Symptoms Of Faulty Battery Terminals

Here are four signs that indicate worn-out battery terminals:

1. Illuminated Warning Light

If your car battery light is illuminated, don’t ignore it! It could well be an indicator of a car battery terminal issue and is not something you want to put off.

2. Car Won’t Start

Trouble starting your car?

If your car struggles to start or won’t start at all, it may be because your battery terminals aren’t conducting electricity from your battery. 

When electrical power from your car battery doesn’t reach your starter motor, your car won’t crank. Alternatively, it might not be the terminals at all, but a dead car battery.

3. Visible Corrosion

Corrosion naturally builds up on car batteries, the battery tray, and cable terminals as hydrogen gas in the battery reacts with substances in the air. 

Small amounts of battery terminal corrosion are generally no cause for concern. 

However, large deposits of bluish-green mold-like crystals around an old battery can be a problem. Excessive battery corrosion can prevent your terminals from operating efficiently by increasing the resistance.

A corroded battery terminal can also reduce your alternator output and stress your battery charger system, causing early failures.

4. Diminished Electricity In The Car Cabin

When your engine isn’t running, but you’re still using the electrical components in the cabin, you’re relying on electricity from the car battery. 

So if your lights are dimming, it’s a good indicator that you have electrical system issues, which may result from faulty terminals.

How Urgent Is A Battery Terminal Replacement?

Considering that your car needs electricity from your battery to run, it’s vitally important to have functional battery terminals.

If your battery terminals are faulty, they will prevent the electric charge in the car battery from reaching your engine. 

Without the electrical power from your battery, your starter motor won’t be able to crank up the engine, and you may require a jump start or a tow as if you had a dead battery. 

Unfortunately, any damage to the terminal can also affect other auto parts and electrical components. So, make sure to keep an eye out for signs of faulty battery terminals.

How Much Does It Cost To Replace Battery Terminals?

The cost of replacing battery terminals largely depends on the type of auto parts you want.

You can get a cheap car battery terminal made out of lead, but it won’t conduct as well as a copper one.

Copper battery terminals cost around $3-$8 each, so you’ll spend about $6-$16 replacing both terminals — excluding labor costs. However, an OEM car battery terminal may cost more.

You can also buy a can of battery cleaner for about $5.

Faulty battery terminals could lead to an overheated starter motor and premature starter failure, costing hundreds of dollars with labor. So, just by replacing them or using battery terminal cleaner, you could be saving yourself over $400 in damages.

3 Battery Terminal Replacement FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions regarding a battery terminal replacement, and their answers:

1. What Are Battery Terminals?

Here’s an easy way to understand battery terminals — they consist of two parts: 

• The protruding portion of the battery (the battery post or cable terminals) 
• The battery terminal connector or battery terminal clamp that slides over it 

The battery terminal connector or battery terminal clamp is the replaceable part, but both parts are made of heavy-duty materials that can be cleaned of battery corrosion.

Your car battery has two terminals, a positive battery terminal, and a negative battery terminal. 

If either your positive terminal cable end or negative cable end isn’t connected properly to the charging system, your starter motor won’t get enough electric charge to crank the engine — just like in the case of a dead battery.

Remember, a battery lug and a battery terminal are not the same things. Although they’re often confused, a battery lug connects a battery cable to a starter post. A battery terminal is an adapter that connects battery cables to car batteries.

And interestingly, a marine battery terminal designed for boats also works in your car! A marine battery terminal is more heavy-duty than an automotive one but works just as well.

2. How To Clean Corroded Battery Terminals?

Luckily, there’s an easy way to clean a corroded battery terminal:

• Put on a pair of gloves and safety goggles as battery terminal corrosion caused by hydrogen gas leakages can irritate your skin and eyes.
• Grab a wire brush or an old toothbrush.
• Mix one cup of water with a tablespoon of baking soda.
• Dip your wire brush into the baking soda mixture and scrub away any visible corrosion on your battery terminals or each battery cable.
• The soda helps neutralize the battery acid and makes cleaning corroded battery terminals much easier.
• Alternatively, you can buy a can of battery terminal cleaner spray and silicone dielectric grease instead of baking soda. Battery cleaner helps neutralize the battery acid, and the dielectric grease protects your terminals from further corrosion.

3. How Do I Replace Battery Terminals? (Step-By-Step)

Whether you have a UTV, a Toyota, or a Nissan, replacing old battery terminals isn’t difficult, but hiring a professional mechanic is always recommended. 

Requiring a tow or battery charger while you’re on the highway is not something you want.

If you still plan to replace the battery terminal yourself, here are the steps you can follow:

1. Make sure your car is turned off and pop the hood.
2. Look for visible corrosion on each battery cable, the battery tray, and the battery terminal connectors.
3. Disconnect the old terminal from the battery post by loosening the terminal nut with a ratchet. 

Note: Always start with the negative terminal and negative cable to avoid an electric arc.

4. Using a rag, remove the loosened negative battery terminal connector from the battery post and set it aside.
5. Now unscrew the nut facing upwards using a ratchet and remove the wire plate and anti corrosion washer connecting the battery cable to your old terminal.
6. Clean off any corrosion you see on the battery post or wires using a water and baking soda mixture.
7. If it’s too corroded, cut the wire about half an inch from where it connects to the terminal. Use pliers to hold the terminal end and a wire cutter to cut the wires.
8. Seal the exposed wires in heat shrink tubing to prevent corrosion.
9. Secure your new battery terminal end, the wire plate, and the anti corrosion washer that came with your new terminal to the wires by tightening the nut facing upwards.
10. Repeat this for the positive battery terminal and positive cable as well.
11. Attach the terminal to the battery post (starting with the positive cable this time) by tightening the nut facing sideways. If your new terminals don’t fit snugly, you can try using a shim (shims are metal caps you put over your battery posts that allow the terminal adapter to fit snugly). 
12. Finish the job by applying an anti-corrosive spray and dielectric grease to the positive terminal and the negative terminal.
13. You can now try turning on your car.

If your car is still struggling to turn on, speak to your mechanic as you may have a dead car battery and need a battery service, a new battery, or a replacement cable.