Hello all,
I have a 2016 Explorer, and during my latest oil change, I noticed quite a buildup of blue gunk under the red terminal cover. After I cleaned much of the stuff off, I realized the bracket is almost completely corroded in two.
Questions
1) I've done some searching, and it appears that this can be done as a diy project, but would it be covered under warranty?
2) can the metal bracket that fits over the terminal be replaced by itself, or will the wiring need to be purchased as well? I've seen comments made where Ford will not sell just the bracket, and the job will be over $300.
Anyone go through this? How common is this problem? I've never had this problem in my life, but I am seeing that I am not the only one to experience this with the Explorer. Maybe I've just been lucky.
This is not directed at you, but stuff like this doesn't just happen. It takes time and happens because the majority of people do not do any pm on their vehicles. At a minimum, one should be checking oil and fluid levels and looking under the hood once every 1-3 months which should provide ample warning to any visible problems that may be happening. There are also various sprays and other stuff you can buy to prevent or lessen corrosion of battery terminals. It's not like battery issues are new. They've been around as long as batteries. It's no different from those that choose to run various fluids or parts for 100K miles or more without ever checking them.Thanks for merging.
Does anyone know how wide-spread this problem is? This is obviously a defect, most likely a leaking battery problem. My battery tested fine, but if many people have had this problem, a bad batch of batteries seems to be a good possibility. Any idea on a class action/recall? This should never happen, especially to the point of eating completely through the bracket
This is not directed at you, but stuff like this doesn't just happen. It takes time and happens because the majority of people do not do any pm on their vehicles. At a minimum, one should be checking oil and fluid levels and looking under the hood once every 1-3 months which should provide ample warning to any visible problems that may be happening. There are also various sprays and other stuff you can buy to prevent or lessen corrosion of battery terminals. It's not like battery issues are new. They've been around as long as batteries. It's no different from those that choose to run various fluids or parts for 100K miles or more without ever checking them.
Also, what is the cause? If it is indeed a leaking battery, how can that be good (or normal)? If it's not the battery, is it normal to have this kind of build up on the battery terminal? Is it part of the standard maintenance to clean off the battery terminal, or does this indicate another underlying problem?
This is really confusing. I have a 2016 Explorer Limited and this is what the positive terminal looks like, after a cleaned it up a little:
But the part everyone else seems to have looks like this:
I only have 2 wires going to the positive terminal. The one on the left is crimped on, and the the other is bolted on. That 100 amp fuse attaches to a big flat connector at the bottom but I can't figure out what wire is supposed to be fused. Should I just get a simpler battery terminal?
The link in post #47 seems to be what I have on the end of my cable.
Peter
Hi Peter,
If you look closely at yours, I'll bet the second of two wires (the one coming up vertically from below) is actually crimped to the battery clamp itself(?) There is no mounting lug like for the upper horizontal wire. Mine has clearly been altered so I can't go on what mine looks like.
The photo I attached below is closer to what I think ours is, but with an extra mounting stud. I'm afraid that the two flat flaps at the 10 o'clock position is used to crimp this clamp (and our single stud version) to the vertical wire. This requires a special (and likely expensive) crimping tool. Can any Ford Tech's chime in to confirm? Otherwise the entire harness needs to be replaced... or do the hack job seen on my original post.
Thanks, Jim
View attachment 165754
You are right Jim. That looks like the one I have. I took another picture of mine, both + and - clamps. The vertical wire appears to be soldered as well.Hi Peter,
If you look closely at yours, I'll bet the second of two wires (the one coming up vertically from below) is actually crimped to the battery clamp itself(?) There is no mounting lug like for the upper horizontal wire. Mine has clearly been altered so I can't go on what mine looks like.
The photo I attached below is closer to what I think ours is, but with an extra mounting stud. I'm afraid that the two flat flaps at the 10 o'clock position is used to crimp this clamp (and our single stud version) to the vertical wire. This requires a special (and likely expensive) crimping tool. Can any Ford Tech's chime in to confirm? Otherwise the entire harness needs to be replaced... or do the hack job seen on my original post.
Thanks, Jim
View attachment 165754
DA8Z-14526-A is not what I have on my 2017 so I'm guessing it also is not for the 2016.You do not have to replace the entire harness. This is part part number you need "DA8Z14526A", not the small clamp shown in the photo. Put "Ford Part Number DA8Z14526A" in a Google search and you'll see the entire positive terminal clamp with red plastic cover. Unfortunately due to the defective OEM battery that had a lose positive terminal post I had to do this repair.
DA8Z-14526-A is not what I have on my 2017 so I'm guessing it also is not for the 2016.
Circuit Breaker - Ford (DA8Z-14526-A) | Auto Nation Ford White Bear La
Peter
You are right Jim. That looks like the one I have. I took another picture of mine, both + and - clamps. The vertical wire appears to be soldered as well.
Peter
View attachment 165758
View attachment 165759
Once corrosion reaches the wires, trying to re-crimp (or solder) to that area is a real no-no in the industry. You can try cleaning the wires with vinegar and using pliers to crimp it on the best you can... and it may very well be good enough... but it will never approach the current capacity of when it was new. I wouldn't hesitate doing this to get through a summer, but I personally wouldn't risk it through a winter.
Only thing I would add is that you should clean them first. There are some homemade recipes you can use or CRC makes a terminal cleaner and acid detector.After seeing this post, I have checked mine and sprayed them with battery terminal protector spray. Hopefully that will help.