Battery Terminal Prep

[BackwoodsEE]

Sunking shared a protip on this forum about cleaning battery terminals before installation: Scotch-Brite. I have to confess I never would have thought of that.

My procedure for doing these M8 button terminals on my new AGMs:

(1) Clean off the button terminal surface to a uniform dull grey with the aforementioned Scotch-Brite pad.
(2) Wipe off scouring residue with a cotton cloth.
(3) Final wipe of the surface with a lint-free microfiber cloth formerly owned by my wife for her eyeglasses.

Repeat (1) through (3) for the bottom of the lug, and what the heck, for the top as well since it also contributes a little to conductivity via the washer and bolt.

Tightened each bolt to 10 N-m (per the Rolls tech note) as , then came back and re-tightened each. Most of them needed another little nudge to get back to 10 N-m.

Do I need to coat the exposed tin with anything?

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Thanks to our acerbic battery expert for that tip. This forum has been an invaluable resource!

[Mike90250]

plain old petrolatum jelly (AKA Vaseline) rubbed on, just the barest thinnest coat is all that's needed. Some melt it and brush / daub it on, Just on the metal parts, the insulation needs nothing more. The more goop you put on, the more dust it will attract.

[Sunking]

Hey Backwoods you got it. Wished you would have asked before you squished on the terminals. For batteries or any power cable best practice is to use a product called No-Ox-Id A Special. All utilities use the stuff and will make a connection last 50+ years if used correctly. It is inexpensive and a small tube or snuff can full will last you a life time.

There are a few steps.

1. Wire Skinners. Once you have stripped the wire insulation off apply a light coat on the wires before compressing. On big jobs installers will will buy a can of No-Ox and put it on a Hot Plate to melt the No-Ox and hot dip wire skinner, shake and wipe off excess. Once you do that and I assume you use the right crimpers and terminals once you compress the connector, oxygen and the environment is locked out and you wire skinner will never see air, light, oxygen, or water again.

2. Lightly buff mating surfaces with Scotch Brite before bonding.

Put it all together, torqued down, and you have a 50 year connection.