This 2003 Cadillac STS came in with battery issues and this is what I found under the back seat where the battery is located. That is a lot of corrosion from a leaking battery. A battery needs to be looked at on a semi regular basis and inspected for corrosion, loose connections, loose mounts and general cleanliness. A dirty battery can actually go dead while not being used because a current path is established through the dirt.
There are a multitude of ways to clean this up and I do not have enough pictures but I can explain my procedure. First I put on a dust mask because the corrosion dust will irritate my sinuses terribly. I then get the shop vacuum, an old screwdriver and a wire brush. I start scraping, chipping and wire brushing the crud while using the shop vac to collect and contain the debris. After I get as much as I think I can get, I take a break, do something else and come back and do it all over again. I will repeat this process three or four times and then I start using a base or alkaline solution, I spray it in and wipe it up what seems like 100 times before there is no more reaction with the battery acid. Then I start rinsing in the same fashion with clean water and a rag. One little thing that I have noticed the coloring in the red shop rags that I use acts just like litmus paper. It turns blue or purple when it comes in contact with battery acid. I do not know if this is by design or just coincidence, just know it happens. After I am satisfied I can do no more good, I let it dry thoroughly and start wire brushing and vacuuming again. Only once or twice now though. Again sorry for the lack of pictures but this is how it looked after cleaning drying and painting the battery area under the seat. Pretty good even if I do say so myself.
After the paint was completely dry I installed a new battery and battery bolts. I wire brushed the battery cable ends with may favorite battery brush tool for side post battery cables. I also treated the battery cables ends with dielectric grease.
The final task was to instruct the customer to return in two weeks for a quick inspection, which went well and then I told her to come back in about three months for another inspection. She did and all is well with this cadillac.
The red wire brush on the end of my 1/4″ cordless impact is my favorite way to clean side post battery terminals and posts. It will work on any 1/4 ” drive tool and can be purchased here.
