Hello all - just joined and am almost embarrassed to even ask about this, but I'm having a slew of problems with my Grand Cherokee and have reached my limit with the $$ local dealerships want to fix even the smallest problem. So, my first mini-project is getting my battery terminal issue taken care of.

So, here's the deal - beyond lamp changes, oil/plug replacements and other minor maintenance, I've got ZERO experience with working on my vehicle. It's high time to start.

First effort was to remove the battery, clean the terminal posts and connectors. At step 1, half of the negative connector simply crumbled to pieces (I believe it was lead). I now need to replace the connector, which seems simple enough, but all the how-to stuff I've read relates to the kind that clamps down over the wires... mine is not like that. It's essentially a solid piece of led with a circle in the middle to slide over the battery post. It seems that I need to cut the wires, just below the remnant of the connector, splice the wires, and put on a new one. Before doing so, though, I was hoping somebody here could tell me if that's the right approach.

Thanks for any guidance, and my apologies for the length of my first post!

 

They sell clamp on replacement connectors. I found some good ones at NAPA that I used on my truck. I just cut the old connector off, cut some of the insulation off the wire to fit the new connector and clamped it down. The connectors I got has room for 2 other wires to be clamped down. This was good as my truck has a couple of wires on the ground side and a few on the positive side.

They also sell crimp connectors but for these you have to have a way to crimp the fittting on.

My clamp on connectors have been working good for a few years now. It is good preventive maintenance to clean the battery terminals and connectors periodically. I coat mine with an aviation product that preserves them pretty good.

 

Thanks! I'll head over to the local NAPA place at lunch today. Appreciate your response!