Any item in the vehicle may fail. After all, it’s not always possible to keep track of everything that happens with the car. In addition, some symptoms are practically not noticeable, unless specifically checked. For example, one of these signals may be the heating of the battery terminals.
Content
The positive terminal is heated
The terminals are the current leads of the batteries. The power wires of the vehicle are attached to them. They consist of lead.
If the positive contact on the battery heats up, this means that the wire has poor contact with the terminal. This may occur due to oxidation or due to the ingress of water on it.
Heating can provoke ignition of the wiring and fire under the hood, melt the insulation, damage the battery housing.
The causes of heating the positive terminal can be eliminated as follows.
- Remove the end of the wire from the current lead.
- Clean the contacts with sandpaper.
- It is advisable to change the wire that goes from the generator to the battery.
- Put the wire back on the terminal and pull the end of the wire, dressed on the current output on the battery, sufficiently tightly.
To improve contact, you need to select the desired diameter of the ring. Then the bolted connection will tightly wrap around the terminal and not allow sparking and melting to this place.
It is recommended that the bolt nuts be clamped with two wrenches. In this way, turning the bolt or nut can be avoided.
If after cleaning the contacts a few days later a white oxide film of lead forms again, which leads to poor contact of the wire with the battery, it is recommended to check the battery for electrolyte leakage. The battery may be unusable. Cracks appeared on the battery case through which electrolyte vapor enters.
Negative terminal is heated
If the negative terminal is heated, then this is due to poor contact with the body. The latter is used in the form of grounding. Oxidation due to the release of electrolyte vapor may also affect oxidation.
To eliminate the causes of heating the negative terminal, it is recommended to do the following:
- Check if both ends of the wire are well connected.
- Strip the terminal with sandpaper from oxides. If oxides still remain, replace the battery with a new one.
Heating the ground wire from the battery is not dangerous in itself if it is due to a poor connection. In the case of oxidation and the gradual destruction of the battery - this is dangerous for the life of the other components of the car, which could lead to a problem. From heating, the body can melt, and this will lead to the leakage of sulfuric acid into the inside of the car.
Both terminals are heated
If both terminals are heated when the engine is started or when the wipers are turned on, the mirrors or seats are heated, then this means that the generator cannot cope with the load. Energy is additionally taken from the battery. In case of poor contact, these places become very hot.
To avoid overheating of both terminals when starting up or connecting additional devices, it is necessary to repeat all the steps that were described above separately for the minus and plus contacts.
Attention! When working with the battery, you must follow safety precautions and use rubber gloves. In the event of a battery leak, it is possible to damage the exposed areas of the skin of the hands.
Wires coming from the battery
It so happens that the wire going to the charger is heated. And the owner of the car believes that this is a terminal.
The reasons for heating the cables are as follows:
- small cross-section of the cable, which can not withstand the load when connecting additional devices;
- rupture of several threads inside the cable;
- poor cable quality.
All this leads to the fact that the wires will heat up and may ignite. It is recommended to replace the cables with new and high-quality ones. Branded wires have passed European quality standards and have oil, gas, and heat-resistant insulation.
Important! It is best to connect the battery terminals of the car with a wire of braided section copper.
Conclusion
Bad contact is a signal that the owner of the vehicle should pay attention to this problem and solve it in time. This is the only way to avoid the negative consequences that the negligence of the car owner can lead to.
