Substance under boot cover

[Garry_]

Hi all,

I am about to install battery charger leads to the buzz bar in the boot (as recommended under another topic yesterday - thanks cj10jeeper !) and found an oil like substance within - please see pics.

I suspect it is residue from an oil top up bottle but the carpet/linings in the removable storage box seems clean and oil free. I don't think it is coming from the battery...

I intend to just mop up with kitchen roll but just wanted ascertain thoughts before doing so. It feels like oil in terms of viscosity.

BTW - what is the black semi-circular disc with all of the wires in the bottom of the boot? Should I remove and thoroughly clean it or just wipe around with it in situ?

Sorry if a bit of a draft question...

[GARETH]

Looks like a spill of oil. Or possibly tyre repair fluid has leaked from the bottle?

The round thing is the earthing point for the electrics.

[Philskill]

All you can do is clean it up, see if just a spill that's dried up.

Yes the black round thing is the common ground connector for various circuits.

I notice you have a thin Red wire leading from the Battery Bus-Bar unfused outside of the Fuse box, I'm guessing that's aftermarket, and looks a little vulnerable. Ideally you'd fuse it in the fuse box, or at least shorten the wire so the black sheathed bit goes into the fusebox. Is that bulge an inline fuse further down the cable?

[NavigatorNI]

I notice you have a thin Red wire leading from the Battery Bus-Bar unfused outside of the Fuse box, I'm guessing that's aftermarket, and looks a little vulnerable. Ideally you'd fuse it in the fuse box, or at least shorten the wire so the black sheathed bit goes into the fusebox. Is that bulge an inline fuse further down the cable?

Follow that red wire (the one with the blue crimped connector) and you might find a connector for a C-Tec, or other battery maintainer, already fitted.

[Garry_]

Thank you all for your replies, much appreciated.

So I guess I can remove the common earthing point to clean underneath, with care.
I'll check out the red wire and potential in-line fuse and let you know

[Tel]

Firstly, try to identify the fluid.

Rub a bit between your fingers, is it water-like or oily?
Does it smell of anything?

Certainly looks like a light/new oil to me.
It is not tyre sealant that's for sure. That stuff is gloopy!
And, it's not battery acid - You'd see corrosion within 15 minutes of it being spilt.

I won't suggest the taste test as I'll get shot down by health and safety, millennial police officers

For the sake of half an hour, I would be inclined remove the battery, put my head in that area and look up under the boot lip seal and around that area - the trim fixings with their ridiculous rubber seals tend to let in water. I'd bet is not water (it would feel 'thin' and after time you'd see corrosion appear at the earth post because of the dissimilar metals there), but worth a check all the same, and be interesting if there's a small bottle of oil or something behind the battery?

[Garry_]

So I have concluded the substance is only oil as initially suspected given its viscosity and smell (less reliant on my sense of smell post COVID but daughter thinks it smells similar to the oil filler cap in my Merc!) Wiped up as carefully as I could.

I didn't lift out the battery and can only imagine it was a leaky bottle stored in the boot somewhere by a previous owner, even if I cannot see any other evidence of where it came from. The bottle behind the battery is a new puncture fluid bottle from Halfords as the car didn't have one in it when purchased and is intact and not the cause of the spill.

Now that wire spotted by Philskill does indeed look vulnerable. It runs into a wrap of tape as you see in the photo and I agree seems aftermarket but I'm reluctant to play about with it at the end of my finger tips with limited visibility of what I am doing. I think I will wait and ask the garage when in for the next service...

It may still turn out to be a charger lead but I'll attach a CTEK one later today using the advice in a separate post on the topic in the forums.

Thanks again all for your feedback on what I was concerned was a bit of a stupid question/post.