My battery post broke/melted off - Why?

[ticklechicken]

The cart just stopped during normal driving. This is the negative terminal on battery 6. Any idea what caused this?

Is it fine to just replace the battery, or is further diagnosis needed? I don't want to replace the battery only to fry the new one.

2001 Club Car series cart
Trojan T-875 batteries, date code A6 (3 years old), water level is good
Just switched to a Lester Summit II charger, have 2-3 charges on it

[Gazoo]

resistance = heat. Perhaps a loose or bad connection.

[Fairtax4me]

Corrosion.
There was a poor connection there because of all that corrosion, and that causes heat as current tries to move through the connection.
More heat causes more resistance which eventually causes the terminal to burn.
You can tap the remaining portion of the terminal for a 5/16-18 stud and still use the battery.
But you need to VERY THOROUGHLY CLEAN all of your terminals and cable ends, and KEEP THEM CLEAN. Otherwise you're gonna be right back in the same situation every few months. Just rinsing the batteries off with the hose every few weeks goes a long way to prevent corrosion and that sort of problem from happening.

[ticklechicken]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

Corrosion.
There was a poor connection there because of all that corrosion, and that causes heat as current tries to move through the connection.
More heat causes more resistance which eventually causes the terminal to burn.
You can tap the remaining portion of the terminal for a 5/16-18 stud and still use the battery.
But you need to VERY THOROUGHLY CLEAN all of your terminals and cable ends, and KEEP THEM CLEAN. Otherwise you're gonna be right back in the same situation every few months. Just rinsing the batteries off with the hose every few weeks goes a long way to prevent corrosion and that sort of problem from happening.

Thanks for the answer and the tip about how to still use the battery. That will save me some money.

Regarding corrosion, I wipe down my terminals and coat them with NCP2, but it's obviously not working well enough. How do I improve? Use something else or just do it more frequently?

[teecro]

As commented resistance = heat... Resistance is almost always due to a loose connection, repeated over tightening of connections often stretches the lead and allows connections to loosen. Also corrosion INSIDE the wire close to the connection is sometimes the case, I would cut off the connection and check the condition of the wire at this connection to see if the wire is green, be sure to use a properly sized lug hole too. Meaning dont use a 3/8" lug on a 5/16" stud etc.

[Aflyer]

I mix about a 1/4 cup of baking soda in a couple quarts of water and use a cheap paintbrush to slop the mixture around all of the battery connections and the whole top of each battery.
After all the fizzing and foaming stops, rinse with your hose or just pour lots of clear water over the batteries to clean off the baking soda solution.
This will neutralize the acid and help strop your corrosion problems.
Aflyer

[ticklechicken]

Originally Posted by teecro

...I would cut off the connection and check the condition of the wire at this connection to see if the wire is green...

After I do this, how do I add a ring terminal back on the wire? I have 2 gauge wires. What tools do I need?

[teecro]

Originally Posted by ticklechicken

After I do this, how do I add a ring terminal back on the wire? I have 2 gauge wires. What tools do I need?

You can pick up on properly sized ring terminals at most any Electrical Supply store. Some will have solder on terminals that either have a lump of solder already in them or a pre-sized solder pill that you drop in, with these ALL you need is a hand-held propane torch.

[ticklechicken]

Originally Posted by teecro

You can pick up on properly sized ring terminals at most any Electrical Supply store. Some will have solder on terminals that either have a lump of solder already in them or a pre-sized solder pill that you drop in, with these ALL you need is a hand-held propane torch.

Thanks. Is there an option for crimp-on connectors?

[ThreeCW]

Originally Posted by ticklechicken

Thanks. Is there an option for crimp-on connectors?

According to Trojan Battery, crimp on connectors may not provide you with a good enough connection to prevent over heating in high amperage situations.

Faulty connections can be caused by improper torque (under or over torque), corroded terminals and improper connections.

Trojan says:
"It is therefore highly recommended that connectors not only be mechanically crimped but also soldered to the cable’s end. A properly crimped and soldered connector will provide a low resistance connection and reduce the amount of heat buildup at the connecting junction."

"Faulty connection can negatively affect the performance of a battery system and is the leading cause of most battery terminal post meltdowns. By sizing the correct cable, using properly assembled cable connectors, and practicing good maintenance habits, the potential for a problem to occur can be greatly minimized."

See the attached Trojan document which will provide you with guidance on how to prevent a melted down battery post from occurring again.