Corrosion Forming on Terminals, is it time for new battery?

Are you sure? I was skeptical of your assertion based on causal observation and intuition, but I didn’t truly know for sure. A quick internet search turned up this easy to read, but not very technical, article.

https://www.upsbatterycenter.com/blog/battery-corrosion-and-how-to-solve-it/

 

Ya.

 

Based on my experiences, yes. When I use a Deka (made in the USA battery)...which is all I use for about the last 10 years, I've never seen the "green death". OEM toyota batteries?...always. Replacement TrueStart toyota batteries when I was a dealer tech?...always. Bosch and other stuff from Johnson controls/Interstate (Mexico)...always.

2 pieces of metal don't turn green when clamped to each other unless there's acid leaking....which is why you don't see it with an optima or other dry cell/gel cell, only leaky flooded batteries.

 

Personally I don’t remember seeing a lead-acid battery (that wasn’t brand new) that didn’t have a bit corrosion on one or both terminals. Such batteries have continued to work for years in this condition. If this is due to a leak, then I suspects the leak is an aspect of the design as opposed to a defect.

 

I hadn't either until I stopped using Johnson Controls batteries and switched to Deka. No more green.

 

Green death, give me a fucking break! Where as I agree with you that this visible corrosion is caused by some level of leakage, but you make it sound like it is the death knell to the battery. These flooded batteries experience what we called in the military as minor "weepage", and this is kind of the nature of this particlular beast. But the visible corrosion associated with this minor weepage is easily controlled by some felt pads and dab of dielectric grease. I am beginning to think you are a sales rep for Optima.

 

HA! I don't like optimas either...never really had great luck with 'em.

I play with boats...any green on an electrical connection is commonly referred to as green death...because it usually creep up the wire and what you see is only the tip of the iceburg.

 

Note that there are other reasons for metals to corrode besides the presence of acid. For example, when two dissimilar metals are in contact in the presence of an electrolyte, galvanic corrosion can occur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

I’m not claiming that is a cause of corruption in the case of battery terminals as they are usually lead clamped to lead. (There is however usually some copper and maybe steel nearby).

I suspect there might be other electrochemical processes at play with car battery terminal corrosion that is not related to acid leaking from the battery due to defects.

 

Update on this to settle. A month later my battery is dead and not holding a charge. Going to buy a new battery this weekend..

Wish I had followed my gut and replaced the battery back then.