AC Delco Bttery Leaking
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Shalimar FL
AC Delco Bttery Leaking
Well, battery number two did the same thing as the original battery. The Positive pole just broke off due to corrosion from a cracked battery that leaked all over the pan and frame of my 99 Coupe. I finally bought an Optima red top battery andthis should keep this problem from reocurring. From now on when some one asks me what thier first mod should be, I will tell them to change out their OEM battery. I will sand and repaint frame after washing good with baking soda and Simple Green.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 6,454
Likes: 3
From: Hells Sister City Phoenix AZ
St. Jude Donor '03
Should be a lesson to every new Vette owner. Sorry I happened but it doesn't sound like it effected your computer, etc. I was lucky after waiting almost a year after I got my Vette. No leakage! 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 3,123
Likes: 3
From: Orland Park Illinois
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Yep, you woan't have to worry about a leaking battery w/ an Optima. Now you can worry if the Optima will last more than a year before it dies on you. Good luck... 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,927
Likes: 3
From: Glendale NY
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18- '19
Battery
________________________________________ ____________________
[=BiggieBoy]Yep, you woan't have to worry about a leaking battery w/ an Optima. Now you can worry if the Optima will last more than a year before it dies on you. Good luck...
________________________________________ ____________________
When I bought my car 3 years ago it came with a replacement Delco battery (7 year warranty)......so far, so good. Now, question is should I purchase an Optima or maybe try an "Interstate" battery which I've used in my other vehicles for the last 15 years without a problem?
[=BiggieBoy]Yep, you woan't have to worry about a leaking battery w/ an Optima. Now you can worry if the Optima will last more than a year before it dies on you. Good luck...
________________________________________ ____________________
When I bought my car 3 years ago it came with a replacement Delco battery (7 year warranty)......so far, so good. Now, question is should I purchase an Optima or maybe try an "Interstate" battery which I've used in my other vehicles for the last 15 years without a problem?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 3,123
Likes: 3
From: Orland Park Illinois
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Originally Posted by 6SPD98
________________________________________ ____________________
[=BiggieBoy]Yep, you woan't have to worry about a leaking battery w/ an Optima. Now you can worry if the Optima will last more than a year before it dies on you. Good luck...
________________________________________ ____________________
When I bought my car 3 years ago it came with a replacement Delco battery (7 year warranty)......so far, so good. Now, question is should I purchase an Optima or maybe try an "Interstate" battery which I've used in my other vehicles for the last 15 years without a problem?
[=BiggieBoy]Yep, you woan't have to worry about a leaking battery w/ an Optima. Now you can worry if the Optima will last more than a year before it dies on you. Good luck...
________________________________________ ____________________
When I bought my car 3 years ago it came with a replacement Delco battery (7 year warranty)......so far, so good. Now, question is should I purchase an Optima or maybe try an "Interstate" battery which I've used in my other vehicles for the last 15 years without a problem?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 12
From: Vancouver
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
This is not good. A/C Delco and Opitmas going bad for no reason. So what's one to do. I was going to start to look for one. Maybe Interstate is the way to go. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,315
Likes: 17
From: Near Jacksonville Fl.
Stock Delco battery in my 98 started to give up last summer didn't go dead and leave me stranded.
It just sulfated from age and it never leaked!
I replaced it with an upgraded Delco (more CCA) found no corrosion on the cables but spiffed them up anyway with a wire brush.
The most important thing in battery installation is make sure it fits the tray properly and the hold down is installed correctly and last but not least DO NOT OVER TORQUE THE CABLE BOLTS!
Then put a slow charge on the new battery with a battery charger till it's fully charged, remember it's been sitting on someones shelf slowly discharging since it was shipped from the factory.
Driving the car to charge the battery will result in shorter battery life and alternator life!
It just sulfated from age and it never leaked!
I replaced it with an upgraded Delco (more CCA) found no corrosion on the cables but spiffed them up anyway with a wire brush.
The most important thing in battery installation is make sure it fits the tray properly and the hold down is installed correctly and last but not least DO NOT OVER TORQUE THE CABLE BOLTS!
Then put a slow charge on the new battery with a battery charger till it's fully charged, remember it's been sitting on someones shelf slowly discharging since it was shipped from the factory.
Driving the car to charge the battery will result in shorter battery life and alternator life!
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 16,270
Likes: 30
From: "It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-‘18-'19
NCM Sinkhole Donor
I've had my Optima going on 18 months (first thing I changed when I got my car - within the first week of ownership) and I've never had a single problem. My car sometimes sits more than a week without starting it - then it starts first time everytime. 
I guess the answer is that you need an absorbed gas mat battery - though not necessarily an Optima.......
I guess the answer is that you need an absorbed gas mat battery - though not necessarily an Optima.......
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,415
Likes: 24,798
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Glad you caught it when you did since it sounds like the acid missed the computer and wiring underneath the battery tray. One of the first mods I did was to get an Optima. Good choice.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,780
Likes: 442
From: Southwest MI
Originally Posted by Nomar
.....from now on when some one asks me what thier first mod should be, I will tell them to change out their OEM battery. I will sand and repaint frame after washing good with baking soda and Simple Green.
yup, i took out the Delco the day i brought the C5 home... installed the Optima, sold the (new/acid) Delco for 50$. i just leave a Sears tender on it when in storage..... all is well.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 771
Likes: 0
From: Erie County, Pennsylvania
Originally Posted by Nomar
Well, battery number two did the same thing as the original battery. The Positive pole just broke off due to corrosion from a cracked battery that leaked all over the pan and frame of my 99 Coupe. I finally bought an Optima red top battery andthis should keep this problem from reocurring. From now on when some one asks me what thier first mod should be, I will tell them to change out their OEM battery. I will sand and repaint frame after washing good with baking soda and Simple Green.
Living in Pennsylvania I was able to find a distributor for NEWCASTLE BATTERY, made right here in Western PA. 800 Cold Cranking Amps for $83 beans ! That's what I use now.
Dan G.
Girard, PA USA