how do you clean your car's battery cables?

Question

my cables keep melting my screws and everyones says i need to clean them but with what

Answer 1

use a battery terminal cleaner available at your local auto parts store for under $5 its mainly a round wire brush(for top post only) for side post use a regular wire brush and clean until shiny. put a light coat of grease on them and make sure they are tight to prevent further corrosion.

Answer 2

If you have a top post battery.Take off the terminals and use a little bit of baking soda and water to help desolve the corrosion. Then use a battery terminal brush to clean the posts and the terminals.The brush costs about $3.00. If you have a side post battery,Put the same baking soda solution on but use a regular wire brush to clean the terminals and the the lead on the battery where they screw in.
After the terminals are screwed back in a tightened, Spray some battery protectant on the terminals. Don't over saturate it though!!!!!! Because sometimes the protectant can seap in between the post and the terminal,Insulating the post and taking away the contact.Just spray a light amount on.

Answer 3

Simple and cheap! Get a cup of water, put in a teaspoon of baking soda, insert cable in cup and watch the water "boil" as the oxidation eats the battery acid and copper sulphate! If the "boiling" decreases, (and the terminal still looks cruddy, change water and put in soda again.( Finally all you will have is the bare material left, -at which point you can wash it down wth plain water! You can dump the "old water" down on the battery "shelf", and wash it down too! After you have cleaned both terminals, you can wash down the general area around the battery also, --then thouroughly "flush down all the battery, and "shelf area" with water.

After everything cleaned up, you can smear the terminals well with valseline - (or even wheel bearing grease),- cover the terminals completely! This will keep the air from reaching the terminals and retard oxidaton. It looks bad, but makes the "bolts" that clamp the terminals tight, - last a very long time!

Battery acid is self explanitory, baking soda is a "base" which makes it "eat the battery acid" - so to speak!! This is also a good cleaner to use if you get acid on your clothes or carpet in the car. Just wash down with soda water, and in case of carpet sprinkle a little dry powder on floor - then clean up in a couple days, -- no holes in carpet!

Answer 4

Put a couple of tablespoons of baking soda on each pole, drizzle some water on it and that will clean the junk off. Remove the cables from the battery (pos first) and wire brush the remaining crap off. Nobody else will tell you this, but I've been doing it for years---cleaned poles and cleaned connectors can be coated with axle grease or vaseline to prevent that crap from coming back.

Answer 5

What screws? Maybe you have a battery that is too powerful for the cables that you are presently using. Not all batteries fit all cars. Take it into a Goodyear Tire Store and ask about the problem there. If you live in Canada go to a Canadian Tire Store. At the terminals you may want to coat the attachments with petroleum jelly to will prevent corrosion.

Answer 6

You can get acidic corrosion on your cables. Looks like a green color. You can ash them in baking soda andwater, a wire brush, etc... But if they are literally melting then this is a concern of a starter that draws too much amperage. The starter may need to be replaced.
good luck............

Answer 7

a bottle of coke or baking soda and a wire brush,and also when you get them clean,put some grease on them.

Answer 8

a metal brush with baking soda

Answer 9

hot coco cola

Answer 10

baking soda