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Battery Cables

k20

k20

3/4 ton status
Joined
Sep 9, 2001
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Location
Mineral Springs, NC
Just wondering if anyone has used this site custom battery cables because today truck was hot so didnt wanna start (lugged starter a bit till it fired) anyway, my damn battery cable end started melting!!!!! Not too much melted It still works, but now I wanna find a good set fast. Anyone else got a batt cable site to recommend? Thanks.
 
also, I may decide to just make cables myself, where can I get the ends at? I want some good ends, not the crap lead(least looks like lead when it melts lol) that is on it. Where can I get good ones? I dont see any listed on summit or jegs, maybe Im just being retarded, dont know.
 
Go to the auto parts store and get some ends. The bolt on ends are for temporary repair only. Get yourself some solder on ends if you wish to make your own cables.

If not, the store will have some really nice cables in stock. It's amazing the quality of aftermarket battery cables vs. OE.

I used #2 wires.
 
well im speaking from looking none of the stores had any ends that were worth a crap, least not about 2 months ago.
 
Go to a commercial auto parts supplier. Autozone doesn't carry this kind of stuff. You need to go to a place that supplies dealerships and shops. They will stock or be able to order solder on ends.
 
What I do is go to the store and buy the longest 2 gauge cable they have with the right battery terminal end on it (side post). I then buy some spare ends. I then cut the cable to the needed length and crimp and solder the new end on.

2 gauge is more than enough for the short distances you have to the starter. I also found out recently that those higher quality battery cable ends that are made of lead will melt after the threads in the battery used to hold the side post battery terminal in.

Also, be careful where you route your battery cables. Otherwise you may be driving down the road with smoke rolling out from under the hood and find that your positive battery cable shorted to frame ground. The only reason my truck didn't continue to melt down was that the negative battery cable fell off the battery because the threads melted out.

burntbatterycables_S.jpg

meltedsidepost_S.jpg
 
Hate to hijack.... Butr what are you doing to burn up those cables? I am just curious. Is it the alternator or a bad ground?

Hijack complete......
 
me or cybersniper? For me, today stopped at gas station, filled up, always have had prob w/ when its hot not wanting to fire back up, will crank over SLOWLYYYYYYY even though have a beastly little mini starter. Well today at gas station, stopped filled up (heartbreaking aint it) went to try to refire. Slow turn slow slow slow, ugh this sucks, ok fine, ill sit for a min, sit, try again, for a min, nothin, ok this really sucks and im pissed. Pop hood, cant see terminal end, but reach in and touch cable it moves ever so slightly so i get racthet to tighten it up, as i return to front i note smoke rising from front. O CRAP! Look in and the lead end (i still guess its lead) is bubbling. I guess the extended cranking from my beastly little mini starter overheated the 4ga wire and melted the end. Dont really know, teh rest of the wire is fine, just the end started dripping.
 
My recent upgrade to my starting and elect system photo.


How the heck ya get a photo to show up?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hate to hijack.... Butr what are you doing to burn up those cables? I am just curious. Is it the alternator or a bad ground?

Hijack complete......

[/ QUOTE ]

When you jump up to bigger cables, you really have to pay attention to the routing. You should even think about putting another layer of protection on the cable going to the starter. What happens is the cable is easier to damage and if your not real careful, it's hot dogs and marshmellow time.

I ruined a set of 0 gauge cables last summer cause of this, almost burnt the truck down.
 
I was just curious. Thanks. Reason I asked is because I melted the sheath off of my - cable yesterday and was looking for a reason it done it. I am going to upgrade to 00 or something to that effect with the - and + sides. Thanks and again I am sorry for the HiJack.
 
The starter cable on GM rigs is probably the most fire-prone part on the whole vehicle. It is hot all the time, even when the rig is not running. Switching over to a remote solenoid kit resolves the issue quite nicely. Once you do that, the power wire to the starter is hot ONLY when you are actually trying to start the engine. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
You still have to move the remaining wires... most of the wires to power everything on the vehicle get taken off at the starter. Since most of the wires at the starter have the fusible links right there at the starter you've now got to find a way to fuse those wires once you run them to a new power source.
 
I tried to show a photo of my fix but didn't get it to work.

