was Battery Relocation, now Corrosion

[Hammer Down]

Pete,
Grease will help keep corrosion down to a minimum on the terminal post but
all lead acid batteries vent corrosive gases to the atmosphere.
It is part of the process.  Some battery brands seem to give off more gas
than others and some actually boil over even when not overcharged.  Could be
poor quality materials (lead, insulator, acid, water).  A charging system
that is not working correctly can also affect the battery in the amount of
gas is given off an in some cases cause it to boil over by overcharging.  In
the gel-cel I have yet to see this happen.  I have witnessed a system over
charging the battery (friends car) and it would boil over and cause the acid
to drip all over the chassis from a lead-acid battery.  Corroded some
plastics too!  The shop he took it to could find nothing wrong with the
system.  They blamed the battery, so they replaced it with a gel cell.
Instead of boiling over, it just cooked it until it would no longer hold a
charge.  Finally I had an opportunity in my schedule to check it for him.
At freeway speeds (higher rpm) the system would go into overcharge and stay
there.  We replaced the alternator (GM vehicle so alternator has a built in
regulator) and the problem never happened again.  I have witnessed massive
corrosion associated with Diehard batteries too.  I moved the battery to the
trunk and used the gel-cell and never have a corrosion problem again
(neither in the trunk nor in the engine compartment.  Maybe I am just a
freak but I have to go with what I have witnessed.  "I am an Mechanical
engineer Jim, not a doctor!"  I would suspect that dry-cell batteries would
be even better at not giving off corosive gases.  George, what sort over
corrosion (or lack of) have you wittnessed with the dry-cell?

Erik Halvorson