make sure you coat your battery connections

IDIoit

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i installed new cables about a month and a half ago.
nice new covers on the positive side.
i installed them dry, as i live in a dry state...

well, this weekend i went on a boating adventure, and my battery on my boat was dead.
so i took one from the ole F350
taking them off, i noticed a bit of corrosion!!
wth!! they have only been on there a month!!!

put the battery back in and it would start like i was only on 1 battery.
had to clean the connections thoroughly, applied some dielectric grease, and got her all buttoned up.
started like a dream once again!!!

the boat has alternator issues.

so bottom line.
just because you have new batteries, and new cables, does not mean you can skimp on grease...

do it and save yourself the trouble.

have a fantastic day folks!!!

the dreaded end of the month for me in business... time to turn 2
 

sjwelds

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So when you do this, do you coat the cables and posts separately and then assemble, or do you put everything together and then slather it with the grease?
 

BDCarrillo

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I coat everything first then assemble. Oxygen and moisture are your enemies here...

Yes, grease is technically an insulator and shouldn't be used on low draw pin type connectors/plugs. The metal on metal clamping force of battery cables and spark plugs is plenty to get through the grease.
 
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chris142

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AGm batteries do not vent gasses under normal conditions. That alone is a good reason to get away from wet batteries.
 

FORDF250HDXLT

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I coat everything first then assemble. Oxygen and moisture are your enemies here...

Yes, grease is technically an insulator and shouldn't be used on low draw pin type connectors/plugs. The metal on metal clamping force of battery cables and spark plugs is plenty to get through the grease.

this is what iv been doing for years and iv always just used whatever wheel bearing grease i have laying around and it works.i never need to clean cable ends.no air can get to the terminals so they stay just as nice and corrosion free as the day i applied the grease.
yeah,so it's a bit messy whenever i need to boost something or frig with a battery for some reason,but worth it.
 

opusd2

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I've been doing this since I was a kid replacing batteries in tractors. Grabbing the grease gun I normally grease the tractor/vehicle with and coating both cables and battery terminals before clamping down is how I do it and it's saved me a load of problems.

I run an AGM on the bike and though I really don't need to, I still give a light coating - just in case.
 

icanfixall

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I clean my terminals about every 8 months and use a cleaner and protector spray on both the cable ends and the battery lugs. I also use RTV around the post to green or red protectors to stop any acid from working its way up between the case and the lead post.
 

BDCarrillo

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Dang... I got schooled on that one... How about a diesel weed eater???
 

IDIoit

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requires no spark plugs lol

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