PDA

View Full Version : Positive Battery Cable



nfs480
11-03-2008, 05:31 PM
My car has been having weird electrical issues lately, like i'll turn the key in the ignition to start the motor and everything (dash and even dome light) lose all power. I've discovered that when I wiggle the positive battery cable the car regains power and I was able to start it. I then noticed that the terminal connector is broken. My question is, how do I go about replacing a positive battery cable?

Dr_Snooz
11-03-2008, 08:19 PM
It's pretty easy really. Go to Napa and get new cables. They might try to sell you the cheapy $5 jobs, but ask for the OEM type cables. They'll be a lot more, but they'll fit much better. Have a crimp kit handy because you'll need to harvest the white wire connector for the main fuse off the old cable and crimp it onto the new one. Just follow the old cables down to the tranny or starter and replace. No sweat.

It's also a good opportunity to clean up your battery terminals. I get the fabric washer dealies and then spray sealer over the terminals. You probably know this already.

Pico
11-03-2008, 08:23 PM
might be a good time to upgrade to a heavier gauge cable if you want to go that route

nfs480
11-03-2008, 08:32 PM
It's pretty easy really. Go to Napa and get new cables. They might try to sell you the cheapy $5 jobs, but ask for the OEM type cables. They'll be a lot more, but they'll fit much better. Have a crimp kit handy because you'll need to harvest the white wire connector for the main fuse off the old cable and crimp it onto the new one. Just follow the old cables down to the tranny or starter and replace. No sweat.

It's also a good opportunity to clean up your battery terminals. I get the fabric washer dealies and then spray sealer over the terminals. You probably know this already.

Ok, sounds pretty simple. But what do you mean by "harvest the white wire connector for the main fuse"?

clark_486
11-05-2008, 01:45 PM
I agree about the new cables. I redid my tranny ground and valve cover ground with 8 GA. Much faster start now. Also, before the switch, the batt and oil pressure lights would stay on for the same amount of time. Now the batt light turns off almost immediately. (almost a sec ahead of the oil light)

nfs480
11-05-2008, 04:33 PM
Ok, I've got an OEM Genuine Honda positive battery cable from the dealership so this saturday i'm gonna replace the entire cable. Any tips or things I should watch out for?

Dr_Snooz
11-05-2008, 08:14 PM
Ok, I've got an OEM Genuine Honda positive battery cable from the dealership so this saturday i'm gonna replace the entire cable. Any tips or things I should watch out for?

Yeah, loose change dropped on the street because the dealer cleaned you out for that cable!

nfs480
11-05-2008, 08:29 PM
lol, i'll keep my eyes open.

nfs480
11-07-2008, 09:27 PM
Replaced the battery cable earlier tonight and it was a lot easier than I was expecting.