Your C5 Corvette's Battery is probably DAMAGING it!

[@skinnerhound2660]

This is all good information and I thank you for your solution. I bought my wife a 30K mile '01 earlier this year and knew of this issue. You have motivated me to check the type of battery the previous installed. Also you are spot on about battery safety. Years ago I was helping a friend jumpstart his car. I turned away just when his battery exploded. The entire top of the battery blew apart, acid everywhere. The explosion was so loud my hearing was lost for a day. I was very lucky that my eyes were spared and your advise for safety glasses should always be a must.

[@Toys4Life]

Thanks for chiming in and the kind words!

[@YellowVette04]

Great advice to prevent a possible huge expensive issue

[@Toys4Life]

Thank you sir, looking forward to your car show video coming out today - should be a blast!

[@doug.s6289]

My C5 has never had a battery leak issue. Still have a flooded acid type battery. But as a precaution, besides checking for leaks and deformed sides monthly, I bought a 1/4" thick battery mat from Amazon and put it under the battery. Mat is chemically treated to absorb and neutralize leaking acid. Under $15 for a sheet. Needs some trimming with scissors to fit exactly.

[@rjrestorationstation4402]

Great advice, just double checked my battery, it’s an Optima AGM !!! 😘 Pulled the battery and box and cleaned the entire area after I bought my 02 convertible a year and a half ago. Some very mild signs of corrosion. Cleaned all that up and checked out the computer and wiring. All looked good. C5’s are a really fabulous generation. Thanks again for your video. Merry Christmas, Bob

[@Toys4Life]

Thanks Bob, appreciate the comments and Merry Christmas to you as well Sir!

[@PNW_Car_Mods]

Great video Toys. Thanks for the props too by the way. You're far too kind like so many great car enthusiasts I've come across on YT. A guy I went to Avionics school with back in 1990 or so was doing a jumper cable job on his car and had the battery explode on him. Was in the hospital for a day and permanently damaged his right ear drum. A lot of people take batteries for granted and admittedly I do to far too often.

[@Toys4Life]

Thanks Steve - and thanks for the clip!!

[@allandgraf482]

Just purchased and installed an Optima Red Top AGM! Thanks for the info!!!!

[@Toys4Life]

Good choice!

[@prettydog37072]

Good advice, batteries can cause some serious corrosion. Nice hat too.

[@Toys4Life]

Thanks Larry! Decided to rotate the hat collection around a bit.....

[@leonlawrencez28]

I just replaced my AC Delco battery with a Optima Red top battery. No leaking and my battery tray was extremely clean.

[@Toys4Life]

Nice! Many are just fine. Not every sealed lead acid battery leaks, but every leaky battery is a sealed lead acid battery.

[@patlandymore7035]

Awesome video, thanks for posting. Will pull the battery on my 2005 C6 later today and have a look underneath it to check. Great timing as I just ordered an AGM battery for my Factory Five ‘35 pickup truck. I feel a lot better about making the purchase now. 👍🏼

[@jasonhadley594]

Great video. I've seen some bad ones before. I Always make a point to check this area when looking at cars to buy.

[@Toys4Life]

Nice- hope you find no leak issues!

[@jeremyferg271]

Another great video! Thanks for putting the content together and making it look fun!

[@Toys4Life]

Thanks for commenting sir!

[@davyhendrix]

Got the optimum battery for my C-5 after watching your videos

[@shaark92]

amen on the battery explosion. when I was a teenager ... had one explode on me cranking a tractor. the battery was on the other side of the firewall, but my feet were exposed to it. I'll never forget that. If I don't have safety glasses, jumping mine/another, I always turn my noggin expecting the explosion.

[@Toys4Life]

I have one explode as well inside the back of my Volkswagen bug when I was 17. It was so loud I thought the car blew up luckily it was underneath the seat so I did not get hit by any acid it made one hell of a mess though and now I always try to connect the positive first and then the negative far away from the battery just in case...

