Car battery leaking ? Here's what to do

A car battery is the most important part to serve all-electric components in your car. It can keep an electric current for a long period to do anything such as starting the engine, turning the lights on, turning on the audiotape when the engine is turned off, etc.

As an important part, the car battery needs to maintain periodically. We need to check the car battery water or fluid level, the terminals contact, up to leaking acid from the car battery. Yes, you need to check it periodically to prevent severe damage because of a leaking car battery.

In general, the fluid in car battery leaking out of your car battery is acid. However, the electrolyte is a mix of water and sulphuric acid. A car battery leaking is a hazardous substance. So, it's better to be more careful when handling a leaking car battery.

The signs of car battery leaking

A leaky car battery can be seen from its appearance. However, as your battery ages, you must watch for any signs that will tell you if your car battery leaking acid. These signs are quite obvious and easy to observe:

Liquid bubbles were seeping through the terminal post.
The battery casing looks swollen, bloated, or warped.
Corrosion forming around the terminal caps. Read: How to clean car battery corrosion
A crack in the battery case and moisture around the crack or fluid trickling from it.
The smell of a rotten egg emanates from the battery.
The car battery is sweating.
The level of fluid in car battery is always low despite it being recently topped off.

What causes the fluid in car battery to leak?

The most causes of car battery leaks are overfilled or your car charging system is overcharged. Yes, overfilled makes your car battery liquids easy to spill out from the cap, while overcharge can make the liquid boil and make some steam flowing out through the cap. This steam brought acid and contaminated all parts are made of metal around the battery.

If an overcharging problem occurs, you should check the charging system components in your car, such as the alternator, drive belt, fuse, etc. Meanwhile, here are other reasons why your car battery leaking acid.

Crack in the battery

Your car battery may crack for any reason. For example, excessive shacking, untighten or loosen the bracket, or a chemical reaction inside the battery makes the body battery look bloated. All of these cracks will make the car battery leaking.

Old age battery

A car battery is not designed to last forever even though you maintain it well enough. The battery body was made of plastic, make it not strong enough to withstand heat from the engine for a long period. As time goes by, the car battery leaking acid.

Cold climate

A car battery liquid can freeze in the excessive cold. Freezing means expansion. The contents of the battery will press the casing's sides outward, creating pressure on the cells. As a result, you'll see the sweating battery.

Expanding plates

Excessive heat from overcharge or hot engine temperature can make your battery parts expand. Its expansion can make the liquid push out of the battery.

Is a leaking car battery dangerous?

Because the car battery water uses chemical liquids (sulfur acid) and works chemically, the condition of a leaky car battery is hazardous.

The chemical liquid in the car battery can cause a lot of damage, such as corrosion on the body part of the car that is affected by it.

In addition, clothes that are exposed to chemical liquid car batteries will also be damaged. And if it's exposed to the skin, it will feel itchy. Make sure that you don't get in contact with it or touch it.

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What to do for a leaking car battery?

A leaking battery could be bad news for everyone because it's bad for your car and your health, including the environment affected by a leaking battery. Once you notice a leak in your car battery, immediately replace it with a new one, even if it's still performing adequately.

Even though you can repair a leaky battery, generally, it won't last long. Most likely, the car battery water or the chemical liquid evaporation that occurs will aggravate the conditions surrounding a leaking battery.

So, to prevent more severe damage due to steam from the chemical liquid of the battery, replacing the battery with a new one is the best choice for you to make.