2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Replacing battery cable connectors, but not the cable

[tomblue01]

***Oh yah. Forgot to let folks know: ***

It works! Just fine, too. Binding a 2/0 lug on a 1/0 cable using a 2/0 solder slug seems to do just fine. The connection is solid and tight. The resistance is super low.

Ohms on the restored 1/0 negative battery cable with a 2/0 lug: 0.2; 0.3; 0.3

Used compressed air to thoroughly dry the cable end. Somewhat surprised because the cable was still wet in the interior.
Melting the slug took about 20seconds using a propane torch. The liquid solder/flux combo melted down and only filled about 1/2 of the lug. I pressed the cable into the hot liquid solution and held it there for just over a minute. I waited another minute before pulling on the lug. I pulled hard enough to move the sheathing backwards. This setup is solid [Wayne, I'm not gonna try & pull my truck with it!].
30 ft-lbs back on the engine block [shout out to Timd32]. Attached the 3 cables to the mil-style connector. DONE!

It's nice to finally have a tight connection. It's also nice not to have go back into town in order to buy more stuff. All the parts used cost about 10$ total - for this cable only. A new cable is about 50$. She readily starts. I'm happy!

I'll post pics another time, as well parts I should've used!

 

[Jeff Knight]

These are some nice cables. http://www.polarwire.com/products.html

 

[Timd32]

Those are nice cables on that polarwire site we use Omni cable, but have to go thru a distributor to get their stuff.

I think the sizes measured are fine and match pretty close to the numbers in the spec, in a perfect world you would have the correct lugs and crimper. But we all have been there done that to get back up and running and went back later to over build it.

Don't waste any time on this:
1. You are most likely trying to make a flat measurement on a circle, the spec is in mm2, so converting to in2, there is a bit of a difference. So that's pretty darn close enough.

2. Once the wire is stripped it does separate a bit, you would get a better measurement by stripping some of the insulation in the middle of a cable to keep the strands tight, not that it matters. Do not do that on a cable being used.

3. There are no odd size cable sizes 6,8,10,12,14 higher is smaller, they run in even numbers. Unless it is a very specialized application. I'm sure someone can dig up a 9ga wire and prove me wrong, but good luck buying that anywhere common folks have access to.

4. Again I would not waste time on this but you would take a single strand measure that then multiple by the number of strands. For example SIS 14ga with 41 strand, is different then THHN 14ga 18strand, they are both 14 ga wire but when stripped you might get much different reading. The higher strand the more separation the more margin for error. Plus again you are flat measuring a very tiny cable. Close enough for sure.

5. Any liquid could wick up a cable pretty far, same goes for contamination. Copper tarnishes fairly easily, that's why we use a lot of tin plated wire in the control industry, the inside crimp area will remain clean most times. Anything exposed will tarnish when exposed to the elements. Heating that end during soldering most likely helped dissipate some of that.

Glad to hear your back up and running.

 

[Joe Mc]

Might I persuade you to post a pic? =] I'm curious as to how everything attaches...

been a while since I posted pictures but here goes...

Sorry but it is raining and pictures might not be that great. Basically all cable connections are made by inserting into lugs and tightening allen set screws. Like I mentioned before I packed hole with Lube Guard and then tightened. Hope this helps and too boot these are available on Geno's...

 

[DavidC]

Joe. How do those Walmart batteries hold up ?. I figure those may be my next set now that Autozone figured out batteries do not last 5 to 8 years.

Dave

 

[tomblue01]

Dave, I've done a bit of research, so I hope this helps:

However, I will conclude something very positive about the Everstart Maxx battery. It rocks! Still strong after nearly 6 years, and it's lead-acid! I'd like to believe that it has spent it's life in the truck, but I don't know. Regardless, I'm impressed. I went to the consumer reports website to look at new batteries. The Interstate AGM's consistently took top marks across all group sizes. [Their price seems to range from 180$-240$, ea.] Several positions lower [as all AGM batteries beat out their lead-acid counterparts], the 'top' slot for lead-acid batteries, more often than not, goes to Everstart Maxx batteries. They don't win it in every group size, but they certainly win the clear majority. **Group 27 was not tested by CR. Group 65 was, where Everstart Maxx won for lead-acid.** A Group 27 battery costs 102$ at my nearby Wal-Mart in central VA. Now, everybody knows that mileages may vary and that past performances don't guarantee future results, but soon I will have to make a choice on what batteries to purchase for my truck. I'm leaning towards Everstart Maxx's.

 

[tomblue01]

Pics of the finished product [bottom pic is the factory end attaching to the engine block. it didn't get cleaned up as well]:

 

[tomblue01]

part 2 of the pics:

I added electrical tape over wear marks on the cable.
[It rarely pays to be in a hurry. I forgot to include the heat shrink tubing on final assembly.]

