Battery Terminal Melting

[scubakerny]

While driving my 03 ezgo a block or so i started to smell a plastic burning. I checked under the seat and noticed the 5th battery (not sure if it matters) was starting to get hot and melt the lead terminal. This happened to me when i first installed my batteries about 1 year ago, it just so happens that it was the same battery that was doing the same thing. for the past year it has worked just fine after replacing the one battery until today. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Coltf1991]

loose connection or resistance

[JohnnieB]

Electrically speaking, where there is heat, there is resistance.
As Colt1991 mention, loose connections have resistance.
Dirty connections, defective cables and undersized cables also have resistance.
Actually, any time a cable, connection or component gets hotter than the hot water coming out of the faucet at your kitchen sink, something is wrong.

Since this has happened twice to the center rear battery location, I'm leaning more towards a "Dirty" connection.
Even if the tightness of the high current cable connections are checked and the exposed surfaces are cleaned regularly, corrosion slowly migrates between the hidden metal to metal contact the same way grass grows through cement. Eventually, the resistance this migrating corrosion causes will generate a lot of heat and bad things will happen. So loosen the nuts and wiggle the battery cables a couple time a year, or take them off and really clean the metal to metal contact areas.

In fact, if your high current cables are 4Ga or larger and in good shape physically and electrically, a dirty contact is the most logical explanation I can think of.

[simple man]

What " JohnnieB " and " Colt " said + examine the terminal end on the cable this happened to. Once overheated, the crimp connection can come loose. Sometimes you may even have to replace it.

[scubakerny]

Perfect I will check my connections are tight, clean and the proper gauge.