loose battery cable


  #1  
Old 01-16-11, 10:34 AM
P
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 1,306
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
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?
 
  #2  
Old 01-16-11, 11:07 AM
N
Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: santa fe /texas
Posts: 947
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
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.
 
  #3  
Old 01-16-11, 11:24 AM
chandler's Avatar
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 36,607
Upvotes: 0
Received 9 Upvotes on 8 Posts
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.
 
  #4  
Old 01-16-11, 02:54 PM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
IMO using the aluminum [I've used copper shims too] is a good temporary fix.
 
  #5  
Old 01-16-11, 05:10 PM
P
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 1,306
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks guys. I took the aluminum foil out and put in a lead shim. It's tight again.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description: