DIY (Do It Yourself) - How To Remove Battery Corrosion For A 1998-2002 Honda Accord

Removing battery corrosion

Tools

10mm Wrench

Pack of battery terminal protector

Step 1 — Opening the Hood

Pull on the hood release lever just inside the driver-side door to pop the hood. Locate the hood release latch under the hood. Use one hand to press up on the latch while you lift the hood. Insert the hood prop rod into the hole in the hood marked with an arrow.

Step 2 — Battery Terminal Corrosion

Locate the battery on the left side of the engine bay. If your battery has a cover on it, remove it and set it aside. Before proceeding, identify the positive and negative leads coming off the battery. The negative lead is generally black and may be marked with a "-". The positive lead is often red and may be marked with a "+". Never bridge the terminals on the battery with your hands or tools. Shorting the battery can severely injure you. Look for corrosion on the battery terminals. Corrosion can be white, grey, or blue and is quite noticeable.

Step 3

When working with batteries, you must always remove the negative lead from the battery first, even if the corrosion is only on the positive lead. Using a 10mm hex wrench, loosen the nut on the screw holding the negative terminal in place. If the corrosion is preventing you from accessing the nut, use the other (open) end of the wrench or a wire brush to scrape some of the corrosion away. Pull the negative battery cable off of the negative lead.

If you are going to clean the positive terminal, first remove the negative terminal and then remove the positive terminal. The process for removing both leads is the same; it is only the order that is important.

Step 4

Scrape the corrosion off of the battery terminal using a wire battery brush or some other scraping/brushing tool. You may want to avoid getting the corrosion all over the inside of the engine bay. Sweeping the corrosion onto a paper plate or rag is a simple way to get the corrosion out of the engine bay without making a mess. The corrosion is powdered Hydrochloric acid and it is not good for your car. Another good way of cleaning it off is liberal use of baking soda to neutralize the acid and make sure you wash all of it off when you're done. The corrosion is also a good indicator that you need a new battery.

Step 5

Re-seat the cable on the negative battery terminal. Tighten the nut on the battery clamp. When working with batteries, it is important that you always re-install the negative lead last.

Step 6

Buy a packet of battery terminal protector and, using your finger, coat the (now assembled) battery terminal in a thin layer. Be sure to cover the outside of both the lead and post, but not to allow any protector between the post and lead.
Credit: ifixit