Problem with a different Dodge!

[The Griff]

Ok, Well the radio, and window have been fixed in the half ton Dodge, $125 for a new Pioneer radio, fixed. Window, I just stole the window motor from the Cummins. Fixed.

Now for a problem with the One ton Cummins Dodge. Today I decided I was going to start it up, hasn't been started all year and decided It needed to be started, I go to put a battery in it, and I cannot get the terminals tight, only one I was able to get tight was the positive for the right side. I tightened them to the point I could not get them any tighter, and I could still pull them off by hand.

Is there a way to shim these? maybe something like wrapping the terminal in soldering wire ? Or do I just need to get new terminals?

 

[diesel4me]

You used to be able to buy top post shims,but they never panned out well--corrosion builds up between them and the post and terminal and contact is lost in short order..

I would just take the bolt out of the terminal and use a hacksaw or file to widen the gap between the 2 halves so it'll squish tighter when the bolt is tightened..
I have also flipped the terminal upside down in a pinch when I'm trying to start one of my vehicles that has no battery and the terminal didn't fit tight..

 

[Fordum]

Sounds like you have a positive terminal on a negative post. On standard top post batteries, the positive post is larger than the negative.
So the cable ends are different also.

But sometimes someone who does not know better just buys a battery cable and uses it to replace the negative without checking and winds up with two positives.

You also sometimes see that on a two battery system where you have a jumper and its built wrong.
If the terminal is in good shape, take the bolt out, drive a screwdriver or some kind of shim in the slot.
Then use a vise or visegrips to gently compress the body of the terminal making the hole more egg shaped while keeping the slot open.

If you do it right, it should be snug fit before you even put the bolt back in. To fix it correctly, you should use the correct terminal, but this will get you by.

Just don't tighten the bolt all the way and reshape the hole. Leave some small gap for tension.

 

[paratrooper307]

Follow these suggestions to get you by, but get a set of new terminals. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with bad connections and electrical problems when you least want to.