IDreamOfChapman Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 Poking around the interior of my new (to me) Caterham, I have found what looks like the leftovers of a battery boiling itself dry and leaking down into the passenger footwell. Any ideas about what to use to clean this up? I tried diluting it with a damp sponge (no affect), and scrubbing it with water and a nylon scouring pad (also no affect). It is stubborn stuff.
WestTexasS2K Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 Try using something to neutralize the the acid like baking soda mixed with water. The aluminum will be etched from the acid the only way i know is to sand and buff to fix that. Be sure to get in the seem where the aluminum and frame meet. It will eat thru your frame over time.
jlumba81 Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 Ditto on the baking soda and water. Also the battery cleaner stuff you can get at any store w/ auto stuff works too.
IDreamOfChapman Posted April 10, 2013 Author Posted April 10, 2013 It will eat thru your frame over time. I hope not. It has been there for heaven knows how long but it is completely, utterly dry at this point (so I am guessing a very long time).
WestTexasS2K Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 The baking soda will neutralize the acid. Corrosion wont happen in a week but in ten years it can do some damage.
MHKflyer52 Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 Try using something to neutralize the the acid like baking soda mixed with water. The aluminum will be etched from the acid the only way i know is to sand and buff to fix that. Be sure to get in the seem where the aluminum and frame meet. It will eat thru your frame over time. The baking soda will neutralize the acid. Corrosion wont happen in a week but in ten years it can do some damage. I would also spray some light machine oil into the seams after neutralizing the acid as WestTexasS2K has suggested. This will help seal the aluminum that is etched in the seam area. Lots of sanding and buffing to get the aluminum back to a no-etched condition or you could just paint it or cover it with a carpet.
breezy7 Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 My Zetec powered Caterham has the ECU located in the passenger footwell directly under the battery tray. If yours is the same set up I would look at ECU and its connector that is in the engine bay.Having the battery above the ECU was the primary reason I went with a Oddessy AGM battery. The rivets that hold the battery tray would also let acid get into the frame in the engine compartment too so a peek in that area wouldn't hurt. Mike
Dave W Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 You might want to check your local hardware store and see if they have aluminum door and window cleaner. It works good on dull surfaces and it may be able to take off some of the heavy oxide. Dave W
IDreamOfChapman Posted April 10, 2013 Author Posted April 10, 2013 My Zetec powered Caterham has the ECU located in the passenger footwell directly under the battery tray. If yours is the same set up I would look at ECU and its connector that is in the engine bay.Having the battery above the ECU was the primary reason I went with a Oddessy AGM battery. The rivets that hold the battery tray would also let acid get into the frame in the engine compartment too so a peek in that area wouldn't hurt. Mike Hi - this car was converted to a dry cell battery by the previous owner after this happened I am guessing. I don't have to worry about the ECU or any of the wiring, nothing is in the path of the acid besides the frame and footwell. It looks like it all pooled under the floormat and missed going under the frame rails along the bottom of the car. Also, it seems to have not really affected the powdercoating on the frame where it touched that. To be clear, this is not a liquid spill. It is the (possibly years old) dried out remnants of what was liquid that has long since evaporated and left behind a bunch of precipitant which I assume is probably still caustic, although not as much as the acid would have been. If it got inside the frame rails through the rivet holes I am not sure there is a lot I can do about that... I would also spray some light machine oil into the seams after neutralizing the acid as WestTexasS2K has suggested. This will help seal the aluminum that is etched in the seam area. Lots of sanding and buffing to get the aluminum back to a no-etched condition or you could just paint it or cover it with a carpet. I have a can of Gibbs, I will apply liberally.
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