminal my battery has been just fine. Side posts are definitely not the greatest thing ever invented, but they're also not the worst. I'll leave it till it dies, then put in a top post.

So battery and cables were only 2 years old or just battery? Are your side post cables the originals? I have nothing against top post, my other truck has them. But neither is once and done. If your positive cable is corroding persistently, the system is over charging. If the negative is, then it’s undercharging. If the system is operating correctly, both designs work perfectly fine.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Do you use metric or SAE rocks?

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[454C2500Longbed]

So battery and cables were only 2 years old or just battery? Are your side post cables the originals? I have nothing against top post, my other truck has them. But neither is once and done. If your positive cable is corroding persistently, the system is over charging. If the negative is, then it’s undercharging. If the system is operating correctly, both designs work perfectly fine.

Just the battery, the cables are original. The negative cable has the rubber boot over the terminal still, positive doesn't. Don't know if they didn't clean the one when they did the battery or what. I was not aware of that, what is it about over/undercharging that causes corrosion?

 

[Caman96]

A bad alternator could make it over charge or taking lots of short trips could cause undercharging. Your cables are 25-30 years old. That’s actually pretty good they did last that long! More likely top post wouldn’t have lasted that long. New cables…work, old worn out cables don’t.

 

[454C2500Longbed]

A bad alternator could make it over charge or taking lots of short trips could cause undercharging. Your cables are 25-30 years old. That’s actually pretty good they did last that long! More likely top post wouldn’t have lasted that long. New cables…work, old worn out cables don’t.

I am guilty of lots of short trips, but I believe the problem began before me. No matter, I'll just keep checking now and then. I'd like to do my own Big 3/5 cables at some point but I have many other things to do. It depends on the style of the top post terminal, some of the foreign ones are really ****** and should probably be replaced after only 10 years. Most top posts I run into are pretty stout though.