What Causes Car Battery Corrosion On Negative Terminal?

Battery corrosion is a common problem and everyone faces it at least once before they change their car battery. So what causes car battery corrosion on negative terminal?

Actually, it forms on your battery terminals because of so many reasons and a lack of preventive measures that you should take.

But once it is formed on any terminal of your battery, then it becomes clear what caused it to occur.

What causes car battery corrosion on negative terminal?

Car batteries corrode because of many reasons and one of them is undercharging or overcharging. But the cause of corrosion on the negative terminal of the battery is mainly because of the undercharging problem in the battery.

It happens when the alternator doesn’t provide enough current to the battery to store. Also, it may happen because the battery cells become so weak that they cannot store charge more than a certain limit.

Recognition of the corrosion according to color

When the battery is overcharged or undercharged, it displays a weird kind of substance on the surface of the terminal. Sometimes it is on one terminal and sometimes it is on both terminals. And when that happens, you see a greenish or whitish substance appearing on the terminals.

If that substance is not cleaned and the treatment of the battery is not done in the meantime, it can expand and cover the whole battery under it.

Undercharging has many causes for it to happen. Like sometimes the alternator as we told you earlier doesn’t provide much charge. And sometimes the battery cells are weak. But it often has been seen on the new batteries as well.

A major reason for this to appear on the new batteries is because the car is not so frequently driven. And when the car is not driven, the charges are not engaged or used. That becomes the problem creator for some of your cars.

Cleaning of the corroded battery terminals

Cleaning this corrosion of a battery is very simple and easy. There are multiple different ways of doing it but let’s talk about the easiest and most effective one here. So you just need baking soda and apply it wherever the corrosion has occurred. Then pour water onto it and that will neutralize the corroded battery terminals.

Not just the terminals, but also do the same wherever corrosion has occurred on the battery or the connectors. You will see bubbles forming in those areas. Now all the acidic material has been neutralized and you just need to clean it off with a piece of cloth and some more water running down gradually.

After cleaning it properly, just rub the wet area of the battery with a dry piece of cloth. It will dry the battery and the terminals, but still, for safety reasons, you need to dry it for a little more. Then connect the wires and you’re good to go.

Effects of the battery terminals’ corrosion

Terminals play an important role in the electrical system of the car

Corrosion is actually not a good friend of the electricity flow. It is because when corrosion occurs on a battery, the terminals or covered with the corrosive substance. On the other hand, these terminals are the major and the most important bridge between the car and the battery.

Battery’s all the electrical flow like charging of the battery and getting power from the battery happens from these terminals.

The battery terminals are then connected to the heavy-duty metal connectors. Those connectors are then responsible for the transmission of electricity to the entire electrical system of the car.

It means all the electrical components like the radio, GPS, screen, lights, and alarm system are dependent on them.

Corrosion doesn’t let the electrical current flow through the terminals

As we have told you how important role the battery terminals play in the electrical system of a car. Similarly, when you see that corrosion is taking place on these terminals or anywhere near the terminals just clean it off.

If you don’t do this, the corrosion will eventually start getting bigger and cover the whole battery in the worst cases.

Although if you don’t want to do it yourself, make sure to adopt a habit of visiting professional garage mechanics. It’s because when they do a complete inspection of the car, they will notice is it and clean it off by themselves.

If you don’t take care of the terminals and the corrosion on them, the electrical current will stop flowing in your system. Hence, it will cause the entire system to go down.

Battery health drops very fast if the battery is corroded.

Now, this statement is very clear and we have derived it from our real-life experience. This is because we found a lot of car batteries that corroded and nobody took care of them.

Actually, when corrosion occurs on the battery because of a lack of precautions, the battery’s health goes down.

The battery cannot function properly because there is huge resistance in the way of current flow. So the battery doesn’t charge properly, nor does it discharge properly.

Also, the battery’s charging and discharging speeds change and it clearly doesn’t support the system at all.

The chemical reaction because of the increased pressure inside the battery causes the battery to become swollen. The gases and the electrolytes react very aggressively and in the end, the battery becomes useless for any type of car.

Therefore, frequently driving your car on long trips and visiting any nearest garage is very important for car owners.

This doesn’t cost much if you think about it in the long-term investment. In fact, you save a lot by just taking care of your car overall because you don’t need to buy anything new for it just because of that.

Why does my negative battery terminal keep corroding?

Car battery terminals corrode because of many reasons. But if it is about specifically the negative terminal of your car, then it is because of undercharging.

So make sure that your battery is getting enough voltage while charging and that its health is good enough to be fully charged.

Does battery terminal corrosion mean the battery is bad?

No, if you see corrosion on any of the battery terminals, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the battery is bad. Actually, the battery condition becomes worse after the corrosion occurs because of the corrosion.

So the battery is still in good condition if you take precautionary measures on time or before time.

What should you do if your battery terminal has corrosion?

Corrosion is not good for your car battery at all. Therefore, removing it as soon as possible is the only solution to this problem. Hence, use baking soda and water solution, or battery terminal neutralizing spray and clean it off immediately.

Can an alternator cause battery corrosion?

Yes, the alternator can cause corrosion on the battery terminals. In fact, a faulty alternator can cause corrosion on both terminals. Like if it is supplying more electricity than required, then it will corrode the positive terminal with overcharging.

And the same at the negative terminal by providing less electricity to the battery.

Why do my battery terminals corrode so fast?

Corrosion on the terminals occurring fast or slowly depends on how you use your car. For example, the scenario that happens inside the battery is that the temperature of the battery increases because of charging it for too long.

Hence, the electrolytes and the reactive gases inside the battery expand. That creates a lot of pressure inside the battery and when they escape through the vents, corrosion occurs.