Greasing battery terminals ?

[Boo2]

I've heard of people greasing car battery terminals with vaseline before connecting the wires to them to protect against corrosion, does anyone do this on their boat and if so is vaseline the right stuff ?

Thanks,

Boo2

 

[pvb]

I've never understood this. I don't do it, and my battery terminals look the same as they did when new.

 

[VicS]

Clean then with Scotchbrite pot-scourer ... or equivalent green nylon ones .. To remove any oxidation but not any metal.

Grease with Vaseline after connecting the leads.

 

[pvb]

Grease with Vaseline after connecting the leads.

Why?

 

[VicS]

Why?

Cos I do !

Actually I dont on the boat but I do on the cars

 

[Poignard]

I have always used ordinary grease. You don't need to use much; just a light smear. Those great dollops you see on some people's batteries aren't doing anything useful.

 

[pvb]

Cos I do !

Actually I dont on the boat but I do on the cars

But why? No car manufacturer greases the battery terminals in the factory; why should you?

 

[BrendanS]

with old vented batteries, you used to get acid vapour which caused furring of the terminals. Cleaning them and smearing vaseline or grease on them was quite normal. Probably less of a problem with modern batteries.

 

[VicS]

with old vented batteries, you used to get acid vapour which caused furring of the terminals. Cleaning them and smearing vaseline or grease on them was quite normal. Probably less of a problem with modern batteries.

I reckon you are right. Manuals used to tell you to apply a smear of Vaseline. Old habits die hard and a smear of Vaseline does no harm.
Besides I have two 500g tins of the stuff on the garage shelf.

 

[BrendanS]

I don't reckon it does any harm either, and quite a few car garages still do it

 

[capetown]

I clean as VicS, then smear with Vaseline, it seems to help reduce any corrosion.

IMHO by not applying grease/Vaseline to the mating parts you are reducing any chance of a bad or high resistance connection.

 

[davidpbo]

In my opinion grease is a poor conductor, silicone grease especially so I believe. therefore as Vic suggest I would tend to clean the terminals, connect then apply grease to prevent corrosion and oxidation.

 

[VicS]

And I have found that both of my car manuals say to apply petroleum jelly.
So there!

 

[PhilipF]

For terminals already corroded clean by pouring a solution of washing powder dissolved in hot water onto them. Yes, agree to prevent the problem in the first place coat the terminal with vaseline .

On our boat though, and as indeed also our car, the terminals never seem nowadays to get corroded, so I assume the manufacturers use some product to keep them in good order