I found my battery problem, but how do I clean this?
 

I have been having battery problems (starting the car) lately. I checked it out this morning, and my battery is leaking water.

How do I need to clean this corroded area properly so it doesn't continue to deteriorate.

Wire brush to clean metal, clean and POR-15.

You would have to check but if I remember correctly vinegar will neutralize acid so I would wash it with that and then wire brush it as clean as you can get it then coat it.

Baking soda and water to neutralize it. Rinse and clean/POR. Golden.

Thanks, I stand corrected.

It's more likely that your battery is boiling out fluid, rather than leaking it. If so, it indicates an overcharging condition.

Keep that battery drain tube connected and fed through your fender drain hole.
You might also want to get a rattle can from paintscratch.com to finish things up.

What causes the overcharging?

When it's hot outside, the battery hasn't been able to start the car, even with a standard jump pack. I am also in the process of putting in the AL129x alternator for my stereo (not installed yet). I had a multimeter hooked up for a week and with the AC on, as well as lights, radio, etc, it wouldn't read more than 12ish volts. The car would start fine if it was under 90 degrees, but when it gets hot, it won't even try to turn over.

With a jump, or a push start it'll start fine.

Overcharging is usually caused by a bad voltage regulator. It sounds like either your voltage regulator has failed or alternator is bad. You should be reading about 13 volts, something like 13.8 at the battery with about 1500 rpms. The reason it's having a hard time starting is that your drawing a lot of electrical current in hot weather and the system is not keeping up with the required charge.

Battery
 

1984 300d turbo 147k
replace the battery autozone. Replace the alternator, battery tray, clean with baking soda, and paint, use the battery post cleaning tool,

whoa whoa whoa.. you're talking like $300 worth of parts to fix some battery tray rust...



you can buy a new battery tray by itself for like $40 and then buy some POR-15 to make it acid proof for life...

don't forget to replace the motor and tranny:D Just kidding.

As this was starting to become a problem, I decided to put a stereo system in the car, so I was about to change the alternator anyways. I already have an AL129x alternator and wiring that I was planning on putting in tomorrow morning. I went today and got my battery exchanged under warranty, so I already have that too. I got the cleaning stuff and paint. It's all getting done in the morning when it's a little cooler.

Here's how I like to deal with rust.... http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tools/Electrolysis.htm

pmari, will this rebuild pits and such? or just kill rust and fill it back with clean iron?

OK, one more stupid question. I brought my brand new battery home, and left it on a charger at 2amps for the afternoon to make sure it had a full charge before installing it. I just got home and checked on it to see that it was fully charged, and sitting in a pool of water that it dispelled. The battery wasn't very hot, and like I said, brand new. Is this a problem I should take care of before even installing it in my car?

I love the electrolysis writeup!

If it's any consolation, I bought the battery tray repair kit from Kent Bergsma of Mercedes Source for roughly $200. I still have not started on it, but I have the "miracle paint" and a can of custom Manila Beige paint from Paintscratch. It comes with a brand new tray which is still in storage (I found a better one from the yards and used that for now) as well as some other goodies.

The new battery comes fully charged. By charging it, you could be overcharging it, which is causing the same problem on the bench. It has to drain somewhere if it's getting over charged. Same thing with the voltage reg of your old alternator. When mine was overcharging, I blew a crack in the side of a Mercedes battery and pretty much made a mess out of the engine compt. I should have known the egg smell was the acid gas.

I really hate wet cell batteries. I knew the new battery had been sitting for a long time before I picked it up, so I wanted to make sure it was good to go.

I have always just instantly replaced mine with an Optima when I would put my stereo in. I don't have my old Optima anymore, but was thinking about getting another one. Would it actually fit though, they are somewhat taller than the battery that fits in our car. I guess I could find somewhere else to put it, but that's just more trouble.

the best way to know if the battery is "good to go" is with a multimeter.
measure the voltage on the 20 V scale of your meter, it should read 12.76 if it is lower than that, it is NOT fully charged. if it's above that, it has been recently charged.

Optima = Sweetness. I don't know if they'll fit or not either.

Well, I installed the new alternator. My battery tray is doing it's magic in the electrolysis tub in the garage. It's been running (on 10 amp setting) for about 7 hours now. How long does something like that usually take?

The car is running fine, but I am a little puzzled about why I am only getting 14V. I thought it was going to be closer to 14.4. The car is running fine though, we'll see how it goes for a few days.