I work at a local dealership in the paint and body dept. I recently repaired a 2001 coupe minor damage. Anyway, when i went to move the car i got a clickin noise like the starter went out. I thought that there wasnt anything wrong with the starter cause i just had moved it the day prior!! I installed the charger and charged the batt up to spec and still got the clickin. Come to find out, the acid had ran out of the hot terminal, down the cable, and onto the starter and ate all of the connections up. I asked around at the dealership and found out that many Delco batteries have done that. Trust me it could leave u stranded and a battery change involves dropping the exaughst. So i replaced the battery, Hot cable, and got him on his way. While this problem was occuring the card had the charge system fault light on as well.

 

Well known problem by many of the older members, but it's good of you to apprise the newer members here. Thanks!

1997 - early 2001 Battery Acid Leakage Issue

 

Has this been cured in later models, like '03? I noticed I have a Delco.

 

Later models get a dry cell to prevent this problem. My first mod was a Yellow Top.

 

When I purchased my '99 FRC at the end of October the Dealer installed a new Delco Battery a 78/7yr 770 CCA side terminal. I have checked the area underneath for leakage both before the new one was installed and this past week after 1k miles. No Leakage. Should I have any worries with the new Battery? Hate to replace a Brand new one.
Has the problem of leakage been found on any other late model GM vehicles with that Battery?
Barrier

 

I was made aware of this battery problem for two years and proceeded to monitor my original battery for signs of leakage from the positive post. More and more threads about this convinced me to replace it, even though it hadn't started to leak, so I installed an Optima and set the still good Delco on the floor for future use in another car. A week later when I went to move it, I had battery acid running down from the + post and an etched pattern of the battery's bottom webbing on my concrete floor. My advice, run, do not walk, to the nearest store that sells good quality batteries and replace that Delco. It's been reported that battery acid can run onto the PCM beneath the battery and mess up the multiple wire connectors. Big problem!

 

You work at a stearlership and you just figured this out. Sorry to be harsh.. but Come oN!!!

 

Starting sometime during the 2001 model year, all C5s were equipped with AGM (leak and vibrationproof) batteries. My 01 battery is still starting like a champ at 4.5 years of age.

 

I have a friend in Clermont, Fla. who has an 02 vert and his battery- a side post delco had the post come loose and leak acid. Fortunately he caught it in time, no major damage. He took the car to a Delco dealer and asked to have the warranty replacement and was told without the original sales receipt they would not replace the battery. He asked how could I have a sales receipt for the battery when I bought the car new. Short story-small claims court. He replaced the battery with a new gel. I don't think all cars after 01 came with a gel battery- his is an 02 and it certainly leaked acid.

 

 

Sometime in model year 2001 through model year 2003, GM started installing AC-Delco Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries at the factory. AGM batteries are lead acid batteries, not a dry cell. They also are not a gel cell battery. The difference between AGM and conventional lead acid batteries is that in AGM Batteries, the liquid acid electrolyte is absorbed in the glass mat making them much less likely to leak. However, should the case of a AGM battery crack, it can sometimes leak a little from the acid that seeps from the glass mats:

"All you ever wanted to know about AGM and Gel Cell batteries"

The Optima Red Top and Yellow Top and the Exide Select Orbital® and Exide Select Orbital® XCD batteries you often read about here on the Forum are also AGM batteries.

For model year 2004, GM went back to a conventional AC-Delco top post lead acid battery from the factory due to a number of premature failures that they were experiencing with the AC-Delco AGM batteries. Thus far I have not read or heard of any one having any problems with the conventional AC-Delco top post lead acid battery for model year 2004. The early C5 model year factory battery with which many people had leakage issues was a conventional AC-Delco side post lead acid battery.

Our car came from the factory with the AC-Delco AGM battery and we have had good luck with it thus far. However, I am very good at keeping it properly maintained. I often wonder how many of the battery failures we read about here on the Forum are really the fault of the battery and poor quality versus the owner's failure to keep them properly maintained.

Hope this helps.

 

See my reply above. Also, the link I posted in a previous reply tells how to determine if your AC-Delco battery is an AGM battery (Being your car is an '03, it should have come from the factory with an AC-Delco AGM battery). Here's the link again:

1997 - early 2001 Battery Acid Leakage Issue

Hope this helps.

 

My 04 hasn't leaked yet, but it sure doesnt put out much voltage. The Dic often reads out 11.7 to 11.8 volts befor I start the motor. I dont drive this car every day, but I have thrown the charger on it now & then and it doesn't seem to help all that much. I'm beginning to wonder if I need to try and get the "Stealer" to replace it under warranty.

 

if it has been replaced i wouldnt jump right to replacing it wothout a quick inspection of wheather it is leaking out of the terminals or not, jus a quick disconnect will do to inspect. Normally the terminal end will be wet. Be sure to have any radio codes before u do this cause it will lock ur radio if it is encrypted with a special code thx....

 

Sorry, didnt mean to beat an ole dog, but i havent been workin at the dealership for long, working in the (BODYSHOP), so anyway this is a new problem that i had encountered and just wanted people to be aware!

 

For a more accurate reading, you need to take a reading directly at the battery terminals with an accurate digital volt-ohm multimeter (DVOM). Some loss of voltage through the wiring is common. I've seen readings myself of 11.7 to 11.8V at the DIC to actually be 12.5+ Volts when taken at the battery before starting the motor. If you've recently driven the car or charged the battery, you need to let the car sit at least 2 or 3 hours before taking the reading to allow the battery voltage to stabilize or remove the surface charge. See 6. HOW DO I TEST A BATTERY? at the following link for more info:

CAR BATTERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Also, the GM Service Manuals, if you have them, contain more info on the proper way to test the battery.

Hope this helps.

 

No need to apologize. The info you posted could be very beneficial to the new members here and some of the old members as well.

 

Comments like this are uncalled for. He said he worked in the body shop. Why should he know about leaking batteries in Corvettes? Just because you know about the problem, doesn't mean everyone does.
BTW, What's a stearlership?

 

I wouldn't go exide if they paid for the car. A few years ago they got caught rebuilding batteries and selling them to Sears as NEW Diehards, multi million dollar settlement kept them out of court and the papers. I'm not sure if I would ever trust them again.

 

For many years I had Delco Freedom Batteries that just seemed to last and last and last. Then the 4 year old battery in my 91 Olds Bravada dumped the + lead out of the case and poured battery acid all over the frame. Drove into the Jiffy Lube and had to get towed out since that is where it happened. A couple of years later the + lead on the Delco in my 99 Tahoe did the same thing. I would say the failure rate I have experienced with + terminals falling out is around 20% overall.

Bill