Is this Battery Leaking? Pic Inside

Hey guys, my car is a 2012 and has 18K miles on it. Today while replacing the air cleaner I noticed that one of the caps of the battery (near the negative terminal on the fender side) looked greasy/oily with crud on it; the other looked clean. Is this battery acid that has leaked and collected grime or could it be grease from the terminal?

Thank you

http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q650/NoZombies223/battery_zps2e964843.png

This really doesn't look like battery acid but if it is , it will have a distinct smell . It looks more like grime from something in that area leaking causing dirt , etc. to build up a film ! At 12,000 miles , I wouldn't think it would look that grimy unless it's been subjected to a very dusty or dirty environment ? If this is a FWD car , the AC compressor is usually in this area ( on passenger side of the engine compartment ) and leaks in that system often lead to this type of build up . Or it could be your power steering pump ( also normally in this area ) leaking ? Is the battery the only component showing this grime or is it also built up in nearby areas ? Did you buy the vehicle new or used ? Did you buy the car lately or have you had it for a while ? Did you get a vehicle history when you bought it ? Have you looked under the car for unusual debris or signs of water damage ? Raise up the trunk liner and look in the hard to reach areas ( such as the spare tire well ) for signs of unusual residue . More info would be helpful particularly make and model of vehicle . Good luck !

Thanks for the reply. I bought this car brand new and it has 18K miles. The battery is on the driver side of the car and this particular cap is closest to the fender, I'm not sure where the power steering pump or AC compressor is but I assume they are on the other side of the engine where the belt is. This is pretty much the only area that looks grimy. The battery terminals were coated with grease and the terminal closest to this cap can be seen in the photo. what does battery acid smell like? It's not to dusty here in the north east, just a lot of road salt and sand the last few weeks.

This really doesn't look like battery acid but if it is , it will have a distinct smell . It looks more like grime from something in that area leaking causing dirt , etc. to build up a film ! At 12,000 miles , I wouldn't think it would look that grimy unless it's been subjected to a very dusty or dirty environment ? If this is a FWD car , the AC compressor is usually in this area ( on passenger side of the engine compartment ) and leaks in that system often lead to this type of build up . Or it could be your power steering pump ( also normally in this area ) leaking ? Is the battery the only component showing this grime or is it also built up in nearby areas ? Did you buy the vehicle new or used ? Did you buy the car lately or have you had it for a while ? Did you get a vehicle history when you bought it ? Have you looked under the car for unusual debris or signs of water damage ? Raise up the trunk liner and look in the hard to reach areas ( such as the spare tire well ) for signs of unusual residue . More info would be helpful particularly make and model of vehicle . Good luck !

Have you had the car detailed since you purchased it? Maybe somewhere along the way some engine dressing has been sprayed under the hood and the sand and dust is sticking to the dressing. Some of the dressings I've seen have an oily film. Have you ever had a belt chirp that someone's tried to identify? I suppose it could be belt dressing as well, although as new as the car is I'd hope that's not the case.

I'd suggest you clean it off and see if it returns. I agree that it's probably not a leak from the battery.

-Rod

For some reason my embedded photo disappeared. I've uploaded instead.

Looks like the typical venting residue from a battery that is not "maintenance-free". Fairly common, but it wouldn't hurt to pour a mix of baking soda and water on it to clean & neutralize it, lest it starts to run down and corrode the battery tray.

People often coat the battery terminal connections with grease to prevent corrosion . That could be what is attracting the dirt , etc. to collect on this particular area ? In the picture , just to the left of the grime build - up , is what appears to be a wire or maybe a vacuum hose ? There seems to be some " flakes " on that item that look like corrosion . Maybe someone ( you or a mechanic ) cleaned the battery posts and some of the corrosion was brushed off the battery and landed on that particular item ?

The posts have never been touched since the factory and no one has detailed under the hood of the car. The spot you are talking about was on the bracket but was not acid.

However, under the bracket might be a different story. I've uploaded another pic and circled an area under the bracket where I am thinking there may have been a leak from the vent cap.



People often coat the battery terminal connections with grease to prevent corrosion . That could be what is attracting the dirt , etc. to collect on this particular area ? In the picture , just to the left of the grime build - up , is what appears to be a wire or maybe a vacuum hose ? There seems to be some " flakes " on that item that look like corrosion . Maybe someone ( you or a mechanic ) cleaned the battery posts and some of the corrosion was brushed off the battery and landed on that particular item ?

Doesn't look like battery acid to me. It would have made a whitish sulphate otherwise. Just clean it off and check again in a week.

Doesn't seems like battery leakage. If it is then there are some symptoms of it like vehicle will won't start at all. When you start the car there will be weak or no response with ticking sound. It could be the grease from terminal.

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As showed in the picture its not a battery acid and you do not need to worry about it. it is a grease which usually puts on installation of new battery if you are not facing any issue just plug it off and clean with acid and Mobil oil mixture and re plug it.