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DAE use a dab of grease on battery terminals instead of fighting corrosion all winter?
Had a 2014 Freightliner Cascadia come in last Tuesday with the worst case of terminal corrosion I'd seen all season, green fuzz all over both posts, truck wouldn't even crank in the cold. I used to just wire brush them clean and send it out the door, but they'd be crusty again in a few weeks. An old timer at the shop in Amarillo told me to coat the posts and clamps with plain wheel bearing grease after I torque them down. I was skeptical, figured it would just trap moisture, but I tried it on my own truck first. Six months later the terminals still look brand new, no fuzz, no white powder, nothing. Now I do it on every battery job that comes through and I've had zero comebacks. The grease doesn't mess with the connection either, I checked voltage drop before and after and it was the same. Anyone else doing this or do you use something else like dielectric spray?
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lucashenderson4h ago
Wait, you used plain wheel bearing grease and it actually worked? That part blows my mind because I always heard grease would just cook into a sticky mess once the engine bay heats up. Tbh I figured the stuff would melt and run down the side of the battery and make a bigger mess than the corrosion ever did. Six months with no fuzz on your own truck is hard to argue with though, especially through a full winter. I've been using the red dielectric spray from the parts store and it works okay but it's pricey and you have to let it dry just right or it gets gummy. Might have to grab a tub of bearing grease next time and try it since I've got like three of those sitting in the shop already.
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