Folks,,

need some direction here,

Based on a previous post I had determined that my Battery cables are on their way out.

here is the problem........

my POSITIVE cable is 2 ga which goes to the starter, but at the clamp end there is like a 16 or 14 ga wire which feeds the fuse block mounted to the left fender in the engine compartment. there is also a 20 ga wire which goes to a connector feeding an accessory assembly.

these all are molded into the clamp which goes to the positive terminal.

I am unable to find any replacement battery cable which has these connectors. the ones at autozone/advance only have the single 20 ga pigtail on it, not the heavier one which feeds the fuseblock.

I do NOT want to have to splice into the new 2 ga wire with this 14 ga wire (from the fuseblock) creating another corrosion failure point possibility.

The dealer wants 195 bucks for this OEM cable, I do NOT want to pay that kind of cash. any one run into this replacement issue and if so, any place to get this for a decent price?

many thanks for any input!

cpnwrench

 

get the marine terminals. they have a bolt and wing nut on them then some crimp ends and a crimper.

most welding shops have some extra 2/0 laying around and I got mine for free and they crimped the ends on for me at no additional charge.

so now i have 2/0 replacing ALL my battery cables and it was free. just had to get the marine terminals

 

here is what i am talking about

 

gotcha, appreciate the input!

am gonna go take some photos of what I got now.....

then post them then post what i am gonna do to repair it..

I do like the marine terminal concept tho!

Am in El paso, not many boat shops here , am gonna look tho!!

thanks again!

cpnwrench

 

(i was just down there yesterday)

any autoparts store carries them in the battery section. they are like $15

 

Whats 2/0?

 

2/0 is a text term for the wire gauge 2 aught zero.

in American Wire Gauge (or AWG),,it stands for 2 gauge. (pretty thick stuff!)

cpnwrench

and I have the solution!!!! Will post pics when I am complete!

I am going to put a assembliable (wow, is that word?), battery terminal clamp on the positive side, what I will do is cut and strip all three of the cables (positive) right at the existing clamp and assemble them into the clamp style terminal and then RTV them and some tape then attach, that should do the trick!

cpnwrench

 

Yea in AWG it goes from like 30 gauge, really small wire and they is smaller, all the way to like 1000mcm which is used in big buildings. So back to 2 aught that's is like the diameter of a nickel more or less.

 

Erm, 2/0AWG (00AWG) and 2AWG are two different animals, and the 00AWG is rather larger.

Wire sizes actually go up to about a 00000AWG (that's five zeroes,) before you get into actuall Buss sizes - which are rectangular solid copper bars.

OEM cable sizes:
- Typically 8AWG or 6AWG to the starter motor
- Typically 8AWG, sometimes 6AWG, from the alternator
- Leads to distribution are typically 10AWG
- Primary earthing leads are usually the same size as the starter motor lead - 8AWG or 6AWG.

(As you get smaller AWG numbers, the wire gets larger. The thumb rule for "doubling" size is to go six AWG numbers lower - 4AWG wire is double the size of 10AWG, for instance.)

I offer two sizes on hand - 4AWG and 1AWG. 4AWG is used for up to 150A rated output at the alternator, while 1AWG will carry up to about 300A (or, "more than any production automotive alternator I know of to date.") 1AWG is already overkill - going past that is hideous overkill! Most people who get 1AWG leads from me can't even tax them, much less 00AWG.

I have seen - and worked with - wire in sizes from 40AWG (for small circuit interconnect - pain to work with when you have paws like mine) through 0000AWG (for mobile gensets and aircraft GPU setups,) and I've actually had to replace Buss a few times (when you double-check the lockout before you get started - working with that much potential current, dropping sweat into there would be like sitting on a four-ounce charge of Comp B. They'll find your feet, and maybe your lower legs...)

 

the only reason i run 00AWG or 2/0 is because its free. and welding wire is nice and flexible, resistant to eveything and again. free.... As you can see on my battery with the marine terminals i have plenty of room. So i dont complain.

i run it to the starter, to the alt, to the fuse block and for my grounds on the engine and the battery.

it is abiout 3/8" for the strands + the casing

you can see how big they are when compared to my 4AWG amp power which is connected to the battery cable as well