Cleaning blue-green crud from battery area of scanner

a while.

it always comes

there a way to

It's corrosion from traces of battery electrolyte. Clean it off with vinegar, that'll react with the alkaline electrolyte and neutralize it. Then wash it off with water and dry it out.

Hello, James! You wrote on Mon, 25 Jul 2005 00:24:42 GMT:

??>> John ??>>

It's corrosion from traces of battery electrolyte. Clean it off with vinegar, that'll react with the alkaline electrolyte and neutralize it. Then wash it off with water and dry it out.

As well as cleaning the area it would be a good idea to smear the terminals and any other metal parts in the battery box with light grease to prevent further deterioration. you don't have to clean the grease off to use the scanner as it wont interfere with anything.

With best regards, 3T39. E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

a while.

it always comes

there a way to

It's acid. Try warm water and baking soda to neutralize it.

Thanks all for the answers. I tried vinegar on q-tips but that doesn't seem to get rid of the blue-green...some came off but there's still plenty left. I'll try water and baking soda next but I'm a bit worried about water seeping into the electronics...any ideas for preventing that (I could hold the scanner upside down but that might be awkward.

John

seem to get rid

water and

electronics...any

might be

I soaked an entire portable CD player in that solution - worked fine ever since, but it helps to know what you are doing. Make up a paste of water and baking soda and apply to 'crud'.

seem to get rid

water and

electronics...any

might be

Don't use baking soda, it's not acid, it's a base.

Well I've tried warm water and baking soda...it may be neutralized now, but it's still blue-green. And there are small openings in the metal battery connections with the blue-green down inside. Am I going to have to scrap this stuff out with an ice pick? And a magnifying glass?

John

but it's still

with the

an ice pick?

Could be. Or try WD-40 and leave it on for a bit.

but it's still

with the

an ice pick?

Vinegar will neutralize the battery fluid, but you'll still have to scrub off the corrosion from it.

it's still

the

pick?

The green is probably a copper oxide that formed when the battery contents leaked on the contacts. You can try vinegar, but rinse it off well and let it dry when done. It may take awhile but it will clean metal corrosion up rather mildly.

I've used a dental pick to scrape those down to clean metal to get good contact again.

I use a good grade of bearing grease to coat the contacts and battery ends to prevent further corrosion. The grease contains corrosion inhibitors and keeps the air/oxygen away from the parts. The contact pressure will still push the metal parts together and allow electrical contact.

----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

-----------------------------------------------

Thanks everyone for the advice. Looks like I'll be scraping away for a good while.

John

it's still

with the

ice pick?