Hi everyone,

I've been spending some quality time cleaning up our battery compartment and connections and need to replace a monster positive to positive stud mount terminal cable for the chassis starting batteries. Can anyone point me to a source in a previous post or does anyone have a source or recommendation? I haven't been able to find anything similar at the truck dealers or NAPA.





The negative cables are the same size and configuration but in great shape. The parts guys I talked with young and old haven't been much help.

Thanks,
Wally

A welding supply house can usually make up a cable any length you need.

Nick

It is just a battery cable. Go to any truck garage and bring the cable with you. They'll swedge 2 ends on whatever size cable that is.

Looks like it could be anything from 2/0 - 3/0 - 4/0 cable with two 3/8 terminal ends. Can you tell me how thick the copper is? how long is the cable?

A local welding supply should be able to make a cable as large as 4/0. You may need some brass washers from another source as the standard for welding lugs is fairly large inside diameter and they won't have smaller sizes. They will have top quality finely stranded cable for low voltage DC
loads and the proper equipment to swage the lugs on. Take the old cable with you. Alternate lug types are available here.....quick, reliable, fast shipping http://www.solarseller.com/

quote:

Originally posted by Tonka:
Hi everyone,

I've been spending some quality time cleaning up our battery compartment and connections and need to replace a monster positive to positive stud mount terminal cable for the chassis starting batteries. Can anyone point me to a source in a previous post or does anyone have a source or recommendation? The parts guys I talked with young and old haven't been much help.

Thanks,
Wally

It is likely that all you need is new terminals at the battery end. You can get new terminals at boat or truck or welding places and solder or crimp them yourself or have it done.

The primary consideration here is, "Is there enough extra length in your cable to cut off the old terminal and install a new one?" You might gain a little length with some judicious rerouting.

A secondary consideration is, "Has any corrosion traveled up the cable from the terminal end?" You gotta keep cutting until all corrosion is gone. This could make the cable too short. In that case, it is better to buy new than take a chance.

Be sure not to use to use a hole any bigger than you need, to assure good contact.

If you go this way, be sure to seal the point where the insulation joins the terminal to keep acid out. Liquid Electrical Tape is good. The self-sealing shrink tubing has not been good for me. I use Shoe Goo, let it set up a little, then use regular, color-coded heat shrink tubing over it.

This is nit-picking, but I like copper washers, because of their better electrical properties and similar hardness to the copper terminals. I make my own with a hole saw out of split and flattened-out copper tubing.
Also, torque your terminals properly. Your terminals appear to have oversize or drilled-out holes and look like victims of excessive torque. Trojan has torque specs on their site that should apply to your brand of battery and type of terminal.

Then keep a coating of Vaseline on the terminals. Put it on after they are installed. You don't want any inside the connection. I don't like sprays, as they can get inside connections and give you trouble.

You also need to check how much acid is coming up out of the battery and why. What is your charging voltage when driving? What is your voltage when plugged in? What is your voltage when stored (if any)? What is your water consumption?

Keeping the batteries really full will increase the boiling out. Keeping them at the minimum will minimize boiling out. So will mineral oil, which can be studied on other posts here.

I have used this company before and am planning to use again shortly for my new inverter install.

Custom Battery Cables

I was very happy with their work. I got welding cable.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your help. I found a 15 inch Philips 2/0 at CATCO near work that should work until I can get new terminals swedged on the existing cable.

I finished up in the battery compartment and almost everything seems back to normal. Replaced both the starting (NAPA) and deep cycle house(Interstate)batteries, cleaned all the connections, cleaned primed and painted the shelf and frames and reriveted the trays.

Thanks,
Wally