[BCBrian]

Corrosion on the positive battery terminal caused my ECU to fail. There is a service bulletin on this problem that says replacement of the ECU due to this issue will NOT be covered by the warranty. They claim it is a maintenance issue but it is not noted in the service and maintenance guide.

The stock battery has 2 breather vents which are located right under the terminals. The dealer knows to check these whenever your vehicle comes in for service. Since I do my own air filter and fluid changes, my truck had never been in for a standard service... only for a couple minor problems.

They had charged my battery at 10000 miles because it was slightly below normal and there was no corrosion at that time. I had also showed my service writer the battery last month because it looked damp on top and he said that it was normal. I got lucky and the service mgr agreed that with only 16000 miles that this should not have happened. Fortunately, the repair didnt cost me anything.

Clean your terminals and save your ECU and A LOT of $$$$$$. My dealer recommends doing this every other oil chg.

Here are pictures of the positive terminal before and after.

Just thought I would throw out a heads up and hopefully save some folks from a big repair bill.

 

[frontyfan]

Good to know. Glad things worked out for you.


Sent from my Autoguide iPad app

 

[FrontierNation3]

Good to know, thanks!

Is this what the dealership refers to when they say "do you want to have your battery terminals serviced?"?

 

[Volcano_God]

Good post. Since I take care of mine the same way, I've never had to replace a single terminal nor have I ever failed to start due to corrosion. It cost a couple of smackers for a can of anti-corrosive terminal spay paint and a terminal brush... Basically enough to tend to 3-4 cars and you will never have issues again.

Remove terminals and clean and remove all corrosion with a terminal brush. Clean the post as well and wipe down the terminal area till clean. Be sure to tape and cover areas around the terminals once you're ready to spray the terminal paint as it never hardens and is a bit messy.

Once you do this you will not have to touch your battery or terminal till you replace the battery. All you need do is clean and repeat.

 

[BCBrian]

Take a quick look at your positive battery terminal

I looked at a fellow CF members battery yesterday and found this same issue in the early stages of corrosion. The battery that comes with these trucks is not suitable for steep terrain, due to the breather vents.

As stated above... the dealer will NOT cover this repair citing 'lack of maintenance'. An ECU replacement is approx $3000 per my service writer.

Just wanted to bump this as a reminder and to save you folks some big $.

 

[Zedbra]

What did you spray on there?

 

[swampymedic89]

use water/coke and a brush. Sometimes you may need a grill brush, but the stuff usually comes off easy. Save yourself some money and use the good ole boy trick of putting a coat of vaseline over your terminal. It works for sure!

 

[NISMO_R6]

Thanks for sharing this and giving a heads up.
I haven't been driving my truck much (600 +/-) in the last 8 months and I did an oil change a few weeks back and noticed the corrosion on the positive terminal. Now my urgency went up to top priority to getting that cleaned up tonight!

 

[Sly Tuna]

Good thread. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! I also use hot pepsi and a brush (Rinse with water afterward.) I like to coat it with the red terminal spray.

 

[BCBrian]

What did you spray on there?

When the ECU fried, I had the truck towed to the dealer. They had to cut the terminal off the cable and replace it. The spray is anti corrosive terminal spray and it really never dries. I believe you can get it at any Auto Parts store.

 

[chad]

I use a water and baking soda to when I clean terminals. The solution is basic and it neutralizes the acid build-up on the terminals. It seems odd to me to use coke or pepsi (both acidic) to clean up battery acid corrosion; but it probably helps remove oxidation for a better connection. I use dielectric grease on the terminals when everything is clean, but the spray seems nicer.

 

[09eq]

felt battery terminal washers also help prevent corrosion - keep top of battery clean and will rarely have corrosion problems

 

[2WD_NISMO]

Huh...that kind of explains why my dealer did a free battery service without asking me (was no corrosion, but it looks exactly like the after pic posted where they sprayed red stuff on the terminals). I just went in for a state inspection.

 

[FrontierTCB]

Like the previous post said I have found that smearing some dielectric grease on the terminals on my old Bronco when clean really helps keep the corrosion away. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[NISMO_R6]

Went and looked under the hood. It was just one of the hold downs that started corroding.

 

[troutslayer]

Thanks for the info... I noticed that the other day when changing the air filter. Didn't think much of it at the time. This is now top priority for tomorrow!

 

[Blackrabbit0888]

I agree with 09eq and use the red and green felt battery circles. They cost a $1-$2 and are well worth the investment. I have always used them and never had any corrosion issues with any of my past vehicles. I also spray that red stuff for added measure.

 

[NISMO_R6]

The terminals didn't had corrosion but I ended up getting that red stuff spray and the felt pads. Thanks for the heads up

 

[Zedbra]

cleaned my terminals today. found a spray cleaner that worked great. then spread dielectric grease on them. did my VW also while I was getting wet in the rain

 

[sudingusnavy]

I checked mine a while back and cleaned them up but it came back. Im picking up a red top tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up!