Replaced battery, found rust!

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Mon May 13, 2013 12:30 pm

I grabbed a new battery today (my old one was from 2006 and was getting tired) and when I pulled out the old one, I found some minor surface rust underneath!

so I got to work with a steel brush and this is what it looked like after I removed the scale:

after unleashing my fung shui (I have a black belt in origami) with some wet and dry and wiping it down with meths, I gave it a spray with some black rustguard rattlecan paint.

as always, my phone takes crappy pics but it shows the basics. I was glad I picked up on this while it was still just minor surface rust, but I have to be happy when I consider that this is a 23 year old car and this is the first bit of rust I have noticed.

REDBEN · Post by **REDBEN** » Mon May 13, 2013 1:00 pm

Hey Mr Grey, I had a similar issue so I did the same used a wire wheel and strip the paint back and resprayed the entire boot at the same time, just need to swap to a sealed battery and that will stop that issue from re-occurring.

sprsta · Post by **sprsta** » Mon May 13, 2013 2:35 pm

i used one of the C12V71 batteries in mine was sealed
http://www.aasolar.co.nz/AA%20Champion% ... eries.html

ford also often have specials on the panasonic OEM battery

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Mon May 13, 2013 2:50 pm

I went for a cheap(ish) Exide endurance battery ($106) as my current funds counldn't extend to a decent battery but I will definitely get a better one next time. Thank you very much for the link tho', as that is useful info

Growler · Post by **Growler** » Mon May 13, 2013 2:59 pm

I know the Jap imports come with a plastic tray that the battery sits in. That would eliminate any rust...

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Mon May 13, 2013 3:04 pm

yep, mine has the plastic tray... I'll pop it back in and hopefully it will help

still, I can't complain, a little easily fixed surface rust is nothing on a 23 year old car.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Mon May 13, 2013 7:44 pm

yup these cars are surprisingly rust resistant. the only worry points on my car are the ECU bracket and the radio aerial base on the rear quarter

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Mon May 13, 2013 7:52 pm

To be honest I wish to remove my aerial as I only listen to mp3's and feel that a purposeless wire protrusion is just a target for vandals.

does any one know of a plug or blanking plate for covering up the aerial hole?

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Mon May 13, 2013 8:26 pm

MrGrey wrote:To be honest I wish to remove my aerial as I only listen to mp3's and feel that a purposeless wire protrusion is just a target for vandals.

does any one know of a plug or blanking plate for covering up the aerial hole?

Get a suitably sized grommet from the likes of Supercheap/Repco...worked for me!

Timmo · Post by **Timmo** » Tue May 14, 2013 8:56 am

My aerial is a bit bung too- Does anyone know if Ripco etc have a small 'S2000' style aerial? (i.e. short and stubby) that will fit?

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Tue May 14, 2013 9:26 am

I'll be dropping by repco this morning sometime, I will check if they have something suitable in stock and if so, I'll grab the shelf price and the SKU number (identifying code) for you.

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Tue May 14, 2013 1:07 pm

Timmo wrote:My aerial is a bit bung too- Does anyone know if Ripco etc have a small 'S2000' style aerial? (i.e. short and stubby) that will fit?

sadly neither Repco or Supercheap in Whangarei stock them. The only ones they carried were the standard full length ones. They may have them in the Auckland stores if you tried one of the big stores that has a wider range of products, otherwise you will have to track one down online.

sorry I couldn't help, but it was worth a check.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Thu May 16, 2013 9:38 pm

i saw some really cheap ones on ebay. about 8 bucks U.S and free shipping. between 4 and 8 inches long (hold the bad jokes please haha)

RRMarsh · Post by **RRMarsh** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:47 pm

I bought 12v 300cca Premium Calcium Battery (LPP) from mrpositive.co.nz at $110. It's Calcium grids offers maintenance free characteristics without sacrificing performance.

Greenracer5 · Post by **Greenracer5** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 10:30 am

Doesn't the rust have something to do with wet cell batteries and no ventilation in the boot space? I think I read that somewhere. I know the original batteries were gel batteries and were vented out of that little white bung at the bottom of your pic.
I guess a plastic tray might help.

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 1:21 pm

yes you are right, its a side effect of wet cell battery ventilation, but I should mention that my car has always had the plastic tray from day 1, so this is a fault that can occur whether you have a tray or not.

GRUVBB · Post by **GRUVBB** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 6:35 pm

I believe the original batteries had a vent off the actual battery which purged out through the floor. Our batteries in NZ do not have these.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 7:03 pm

My car has had a normal battery in it since the day I bought it 12 years ago and no rust issues at all in the boot

Timmo · Post by **Timmo** » Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:24 pm

MrGrey wrote:
Timmo wrote:My aerial is a bit bung too- Does anyone know if Ripco etc have a small 'S2000' style aerial? (i.e. short and stubby) that will fit?
sadly neither Repco or Supercheap in Whangarei stock them. The only ones they carried were the standard full length ones. They may have them in the Auckland stores if you tried one of the big stores that has a wider range of products, otherwise you will have to track one down online.

sorry I couldn't help, but it was worth a check.

Oops missed this one- Cheers for checking. I had a look also and came to the same conclusion

ch4ng · Post by **ch4ng** » Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:52 pm

WideOpenThrottle wrote:
MrGrey wrote:To be honest I wish to remove my aerial as I only listen to mp3's and feel that a purposeless wire protrusion is just a target for vandals.

does any one know of a plug or blanking plate for covering up the aerial hole?
Get a suitably sized grommet from the likes of Supercheap/Repco...worked for me!

There are two bungs on the underside of a AE101 Toyota Corolla bonnet (and quite possibly many others) near the front corners.

These fit perfectly. I used a little bit of silicone sealant with mine.

MrGrey · Post by **MrGrey** » Mon Jul 01, 2013 10:47 pm

a 1" plug from repco fit perfectly but they come in packs of three.....

so if anyone wants to do an aerial deletion then PM me a postal address and I can send them one of the 2 blanks I have sitting here on my work bench for free

(obviously its first come, first served and I only have 2 spare)

they look like this:
(sorry for the big pic, but I'm linking from an old picture)

Replaced battery, found rust!

Replaced battery, found rust!

Battery rust

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