[@paulwallace9644]

thank you for the great info am looking for a C5 and every car I come accross has had the AGM replaced have asked several dealers and private owners if they would remove wheel and cover plate and or battery and box no such luck have passed up half a dozen cars for this reason

[@Toys4Life]

Did you try telling them you would buy it contingent upon they're not being acid damage?

[@daren9721]

I just had my boat battery blow up on a trickle charger. Luckily my vet was parked on the other side of the garage.

[@Toys4Life]

That makes a huge mess! Had one blow up about 20 years ago. Scared the crap out of me and that acid makes a mess. Glad my eyeballs were not in range.

[@nicholaspolitis9048]

I have heard this and watched your video as well as others including one by C & S Corvettes where they work on corvettes C3, C4, C5, C6 C7 and their opinion based on servicing corvettes is the mat and gel batteries do not like areas of high temperature climates; do not last long; need a special type of charger and do cost over $100-130 more. I was thinking about it and decided for my 2001 C5 I check the battery often but also decided to get a BATTERY MAT that when acid comes in contact with it, it neutralizes it.

[@Toys4Life]

C&S definitely has a lot of experience. That having been sad my Duracell AGM is 8 years old and still going strong. It's probably going to die pretty soon and I'll absolutely buy another one.

[@keithp115]

Superb information. Thank you!!

[@Toys4Life]

Glad it was helpful!

[@markdavid4897]

Thank you!

[@Toys4Life]

You're welcome!

[@JimWilky1974]

Your videos are the best. Thank you for doing what you do!!

[@Toys4Life]

I appreciate that!

[@EdwardEns]

Glad I watched this!! Thanks!!

[@wyattoneable]

Thanks for the information.

[@Toys4Life]

4 sure!!

[@radioflitercairplanes1715]

After watching this I went right out and bought a new optima sealed battery. It gives me piece of mind and is cheap insurance.

[@Toys4Life]

Indeed!

[@hardcorehooksets5825]

mine leaks. didnt know untill the various electrical issues reared their ugky heads. any way to repair these without spending the 1-6k at a dealership?

[@Toys4Life]

Bring it to my house, pretty sure I could do it for a heck of a lot cheaper.

[@hardcorehooksets5825]

@@Toys4Life okay sweet on my way

[@Andyscollection69]

I’m checking mine tomorrow

[@Toys4Life]

Nice!

[@corvetteswithbowie7529]

Silly question. How do you tell if your battery is lead acid or agm?

[@Toys4Life]

Very carefully read all the fine print on the top of the batt. Absorbent Glass Matt should say AGM somewhere. If in doubt, call the manufacturer with your make and model battery.

[@35057]

Well then.. it’s a good thing I didn’t cheap out with my battery replacement recently… haven’t replaced it yet but it’ll be a winter project pulling that wheel well off and checking the pcm and that area. And getting an AGM battery for my baby.

[@Toys4Life]

Right on!

[@35057]

@@Toys4Life and honestly I can only take so much of corvette forum. Just toxic people ruin it. Forums used to be great. Just not anymore.

[@brandonpacheco8124]

This is good to know!

[@Toys4Life]

Thank you sir!

[@ronniepearson9726]

Do you still keep your AGM on a trickle charger

[@Toys4Life]

Yes, in the winter. Otherwise it'll be dead as a door now over the long Minnesota winter and that's not good for it.

[@ScaleCrawling]

What's your opinion on the Optima Red Top for the C5? My C5 overcharged my Optima Red Top somehow and it gassed like crazy, but didn't ignite luckily. What could have cause this?

[@Toys4Life]

I have not heard a lot of great things about them - but that is not a very scientific response. I have had a Duracell Procell AGM in my C5 for 8 years and it is still going strong. When it dies, I will be looking for another!

[@ResidentialGarage]

rust on frame and every thing . and my wiring in the car had a big firer lol

[@Toys4Life]

ick!

[@scootermagavin12]

What size Duracell battery is in your C5.? I was going to get one.

[@Toys4Life]

Check the size for your particular year C5. I know the C6's changed battery box size (for some dumb reason) midway through... That duracell starting to get week - at year 9. I am impressed!!

