Corrosion! Help!

[maxman]

Uh oh! Looks like the battery leaked a little Acid.





When I was taking the battery out, I knocked then windshield washer hose and it leaked a little fluid on there. It made a bubbly reaction, scary! I quickly wiped up as much of the gunk as I could with paper towel, and then coated in baking soda until I get it removed.

Here's the question: How do I remove it?

Thoughts?

Thanks

Max

[Wil Ferch]

Doesn't look *that* bad.....the typical advice is to apply baking soda....but don't forget....baking soda is a strong "base" ( strong "acid" in the "other direction)...so after you apply baking soda....you are advised to "flush" to get that stuff off too. Then it's neutral. Then make sure it's all dry. Also make sure nothing ran into hidden crevices....this is where it gets dicey. Some others may want to chime-in on personal experiences.

Whatever the outcome.....use a lead-acid battery design that has a "vent-nipple" on it...so you can attach a hose and direct the hose to the outside. Or get a sealed / semi-sealed battery like Optima.

[maxman]

Thanks, for the tips?

Flush with what? Water?

I was thinking of hitting it with a little scotch bright after that.

[Joe Bob]

Water with baking soda, flush with water. Wet Vac or blot dry. If the battery is getting old consider a gel cell.

[maxman]

Flushed with a pitcher of water (after letting soda sit overnight), then dried with paper towel.





Good enough, or do I need to do more? I just want to make sure this stuff is stopped dead in it's tracks. Also, I don't know how to get in the little gap under the plate. I'm sure some water/soda paste got under there and will air dry, can I do any better?

Thanks

Max

[Joe Bob]

They make anti acid mats if you still use a wet battery. Some people put them in a marine battery box as well. Common issue, at least it's not a 914.....lead acid drips down and eats the rear suspension.

[maxman]

I'm thinking sealed battery. Screw acid.

Made me a little sick to see corision. I hope it's pretty isolated.

[GaryR]

Dry cell battery, Optima or Odyssey (or whatever).... period.

[Joe Bob]

Some people get small Odyssey batteries and stash them in the smuggler's box.

[Wil Ferch]

Last coupla posts here don't really address his concern of "is this enough"...and "what to do next" to prep the area......it's more like, "this is the kind of battery you should have gone with"......

I've always heard this "in general" myself for years....but it would be nice to hear of advice from folks who have gone thru this before in the strange 911 arrangement with the sub-floor and nooks and crannies. I'm curious myself......

??????

[nineball]

i had a similar problem on my 911. i used the soda/water to neutralize, thoroughly rinsed with clean water, allowed to dry (with a fan to help) over night. after that i gave it a few coats of por15 and that was that. after that i switched to an agm battery.

another battery install thread

[Tigerrat]

I went through this w/ my 88. The worse place was where the side of the battery touched the fender well. I used multiple applications of baking soda and flushing and tried my best to get into the nooks and crannies with paint brushes and such. Then applied some rust inhibitor like POR- 15... I just don't remember which. The place on the fender I took down to bare metal, primed and painted. It was like a 1" diameter spot. Then installed an Optima. That was about 3 years ago. I've checked the area a time or two since and it is holding up outwardly anyhow. Ken

[maxman]

Just got an Optima tonight (The Yellow one).

I'm out of town for the weekend, but I'm thinking that I will do another round of baking soda and water on Monday, then this POR-15 stuff?

Yeah?

[Joe Bob]

You'll like the Yellow top. I've had mine for over seven years. Can't tell you how many times I've drained it flat.

BTW, yer bulbs are in the mail.

[maxman]

Thanks for that!

For $280, this thing should make the car fly.

Totally worth it to keep this from happening again.

[GaryR]

Originally Posted by maxman

Just got an Optima tonight (The Yellow one).

I'm out of town for the weekend, but I'm thinking that I will do another round of baking soda and water on Monday, then this POR-15 stuff?

Yeah?

I would spray it down good with rust converter (Eastwood has it) then cover it up with POR.

[Wil Ferch]

If Optima....Red Top is all you need and (IIRC) has a longer warranty than the deep-discharge Yellow top (.... I think better for trolling motors and such....or was that big stereo systems?.... ). Look at the Optima web site for application.

[maxman]

Just checked tonight. It's been three days since I rinsed the soda with water.

Found this:



Now I'm freaked out. What should I do? For tonight, I coated it with (dry) baking soda.

Help!

[maxman]

Okay,

After applying baking soda, added a little water and scrubbed around with scotch bright. Then, flushed with a few half gallon pitchers of water. Then mixed about 1/4 baking soda into a pitcher and poured that through. Then, about 8 or 10 more pitchers of water. Dried with paper towel. Left hood/truck open over night to dry out. Will pick up POR-15 after work.

What's next?

[mnez]

The same thing happened to me when the battery boiled over when the voltage reg failed on schedule. Apply a mixture of baking soda and water until there is no more fizzing. Rinse with a lot of water and repeat until there is no more fizzing or bubbles. You will need a lot of baking soda and water. You will likely need to apply it further around the trunk floor than you think, especially around the gas tank. If you don't have a huge mess on the floor, you haven't used enough.

After blotting and fully air dried, I used an oil based rust inhibitor (Rust Check) liberally.