Batteries

[Gibbo]

Hello Gibbo

 

Hello Mr S. You really are bored aren't you.

[Tony Brooks]

I doubt if they would squeeze all the excess grease out either,posts and lugs are not exactly precision engineered and matched to each other. Loose and wobbly posts were common once too,caused by people banging and levering the clamps about which would allow acid and fumes to quickly corrode the whole thing.

Dagenite batteries who i think 'were or merged' with Exide used to be very good batteries,not seen an Exide battery for a while now though,perhaps they're not in buisiness anymore.

 

 

Yes. certainly became part of Exide. We were Daganite service agents and a such I learnt to put new cells into faulty batteries and build new batteries into old cases. At one time their "replate" batteries came as a complete set of new parts so we had to burn the plates to the posts, then fit and pitch in the lids before finally burning the posts and interlinks. I dare not think what the H&S lot would say about melting lead and casting into burning strips and then the actual lead burning - all without any fume extraction.

 

I doubt Exide are anything more than a label stuck on mass produced batteries nowadays and the same goes for the Lucas brand.

[Proper Job]

.................... And who remembers those dreadful closed push on lugs held down with a self tapping screw,BMC mainly i'm sure that it was just the self tapping screw passing the current most of the time.

I remember them. They were terrible to get a good connection on.

 

One trick we used was to 'drape' short lengths of solder wire over the terminals and then 'tap' the cup on to try to get a half good connection.

[bizzard]

I remember them. They were terrible to get a good connection on.

 

One trick we used was to 'drape' short lengths of solder wire over the terminals and then 'tap' the cup on to try to get a half good connection.

I usually ended up doing that with silver paper from a 10 Weights fag packet. And sometimes biffed the lug on the side against a block,although making them a bit oval it did tighten them.The strange thing was the cables were soldered into them really well.

[ditchcrawler]

Well my backs to the wall chaps,it looks like i'm outnumbered,however due to my past experiences of posts and lugs coated with grease,vaselene ect,i will not be doing it,although i except the correct stuff for the job and will try it.

My experience is general,all types of vehicles. Agree with Tony about some of the continental cars battery terminals,''the collet squeezing type with the wing nuts on top for example.

And who remembers those dreadful closed push on lugs held down with a self tapping screw,BMC mainly i'm sure that it was just the self tapping screw passing the current most of the time.

You could even buy them with wings on so you didn't need any tools to take the flat battery off.

[bizzard]

You could even buy them with wings on so you didn't need any tools to take the flat battery off.

Yes i've seen a few of those,they could be bought at car spares shops.

[jelunga]

I have also worked "out in the field" for years and in winter. The bad connection problems we had stemmed from people who did NOT dress the terminals before putting the clamp on so acid and stuff got between the clamp and post and made a horrible, black, hard insulation stuff which I suspect was some form of lead sulphate.

 

Now, perhaps you did a lot of work on French cars and their battery connection devices were not good in my opinion and would cause problems whatever you did.

 

I know my site has been quoted but I join Gibbo in saying apply Vaseline or terminal dressing BEFORE you put the clamp on. I would never use grease because I have no idea how the additive in it would react although the MOD PX8 (I think) terminal dressing looked a lot like grease.

I remember it as PX7, but that was over 20 yrs ago!

 

PS. Just googled px7. It seems to be petroleum jelly ie Vaseline!!

Edited June 19, 2012 by jelunga

[Guest]

I realise I will likely burn in hell, but I gave up using vaseline on me boat batteries last century.

 

I use copper grease (including between clamps.)

 

Forgive me Father for I have sinned etc.

[ditchcrawler]

I realise I will likely burn in hell, but I gave up using vaseline on me boat batteries last century.

 

I use copper grease (including between clamps.)

 

Forgive me Father for I have sinned etc.

I am not sure that is the best product for the job. We used that on nuts and bolts, but still used no-corde on the batteries. It may be fine, I never read the tin.

[Guest]

I am not sure that is the best product for the job. We used that on nuts and bolts, but still used no-corde on the batteries. It may be fine, I never read the tin.

I too am unsure if it is "approved" for the job so to speak. It is approved by me though

 

Edited to add these are battery friendly according to the blurb:

 

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_189950_langId_-1_categoryId_165705

 

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&cp=11&gs_id=16&xhr=t&q=copper+grease&safe=off&biw=1280&bih=685&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15759530732754572751&sa=X&ei=VGvhT7jICMKm0AXksbzGAw&sqi=2&ved=0CJoBEPMCMAI

 

My theory is it is useful for many other jobs on the car and boat etc, hence one less tin of stuff to keep on the shelf.

Edited June 20, 2012 by Guest