That crusty stuff is acid eating what ever it can. That is causing a bad ground, classic battery draining material.
Get that battery to a land-fill as soon as possible, get an Optima (or other SEALED gel-cell/spiral cell battery), replace that ground cable, and clean all that corrosion and crap out with a baking soda & water solution. You may have to pull the battery box itself as well to make sure you get under the box.
The long screw is the battery hold-down. Depending on the corrosion, it may or may not come out. Soak it well with WD-40 or whatever you prefer before attacking it with the 10mm wrench. The clamp is captive on the bolt, so just loosen it and it (should) all come out together.
[NOTE: if you go with the Optima, you want to order the ORANGE top model. It has the terminals reversed for an easy fit with the stock cables in the ti. I have a red top (same internally), which I then had to replace the ground cable with a longer one for it to fit properly. I did not know about the orange top at that time.]
Clean it thoroughly, or next time you check, there will be a big hole where the battery was...
If there is rusty metal there now (very likely), use POR-15 or cold galvanizing spray to protect it (after removing the rust). Cover with color-matched paint if you care; the battery box should hide your work.
Well, what are you waiting for? Your car is being eaten by acid! Run! Fix it now! |