Still working on the forktruck. Spent the whole day on it. (Its too dam hot to work outside right now anyway)
The battery sits right on top of the hydraulic oil tank. In the last 30 years it has nearly eaten through it. I used purple degreaser and the hot pressure washer to get it clean. What are the best steps to prevent further corrosion of metal beneath a car battery?
"Karl Townsend" wrote in message news:84gxg.4490$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
I would consider one of those marine cases and a sheet of EPDM rubber roofing underneath it.
Karl Townsend" wrote in message news:84gxg.4490$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net... | Still working on the forktruck. Spent the whole day on it. (Its too dam hot | to work outside right now anyway) | | The battery sits right on top of the hydraulic oil tank. In the last 30 | years it has nearly eaten through it. I used purple degreaser and the hot | pressure washer to get it clean. What are the best steps to prevent further | corrosion of metal beneath a car battery?
Isolate the battery body electrically from the frame with a plastic or rubber sheet of some kind, including the tie down clamps (if so equipped.) Wiping the battery clean is a great start. The acid vapors deposit around the battery, add the usual oil and dirt, add a tiny bit of electrical current working through the deposits, and the next thing metal starts disappearing. If you can't keep the battery clean, seal up one or both of the terminals with RTV or something. For my vehicles, I apply PJ1 motorcycle chain lube, since it comes out like WD-40, soaks in, then turns into a thick grease that seals away that bad powder. Seems to like jumper cables well enough, too. I have been planning to sand blast existing corroded areas, prime, and then apply truck bed coating to see how that works. I don't think it's conductive, so it ought to work out for the next vehicle I get that has a rotted battery bracket.
Mount the battery in a plastic battery tray like those used in boats.
I'll go with some kind of home made rubber tray, or rubber liner. Should help keep the future acid away.
The hydraulic tank is bolted to the steel sides of the machine. I can see a small gap between the tank and the steel side, but can't clean this area out. I'm sure the coorosion is worst here. Would it help to fill this area in with something like baking soda to nuetralize acid?
Probably the easiest way to fabricate an acid proof tray is to lay it up in fibreglass resin using a simple wooden mould.
Wash the affected areas first with a strong solution of normal baking soda stolen from the kitchen, this will neutralise the battery acid. Keep washing until well after the fizzing has stopped.
AWEM
or buy one at a marine store.
Replacement plastic trays are sold in car parts places, you'll have to figure out a method for fastening, though. Haven't seen them in the chain parts places, but J.C. Whitney sells a pad to go under batteries that's supposed to neutralize any acid that gets under there. I've used asphalt varnish on metal battery trays, several coats lasted the life of the vehicle. Only places I've found it, though, is where swamp coolers are in use in the area, no hardware store in any other parts of the country seems to know what it is. Used on the metal water trays inside the coolers.
Stan
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