[@jameschimientisr.8699]

So just wondering, what Car Battery do you Recommend ?

[@Toys4Life]

If you can find one when you need it, and absorbed glass mat battery/agm for short.

[@thegrumchronicles3558]

There is an overflow vent on lead acid batteries, attach a small vacuum line and run it underneath. As for the corrosion on the terminals (galvanic reaction), add some corrosion inhibitor. Problem solved.

[@Toys4Life]

I just looked on one that I had laying around and I don't see it. I'll have to check another one out, this is not ringing about but I may have just never noticed it. Either way my next battery for the C5 is still an AGM!

[@exploringgodscountry]

This @hit happened to my C5... Although, I used the right battery, it was even an AGM battery which amazingly started to bubble crap out. I damaged it trying to clean it up w/ baking soda and water. Been chasing wiring demons for several years now. I'm trying to find a battery box if anybody makes one to just capture any crap that could potentially bubble out.

[@Toys4Life]

Yikes. Not much room for a box without altering the way the battery mounts...

[@exploringgodscountry]

@@Toys4Life yeah I'm seeing that unfortunately. I bought a new AGM battery but in light of this trouble I've not really driven the vette in 4 years... only to run motor a bit and keep it up. Wish there was a better / aftermarket solution to this beyond the AGM batteries.

[@sothbeachboy2195]

What intake does ur vette have

[@Toys4Life]

stock 03 LS6.

[@johnwehunt4305]

Yeah, It happened to mine. GM, what were they thinking.

[@Toys4Life]

And I still get comments from people that this is fiction.... Did you switch to AGM?

[@johnwehunt4305]

@@Toys4Life Yes AGM. Cheapest way to remedy this issue. There are more expensive batteries that are less weight, but if that's not important then AGM.

[@raulfrias8436]

i hear the agm batteries are not very reliable ive never had a problem with a wet battery and they last a long time

[@Toys4Life]

I'm on over 8 years with my agm. That's the longest I've had a battery. Sealed lead acid are just fine, until you get the one that leaks all over your computer. It's a small risk That can be eliminated with an AGM. Property depends on how long people are going to keep their cars. Short-term, go cheap. Keep the car for 15 years, go AGM?

[@raulfrias8436]

​@@Toys4Life either battery will work fine. if you never open your hood and ignore tune ups then i would never use wet battery

[@raulfrias8436]

@@Toys4Life in this video at 6:53 it explains whats recommended for the location and temperature for vettes kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4bXmnegl7hgi9U i think overall batteries are pretty reliable

[@Toys4Life]

The reliable until they're not. There are more than a few people out there that have had their computer and/or harness destroyed by a leaking lead acid maintenance-free battery , maybe it's 2% but those people are miserable and they're unhappy about it. Maintenance-free lead acid batteries occasionally can and do leak- and on the C5 it can be catastrophic. C6 as well. AGM eliminates the risk. The choice is up to the owner, and most people have no idea that it's an issue, albeit a rare issue.

[@FronkG]

shit my new to me c5z has the regular acid battery for its entire life, Im going to take the battery off to check if theres any leak.

[@Toys4Life]

50% chance it is clean.. Good luck!

[@MonkehEgo]

This just convinced me not to buy the C5 😔

[@Toys4Life]

I still would. Just inspect it!!

[@scarecrow6741]

I have over 100k on mine with no issues. I've never had a problem because I have never bought a cheap ass battery.

[@Toys4Life]

Could be, or it could be that you got lucky. From the feedback I've received all over, it seems pretty random which ones leak due to cracks, or seals around the post leaking. Sounds like they will all leak, if your alternator ever has an issue and overcharges them. Problem is you can't tell in advance if yours is ever going to have an issue, and on the C5 the consequences can be dire.

[@philipkircher2848]

My factory battery leaked on my computer.

[@Toys4Life]

And I still have people tell me that sealed led acid batteries won't leak, because they're sealed....Sorry that that happened to yours!!