 

[tomblue01]

JoeMC - thanks for the pics. They do look real nice!

 

[Wayne M.]

Pics of the finished product:

In the 11:28 post,
Glad it's working out for you!
The bottom picture is your end and crimp?

 

[tomblue01]

The "silver" connection is factory original. I tried to make it shine like new copper, but I think I should've used a degreaser on it before letting it sit in a mild acid solution.

The uncrimped copper lug attaches to the cable through solder only. It's tight, but there'll be no tug of war competitions using it! lol

I've been looking at this. Didn't come across it until too late. Please let me know what you think:
TEMCo hammer crimper

 

[Joe Mc]

Joe. How do those Walmart batteries hold up ?. I figure those may be my next set now that Autozone figured out batteries do not last 5 to 8 years.

Dave

My 2nd set from Wally Mart. Bought truck in May of 01 it had the original Ma Mopar batteries which lasted till 05 (6 years), 05 went with the Wally's that lasted till 2012 (7 years), Wally's again present set 5 years old and still kickin` it. I don't plug in during the winter anymore and she fires right up after wait to start goes out. Looks like I'll be purchasing my 2rd set of Wally's in a few years - god willing. Only thing the price of the 2012 set was double the 05 set, IE: $50 each versus $102 each. Worth it IMHO.

 

[Joe Mc]

JoeMC - thanks for the pics. They do look real nice!

I'm very pleased with them and couldn't beat the price when you need 2 for each battery that's a plus, and they're actually pretty neat. When you need to take them off its a ¼ turn on the allen head and they pull right off, put them back on a ¼ turn to tighten and "they are tight". Solid Block of steel with a slit that the allen head snugs up. I like it! Beats the hell out of OEM terminals.

 

[Wayne M.]

The hammer crimper looks ok provided it's made of a durable material. Solder only works too provided the fit is good.

 

[DavidC]

tomblue and Joe, thanks for the Walmart battery report. Guess I will try them next time, looks like my Aotozones are coming up to 1 year on the truck and not sure of the Wife's Van. I will have to check the maint. log for hers.

Dave

 

[tomblue01]

Finished up another cable. Positive crossover cable bridging the two batteries. This time I measured resistance before cutting the connector off. I also decided to peel back some of the insulation. [pics follow] The minor issue with removing some of the sheathing is that the cable loosens up - making it harder to fit into the lug. Zip tie remedied that. Wanting to expedite things, I used the strongest acid possible: muriatic, undiluted. It ate that copper oxide in 5mins. I left the cable in there for 20. Then I dipped it in a baking soda solution [heaping tablespoon worth] for almost 15min, even though it was probably ready in 10. You'll know once you see the bubbles stop rising.
Ohms, old factory cable after 21 years: 19ohms.
Ohms, old cable "restored": 0.2ohms !
Out of curiosity, I tried to measure the resistance of the corrosion. It was hard because the results fluctuated drastically - from 20 to 1500ohms! Brought out a cheap Cen-Tech multimeter, & it performed similarly. The harder I pressed the leads onto the cable, the less the resistance. Nonetheless, the readings never stabilized.

Mistakes made: I didn't pay attention to the orientation of the original connector before I cut it off. Installing the new lug in a different orientation caused difficulty when attaching it to the battery terminal.
Also: the sheathing never closed up tight. I suppose some liquid electrical tape is in my future, but my current electrical tape shall do for now. [After the liquid fills in the valley I made, I'll tape it with some Tesa wiring loom tape. http://www.tesatape.com/industry/automotive/applications/wire-harnessing]

Regardless, those are small prices to pay for a reliable connection at a fraction of the cost of a new cable.

 

[tomblue01]

The acid is in the clear bottle. The alkaline in the green one. As the acid eats the oxide away, it turns a yellow-green color.

 

[Timd32]

I forget how I ran across this but the cables sold at Geno's are from Custombatterycables.com I think I read this in the book they sent out with the last TDR give or take. Or from my last order it was in the box. I was impressed with their cables and the price on Geno s seems better with faster shipping. So once again hard to beat, too bad I did not figure this out before I got mine.

 

[tomblue01]

Not pretty, but functional.

 

[tomblue01]

AAR: Knowing what I know now, I should have purchased this kit: Battery Cable Repair Kit for Dodge
Local stores don't often have the proper ring terminals or lugs needed when you cut the cables, so I spent additional time tracking them down. Also, some of my parts are not tinned, so in the future I'll have to remove corrosion again. By that time, hopefully, I'll have purchased some nice new cables!

For me, this all started with my 'Weak Amperage' incident, and I began this journey less prepared than I wanted. I hope, though, that it helps those who choose to replace the factory connectors.

Cheers!