loose battery cable
#1
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loose battery cable
This may sound stupid, but is there a downside to using aluminum foil as a shim to make a negative battery cable clamp more snugly onto the post?
After a no-start and dead battery, I noticed that my son's negative battery wire could slide around on the post even when fully tightened. I folded a strip of aluminum foil several times for thickness, put it against the post, then slid the wire over it all and tightened it. It is now tight and will no longer slide around.
I jumped the car and all is fine for now.
If this isn't acceptable, how do you properly fix a loose wire to terminal post connection?
After a no-start and dead battery, I noticed that my son's negative battery wire could slide around on the post even when fully tightened. I folded a strip of aluminum foil several times for thickness, put it against the post, then slid the wire over it all and tightened it. It is now tight and will no longer slide around.
I jumped the car and all is fine for now.
If this isn't acceptable, how do you properly fix a loose wire to terminal post connection?
#2
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Location: santa fe /texas
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normally what i do is-
clean/ scrape cable end & battery post to bare metal/ drive out bolt from cable end / replace bolt if needed/ add a flat washer under bolt head & under nut/ apply some grease to connection( to prevent corrosion) tap end down over post with an old 3/4" socket / snug up bolt.
if it is beyond this - you can try a replacement end.
clean/ scrape cable end & battery post to bare metal/ drive out bolt from cable end / replace bolt if needed/ add a flat washer under bolt head & under nut/ apply some grease to connection( to prevent corrosion) tap end down over post with an old 3/4" socket / snug up bolt.
if it is beyond this - you can try a replacement end.
#3
You can do the aluminum thing, but don't expect a miracle. Anytime you use two dissimilar metals, even a steel bolt with the lead, you invite problems. Replace the end or, better yet, replace the cable and be done with it.