Battery seeps around the caps

I have a 2009 Tacoma. 4.0, 3” lift. The battery is a AAA that has a 6/19 sticker on it. I assume that was the year it was manufactured. My issue is seepage from the caps. I had the battery out over the summer, cleaned the entire area, painted the area and all was good. Now a few months later I get the white acid deposit again since there is a slight seepage. I removed the caps and the levels are not high, they appear to where they should.

Could a stiffer suspension cause fluid seepage. The truck starts good so I assume the battery is charging and working as it should.

I figure that the bouncing around is causing the fluid to seep. It is not a lot, just a pain to have to clean up.

Anyone else’s battery do this? Is there a battery that won’t seep due to a stiffer suspension? I figure after 5 years maybe just replace the battery?

 

Pretty much all lead acid battery will off gas like this and have some seepage. Also sometime the caps may not seal as well overtime and seep a little more.

 

This^
Most all flooded lead acid batteries are prone to leakage although some designs are worse than others, baking soda mixed with water does a good job at neutralizing any leaked acid then rinse with water.

If you want a battery that won't leak you would have to go with an AGM but they typically cost over 50% more than the equivalent flooded battery.

 

I thought the AGM batteries may not fully charge. I have a YotaWerx Tune on the truck. I read trucks with Tunes don’t fully charge? Not sure why. But I would consider an AGM.

 

Yep that leakage is common. Just check it every once in a while and clean it up.
Since your battery is 5 1/2 years you may just consider replacing it. I treat my batteries as a routine maintenance/replacement item. I replace mine every 5 years rather than waiting for it to crap out suddenly at a bad time or place. After 5 years you’ve gotten your moneys worth. I use Costco or Walmart batteries. Works out to be about $25 a year, or $2 a month.

 

The alternator is internally regulated on 09, you would have to "trick" it into charging at a higher voltage if your concerned about it. There's various therads about it on here.

5 years on a battery here is pushing it, most don't make it past 3 years in my area.

 

Thanks all. I will just get a standard battery and stay ahead of any issues.

 

AAA batteries notoriously suck. Go to Walmart and get a 24F Everstart Maxx for 139.00 dollars, it has a sealed top you won’t get much corrosion. I had no corrosion on my terminals with the OE Toyota battery.
Plus if you use NCP2 on the terminals they will not corrode…..it’s the best stuff I’ve ever used on terminals.

 

All my lead acid batteries seep a bit. I don’t worry about it.

 

Noco spray cleaner & protector both work excellent, it’s what I use at work.

Once you get it clean, use a battery brush on the terminals and posts. Ezred is a good one that lasts a long time.

Then stick some corrosion prevention felt pads under the terminals and under the hold down bracket. So you want 2 pairs, $0.97 x 2. Then if your battery seeps again, it won’t grow acid mushrooms.

I’m agreeing what everyone else is saying about the old battery. You might get years more life out if it. You might find yourself in a bad neighborhood with a dead battery.

$6 NOCO NCP2 MC303 Oil-Based Battery Terminal Protectors, Anti-Corrosion Washers, and Battery Corrosion Pads (Pack of 2)

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-MC303S-Corrosion-Terminal-Protectors/dp/B001DKUTR0?th=1

$14 Battery Post Cleaner

https://www.amazon.com/E-Z-Red-Battery-Post-Cleaner/dp/B00C7K2TPU?crid=205C6YB5XEGWP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.0IGDNF8-6hkONbsmRJDAs8rGA57PI18TMBu17coPbvoqnWSGY7mPVt8IEFAFLq4eEB5yDoVmIdYalSV46lf5N7jQbIqthxABKVAz5OpbxuUjS1Yz_C0BFaLHUs011N2j17AepWE6Dsp57Vnwfz6ugIfBaTjvlP3446Czbl-0rEo1tT_jg00erXyng7tdmOuCZ4EMtdLhT1uhPoEJnd4_AL8zSz8aUFrZvISO0fD8nvA.b35QW18c8SCgUBAJAl7AxKavQImZusPVqhs6t-uvzEc&dib_tag=se&keywords=ezred+battery+terminal+cleaner&qid=1730246109&sprefix=Ezred+batt%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-4

 

I do the same thing. My wife and I do a lot of back-roading on the weekends. A couple of years ago, we were out in the middle of no where with no cell signal. We stopped to walk around an old cemetery, saw some Bald Eagles, etc. The following day, we came out of a Walmart and my truck was bone dead. No click, no slow start warning, just dead. I had a pair of pliers and an adjustable wrench. I pulled the battery and went in and bought a new one. Ever since then, at five years, I replace the battery regardless of how it's performing.
If it had been the day before, I'd have had to walk a couple of miles to get a cell signal, then pay for a tow.... Now, I am a little more proactive.
The seepage is normal, mine dose it too and I just wipe it off from time to time.

 

Here's mine. Just like Dairy Queen, Wal-Marts are everywhere.

 

Currently $180 for the 24F AGM. Highly recommend it.

 

Agree with you. Depending on where you live batteries last varying lengths of time. I know in places like Texas, Arizona , Florida and others , 3 years is their average life span. Where I live they last 5 to 6 years or so. As I said I treat them as regular routine maintenance. It just doesn’t make sense to me to run them until they die because when they do die it’s always at the worst possible time and place. And when you do that it’s usually more expensive than if you replaced it at a certain interval. Anyway rant over, people need to do what they think is best for them.