Wet around positive terminal. Leak?

I had recently disconnected the battery to work on internal electrical. Would overtightening the bolt cause this?

 

Wet cell batteries leak sometimes, they're not a perfectly sealed design, to avoid any damage make a mix of baking soda and water and clean the terminal and around the terminal with it, that neutralizes the battery fluids.

 

Keep in an eye on things an over charging battery tends to push out acid

 

Over-tightening the clamp bolt won't cause any harm, but if you crank down on it you stand a chance of loosening the post where it goes into the battery and that will cause a leak.

 

Agreed with Zane on this one. After cleaning it, if it has filler caps pull those suckers off of there and see if the levels are low. Might need to add some distilled water.

 

Unless you need to physically remove the battery for your work, disconnecting the negative cable is all you need to do.

 

I don't see any response from "Zane". And I don't have anyone listed in my "Ignore" list.

Hmmm. I wonder what's going on here. Where in the sequence does "Zane" appear?

 

First reply, Zane = @Speedytech7

 

It's me, @Kiloyard and I have met and wrenched on trucks in person a few times

 

AhhSo! Thanks! (And baking soda with water has been neutralizing battery terminals for me for the last 60 years.)

 

Overfilling or overcharging can both cause leaks. Its also possible if you really crank on a post.

A leaky battery isn't necessarily a dead battery - but it can start wreaking havoc on any metal it touches if you don't clean it immediately and regularly. Let it go for too long and you're going to have to start replacing clamps and/or cables. Ask me how I know.

 

Thinking of replacing with sealed maintenace free AGM batts. Any recommendations?

 

Thats a good way to go with a truck batt. As soon as mine craps out its being converted to a nothing-special glass mat. They tend to be more resistant to temperature swings, not to mention they don't leak and don't need maintenance.

The camper batteries I just converted to lithium. Expensive as hell, but I swear the reduction in tongue weight gave me a huge mpg boost.

 

I recommend X2 Power (sold at your local Batteries Plus stores) AGM. I only got 3 years out of mine in the hellish AZ heat, but they come with a 4 year warranty. I also noticed when they gave me a new one the warranty period started over fresh. Main reason I recommend these instead of Northstar or Odyssey is because I can find my Group 35 battery in stock at any Batteries Plus store locally. Don't do mail order or you'll end up paying $100 just to mail the battery back for warranty.