Success!  Thank you all very much & have a great weekend!  

I do have a little red gunk left on my hands that didn't come off yet and I did clean it off my tools, like battery acid it seems to go everywhere but I come from a farm family so dirt doesn't bother me.

Donna 87 syncro

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 7, 2013, at 11:37 AM, "Stuart MacMillan" <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote:

> Anti-corrosion grease, you can wear vinyl gloves if you don't want to touch
> it, but it's harmless.  Wear old clothes, battery acid seems to jump out
> onto clothes too.
> 
> Stuart
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Donna Skarloken [mailto:dskarloken@gmail.com] 
> Sent: Friday, June 07, 2013 10:13 AM
> To: Stuart MacMillan
> Cc: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Subject: Re: Removing and Replacing Battery
> 
> There is red gunk all over both terminals - what is that?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Jun 7, 2013, at 9:59 AM, "Stuart MacMillan" <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Yes, get a strap, it's an essential Vanagon tool and you'll likely 
>> need it again someday.  Not all modern batteries come with a handle.
>> 
>> Stuart
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On 
>> Behalf Of Donna Skarloken
>> Sent: Friday, June 07, 2013 9:27 AM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Removing and Replacing Battery
>> 
>> Thanks everyone; I thought that I should remove negative/ ground first 
>> but thanks for reminder. I think my dad had a battery removal strap 
>> but no idea what happened to it. Maybe I will go get strap and battery 
>> first, sounds easier.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On Jun 7, 2013, at 9:22 AM, Angus Gordon <birdworks@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> Remember to remove the negative terminal first, and install it last.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Angus
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Fri, Jun 7, 2013 at 8:36 AM, Donna Skarloken 
>>> <dskarloken@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> I think my battery is completely dead (87 sincere 7-passenger).  It 
>>>> seems
>> fairly straightforward but is there anything in particular I need to 
>> know to remove the battery properly?  My local FLAPS has a replacement 
>> battery so I am going to remove it, take it for the core charge and
> install the new one.
>> The only other time I have done this was on my air-cooled pickup, and 
>> that was a while ago.
>>>> 
>>>> I have the day off so I can actually take a little time to do and 
>>>> learn
>> some of my own maintenance.
>>>> 
>>>> Donna, 87 sincere
>