I mounted a Jeep/Ford solenoid next to the battery and ran the starter wire from the switch to it and jumpered across the chevy starter solenoid. Now the 1 gauge wire going to the starter isn't hot unless you are engaging the starter. Worked great for years on my 82 K-10 pickup. Excellent for bumping the engine over as well.
Wonder how you post the photos?
 
[ QUOTE ]
You still have to move the remaining wires... most of the wires to power everything on the vehicle get taken off at the starter. Since most of the wires at the starter have the fusible links right there at the starter you've now got to find a way to fuse those wires once you run them to a new power source.

[/ QUOTE ]
You just move all those wires up to the always-hot side of the new solenoid, fusible links and all. Just splice in some extensions too reach the new location and you're good to go. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You still have to move the remaining wires... most of the wires to power everything on the vehicle get taken off at the starter. Since most of the wires at the starter have the fusible links right there at the starter you've now got to find a way to fuse those wires once you run them to a new power source.

[/ QUOTE ]
You just move all those wires up to the always-hot side of the new solenoid, fusible links and all. Just splice in some extensions too reach the new location and you're good to go. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

The purpose of fusible links is to blow due to excess current. They aren't intended for individual circuit protection. Their intention is to prevent fires from shorts to ground. By adding the ~5' of wire you'd need to add (if you tore apart the engine harness and routed those wires out the back of the motor) you'd partially defeat the purpose of the fusible links. If you leave the fusible links where they are you're adding around 10' of wire and voltage drop. Now, you could use a fusible link that is the size of the sum of the individual fusible links up at the solenoid but that's adding even more cost.

Why not bite the bullet and make a nice new wire, shrink tube it, abrasive loom it, and then use the standard heat loom GM uses over all that?
 
I make my own... 2/0 welding cable... bought the cable swagger... tool that crimps the fitting for about 12.00
...solder the ends... put in the battery fitting... bang... super crimped.. then some heat shrink and youve got what they sell you for 1/10 th the price and you can do it over and over,,, I did all the battery(s) and the alternator and starter.... no more big block hot start problems and voltmeter shows no drop from alternator now...
 
[ QUOTE ]
The purpose of fusible links is to blow due to excess current. They aren't intended for individual circuit protection. Their intention is to prevent fires from shorts to ground. By adding the ~5' of wire you'd need to add (if you tore apart the engine harness and routed those wires out the back of the motor) you'd partially defeat the purpose of the fusible links.

[/ QUOTE ]
What in the hell are you talking about? /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif You run the exact same number of wires, and the exact same number of fusible links, and just move the links closer to the battery. It ain't no big deal. Adding 5 feet of wire to each circuit won't change the current draw at which the fusible links will blow.

And adding the remote start relay provides a much more reliable power source to the starter solenoid. So you get two good things for the cost of a single project. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The purpose of fusible links is to blow due to excess current. They aren't intended for individual circuit protection. Their intention is to prevent fires from shorts to ground. By adding the ~5' of wire you'd need to add (if you tore apart the engine harness and routed those wires out the back of the motor) you'd partially defeat the purpose of the fusible links.

[/ QUOTE ]

What in the hell are you talking about? /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif You run the exact same number of wires, and the exact same number of fusible links, and just move the links closer to the battery. It ain't no big deal. Adding 5 feet of wire to each circuit won't change the current draw at which the fusible links will blow.

And adding the remote start relay provides a much more reliable power source to the starter solenoid. So you get two good things for the cost of a single project. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I was assuming you'd add more wire before the fusible links... so as not to cut any original harness. I despise cutting original wires... so I assume you meant to just add on a piece of 6 gauge wire between the fusible links and your new power source. I was saying that doing this partially defeated the purpose of the fusible links (to be as close to the power source as possible, same for any circuit protection).

I never really understood the whole Ford starter solenoid thing anyway. You still need the factory solenoid to fling the gear out to spin the flexplate/flywheel... and once that happens the solenoid automatically makes contact to spin the motor... so why people use an expensive Ford solenoid instead of an el-cheapo relay is beyond me.

The main reason I'd do it is that it'd be a convenient spot to steal power from... but you still have to re-route the alternator wire and you'll have to use an even bigger wire because you've added several feet to it...
 
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