Joe F

I took the battery out of my 83 Euro S the other day and noticed some corossion in there. I wet it down and put some baking soda on the corrosion to neutralize it. The baking soda did its thing, I rinsed out the inside of the box and let it dry. Then, I took a wire brush on my drill and cleaned up the rust and flaking paint areas. I vacuumed out the box, wiped it down to get any excess dust out and then I sprayed some enamel paint in there to cover up the bare metal. That was apparently not the right thing to do because 2 days later, it is still not dry.
What have I done? Can it be fixed? If so, how? If not, what should I do now? I hate to set the battery back in there on that still sticky paint, but if I did, would it cause a problem?

Will the paint ever dry or is there some compatibility problem with that rubberized paint that was in the box already?
As always, your help and suggestions always appreciated.

Randy V

Try placing a small heater or shop light in that area for a day. That should cure the paint.

SharkSkin

Put it out in the sun -- should dry in a couple months(when the sun comes out)

Joe '87 S4

I can't believe the paint wouldn't be dry after two days. Something definitely is still in there reacting with the paint. Was it completely dry before you painted? Or possibly the baking soda is still in there and reacting to the paint? I'd try cleaning it out again, make sure it's completely clean and dry (like Randy said, get a small heater in there or let it air dry for a day) and then paint it again and maybe use the heater to dry the paint also..

Joe F

I had a 100 watt trouble light on in there all night last night and it is still tacky.

I fear some sort of incompatibility with that rubberized stuff.

What could it really hurt if I put the battery b ack in anyway?

Yes it was completely clean and dry in there prior to the spray paint.

Arrgghhhh

Joe '87 S4

There was a little corrosion in my box when I changed the battery. I changed the battery and closed the lid and didn't see the corrosion again until the next time I changed the battery.

Actually I just scraped the surface like you did with the drill and in 6 years, it hasn't gotten any worse.

davek9

Do those battery mats work, has anyone used one?

Alan

The battery mats seem to work OK - venting the battery also helps - tube to the outside... in case of overflow and often just caustic fumes as the electrolyte bubbles while charging My battery box still looks new...

Of course living in Phoenix helps too...

Alan

Marine Blue

Dave is right, the paint is probably reacting with the rubber underneath making it sticky. The only way to correct it is to remove the paint and possibly some of the rubber coating and reapply. Many here have found some type of rubberized undercarriage spray which may also work.

Most important thing is to make sure the battery box is completely dry and corrosion free before applying anything

Joe F

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I appreciate your response to my problem. I will leave it overnight and if still sticky in the morning, I guess I will take some lacquer thinnner and remove the sticky paint and start again. These things seem to happen more frequently when you are on a time crunch and really don't have time to re-do things.

Oh well, my dear old dad used to say...."Do it right, or do it over." I hated him sometimes.


But first.........

Later

Joe F

I decided that I would try one more time to dry the paint and used a heat gun on the battery box. About 3 five minute sessions and the paint is not nearly as tacky now. I will try a few more times and then I believe I will be able to install the battery with no problems.
Thanks again for all the suggestions.
Soon to be on the road.