Car Dies While Driving

[josh044]

I've been running into this issue intermittently.

Here's what happens.

I'll be driving, it dies when my foot of the gas as I am coming to a stop.

At this point, the car won't start up again without a jump. A jump will get me going fine again.

Here is what I find odd.

I went to Autozone, they tested by battery and my alternator. The battery was 100% good, the alternate passed, it was a touch low, I think at 13.75 instead of the 14 that was the baseline.

What I haven't mentioned is my battery corrodes like crazy on the + terminal. Usually, when this happens (after my battery is charged up again), I'll clean off the terminals and the connectors, the problem goes away.

So, I cleaned it off again last night, my drive into work was fine.

What I am figuring is that as my terminals corrode, the alternator isn't charging the battery back up and it dies. Does this sound right? Would a running car die with a dead battery?

Also, should I be concerned about the corrosion from the battery? The guy at Autozone though that the corrosion might be spreading to the alternator.

Thanks!

[bronsin]

You can reduce that corrosion by coding the terminals of the battery with wheel bearing grease.

[SirDigby]

the car only uses the battery to start. the rest of the time it runs off the alternator and the battery acts as a "cushion" or an "accumulator" for the electrical pulses from the alternator. corrosion would effect it by not being able to start, and...maybe, i guess it's a possibility that it's inhibiting the flow to the rest of the system.(?) i've never heard of battery corrosion causing a vehicle to die wile coming to a stop, but maybe. you might want to check other connections for issues
(do not run the engine with the battery disconnected. it can (will) cause micropitting/cracking on electrical circuit boards/microprocessors throughout the car)

[josh044]

So, in theory, it sounds like it's possible that a corroded terminal could prevent proper battery re-charging (during driving), which could lead to a dead battery and having the issue I have stated?

I should add, after my car dies, sometimes I can get it to restart after knocking some corrosion off of the terminals. At other times, that hasn't worked. It was like the battery was completely dead.

Any advice on other connection points to check? Maybe the connections at the alternator?

[josh044]

Also, thanks bronsin, I'll try the bearing grease, I have some in my garage.

[SirDigby]

Any advice on other connection points to check? Maybe the connections at the alternator?

yep. anywhere electricity flows. alt, bat, starter. check your ground strap. add some ground straps. clean your battery good with sodium bicarbonate. once in a wile clean the entire battery to prevent surface discharge.

[Ranger SVO]

You can reduce that corrosion by coding the terminals of the battery with wheel bearing grease.

Try this NoCo product for corrosion protection. I bought a can a few years ago (when the cans were still blue and white) and I've used it on 7 or 8 cars. I still have half a can.

Try it, the stuff works
https://no.co/a202