Recently, I noticed that negative battery cable had white color powder. I brushed it off with metal brush and cleaned negative battery terminal with battery cleaning tool. 1 day later, the white color powder appeared on the battery cable again. It looked like corrosion to me. This has never happened before in last 20 years. My battery was purchased from dealer back in 2008. There is no fluid around the negative battery terminal.

Is the battery leaking acid and cause corrosion on battery cable ? Is it time to get a new battery ?

Thanks.

Ching-Ho Cheng
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Alschnertz is correct, the negative post is leaking. Get a new battery before it gets cold out. Walmart has them also.

Remember, an off the shelf battery will not be completely charged, so drive it around a bit before parking the car for a week.
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Thanks, I am looking for one now ....
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, E-Code Lens, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror

The seals around the negative post of the battery are failing and are letting sulfuric acid gasses escape out of the battery and corrode the nearest ferric metal.

Your battery is seven years old, the seals are failing and you live in a cold climate. Replace it.

The bright side is that you got seven years out of that battery. Generally, if you get more than 5 years out of a battery, you're doing good.

Thank you for the suggestion. I am consider a new battery too. This time, most likely, a Interstate MT-47/H5.
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Sorry. My post may have come across as "know it allish", but that wasn't the intent.

I agree with the other posters, and you may be able to still get more life out of your existing battery. However, there are other reasons that I think it may be time to just replace the battery.

1. Modern cars are more sensitive to voltage than older cars given the plethora of gadgets and computers etc.

2. Maybe you have other cars to use if one doesn't start on a cold December morning at home. But if it happens at work or maybe when out somewhere, you'd have to get a jump. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that someone will be around to help me out. Sure, AAA will be there to help, but when?

3. For me, I would hate for my wife or daughters to get stuck somewhere with a dead battery because I was putting off spending $100+/-. (This is probably the biggest reason why I would change it preventatively.)

Bottom line, do what you are comfortable with. But it would be unusual to get much more than another year out of your existing battery.

Thanks for the suggestion. :)
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

There's some acid on top of the battery. Get some bicarbonate of soda and water
to clean that mess off the battery and do around the battery box too. Any acid
loose will bubble away and turn into a froth when it mixes with the bicarbonate of soda. Wash it off gently with a garden hose.
Check the level of each battery cell, add only distilled water to top up if needed.
You can get a little battery tester (hydrometer) at any parts store to check the
electrolyte in each cell and a bad cell will be evident if you have one.
The other suggestion is solid to clean the terminals and use dielectric grease.
Put a DC voltmeter on the battery and you should see 12.6V car off and around 14V
with the car running. Too high a voltage, you'll start burning out light bulbs and boil the battery cells leaving a mess on the top of the battery.

Bill

I checked battery voltage this morning. Car on, 13.5V, car off, 13.22V. So does it mean that battery is overcharged ?

Thanks.
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Check your battery with another meter.

The maximum you should see without the engine running is 12.6VDC

I measured battery voltage after car sat on driveway for 3 days. Battery voltage was at 12.35V.
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

OK, did you measure another car battery to see if your meter is reading low?

Did you pry off the cover and check each cell for electrolyte level

Did you get a cheap battery tester at your local auto parts store to check the
specific gravity of the battery acid in each cell? A bad cell will show up fast
with that little tester. Usually a bad cell means the battery is toast.

Does the battery take a charge with a trickle charger?

I did not do all the things mentioned in your questions. :(

One thing I did was to clean up the white powder again on negative terminal connector and then a piece of those battery terminal pad below connector and applied dielectric grease on both positive and negative terminals. No more white powder on negative terminal.

I just ordered a new interstate battery MT-47/H5 from local garage to replace this Volvo battery for peace of mind. Winter is getting close in Boston. Temperature at night is down to 40s and will be 30s this Sunday. I will put on Winter tires before ThanksGiving; time flies ...

Thanks.

Ching-Ho Cheng
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Hi Ching-Ho,

Pro-active with the battery is good.

Yes, soon the leaves fly, then the snow, I'm near you on a steep hill.
I have studded snow tires on rims that I install at the last second, maybe Dec.
They are just fabulous in snow and ice, and I can beat 4WD vehicles up my
hill that can't be tamed with a 4WD jeep with ordinary tires sometimes before
the hill is salted. You also stop faster on ice. They buzz on dry highway that
is some annoying, so I'm quick to take them off in the spring.

Happy Motoring, Bill

Thank you, Bill. My set of snow tires are non-studded. I don't know whether Mass. allow studded snow tires. I have Nokian RSI for a few years. They are good in snow, okay on ice (due to non-studded).

Ching-Ho Cheng
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe Mass. does allow studded snows but only during the winter months. Dec. - April or something like that.

Hope this winter is easier than the last...

Safe winter motoring guys from another snow-blind Taxachusetts resident,

Jim

:D
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

The 13.5V when running is a little low-- measure at the thick red wire on the back of the alternator-- I would like to see 13.7-14.1V, otherwise suspect worn brushes in the alternator. The voltage regulator/brush pack can be replaced for $40 or so.

Measure the resting battery voltage after the car is sitting for an hour. You should see 12.6V, but what is more important heading into winter is the amperage. Take your car to an Autozone and have the battery load tested.

Good luck!

I will measure battery voltage today after work. Car has been sitting since last night.
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Looking at the battery, it may not be serviceable. I will go for the second option - clean terminal and use dielectric grease. If battery voltage is lowered than 12.6V, should I replace the battery ? My concern is winter temperature in Boston. Weak battery won't be able to start car in cold morning (below 30 degree F).
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Are you sure that you can't pry off one or two covers on the middle of the battery?

I'm in Swampscott. You can phone if you like, see my profile.

I wouldn't swap out a battery because of a mess on top. Swap it out when it
fails to hold a charge and spin the starter easily.

Lead/Acid Batteries are less efficient when cold, and if they freeze when discharged it can wreck them. Make sure your alternator is charging OK.

Bill

I can try this weekend and report back.

Thanks.
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Measure for voltage drops on the negative, positive and B+ cables. You probably have high resistance in that negative cable because of the corrosion-- is it hot to the touch after the car has been running for a while?

If the voltage drop is negligible, you could try a set of treated washers on the battery posts and some dielectric grease on the battery terminals, but I wouldn't be surprised if you do have some leakage around the battery posts-- 2008 is 7 year ago-- a pretty long time in terms of battery life. Autozone will load test your battery for free to give you some idea of its health.

Good luck!

Thank you. I will try to measure the voltage to see any droop.
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID