+ term leaking on AC Delco battery

[Guest]

I have a 2 yr old AC Delco battery (6 yr warranty) that is leaking out of the + side of the terminal and corroding the cable. My friend had the same problem and he had to replace the + cable. Has anybody heard of this problem?

[Rawja]

It is a totally common problem with all makes of side terminal batteries. You should be able to get it replaced under the warranty. It can be caused by (among other things) over-tightening the terminals.

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply.

I have the shop manual and I did torque the terminal to spec. Apparently a friend of mine had the same problem on the factory original battery.

[NTX5467]

It is somewhat common, unfortunately, but then there are a whole lot of GM vehicles out there too. At one time, it was suspected the battery bolt itself was a hair too long or the pad it screwed into was too shallow, but it's been going on long enough that changes could have been made to either component. Could also be a material concern too, but strangely, it only seems to affect certain batteries more than others.

Be sure to get some acid "killer" and thoroughly clean everything the battery fluid has touched, repainting if necessary. If the cable is very bad, replace it as a corroded cable (internally) can result in higher resistance and make the alternator work harder and probably malfunction.

Current and recent Delco battery warranties (purchased NOT as part of a vehicle) have an 18 month free replacement proration, but at the 19th month, you will pay a 19 month proration. Keep your documentation on the original purchase! The original purchase is when the "warranty clock" starts. If you get a prorated adjustment/replacement as part of that warranty, the battery you received in that action will continue under the existing warranty period and the "warranty clock" will NOT restart on the adjusted replacement battery. Therefore, weigh your options of getting a prorated adjustment (with a continuing warranty period from the original purchase) or getting someone to sell you one at wholesale and having the full warranty period start over again. This should be applicable whether it's a AC Delco product or some other brand.

If the battery was part of a new vehicle, it will be covered under the applicable GM warranty (for the complete vehicle) and any battery warranty will cease with the vehicle warranty. Therefore, whether the battery has a 5,6, or 7 yr stated warranty or not, the battery warranty ceases when the vehicle warranty period ends. Some extended warranty coverages might also extend to batteries, so check that out too.

Sometimes, the leak is just a seep when discovered, but there have been some batteries that the cable mounting lug has completely broken out of. Why the problem is typically only on the positive mounting pad is another mystery.

I know that most GM cars are so maintenance free that the hood rarely gets raised except at oil change time (which can now extend much longer with the new "Oil Life Monitor" system on some GM vehicles). In the old days and top post batteries, it was easy to see when the battery cable connections were needing attention, but with side post batteries doing that has basically been forgotten--until the vehicle stops for no apparent reason and THEN the cables are found to have problems at the battery connection. This might be something that needs to be checked on a monthly basis these days and/or at every oil change to help prevent needing a tow truck. Also, with a dead battery, OnStar and other similar systems probably will not function.

Consider this an "awareness" situation.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Guest]

On my 99 Buick,when it would would not start ,I opened the hood & noticed the pos post had fallen out of the battery.I jump started it & drove it until I could get a new battery. Of course ,I was 1500 miles from home. Norb