Battery Cable Mod...I'm stupid. Need pics

[Dieseldad97]

I also have this posted on the other site. I'll take any and all suggestions LOL. I need to do the top mount passenger side battery mod on my truck. Any 6.5 guys feel like posting a large pic. of what they did? Thanks.

 

[mfgguru]

Hi Gerald.
Don't be so hard on yourself. I don't have a pic, you just need to cut the side mound clamp off and buy a top post clamp and shmade (funny huh!) the cables to the that. I will try and get a pic after work, if somebody doesn't beat me to it.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Detroit Dan]

mine is a multi post battery, what I mean is it has top post and side post. I am running the passenger side negative on the side post, then the PROBLEM CHILD terminal I have on the top post (both the pos to the alt and the pos from the drivers side) I had problems for years with the doubled-up side post coming loose, when I installed the new Diehards, it made sense to do it this way. Somebody told me that they weren't sure it was Kosher to use one top post and one side terminal, but I did and it's worked perfectly for two years. Also, I have my auxiliary power devices (plow, lightbar, sander controls) all running off the top posts on the drivers side, and the truck primaries are on the side terminals on that side. New HD Alt, cables and batteries within the last two years, and I have none of the troubles I used to have with my gassers.

 

[Dieseldad97]

Update: The mod has been done. :hurray: I cut the end off the cable that runs from the driver side pos. and fastened a terminal clamp to the top of the pass. battery. I then cut off most of the rubber on the other cable that runs to the starter and bolted it up in the side terminal. This making any sense?

Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[docdray]

basically all I did was cut the rubber boots off pos and neg, use a couple copper washers and no-ox greese with a bolt, nut and lock washer to tighten cables down. the rubber boots caused a gap and no connection on passenger side and ruined driver battery. top post, side post--doesn't matter, I have had the side post go bad due to heat and cranking load but the top was fine. the reverse is just as possible. make sure you have clearance on top post positive if switching to it.

 

[chi2]

What were the two copper washers for? Did you use them in-between the two battery cables that connect both batteries?

basically all I did was cut the rubber boots off pos and neg, use a couple copper washers and no-ox greese with a bolt, nut and lock washer to tighten cables down. the rubber boots caused a gap and no connection on passenger side and ruined driver battery. top post, side post--doesn't matter, I have had the side post go bad due to heat and cranking load but the top was fine. the reverse is just as possible. make sure you have clearance on top post positive if switching to it.

 

[matuva]

Update: The mod has been done. :hurray: I cut the end off the cable that runs from the driver side pos. and fastened a terminal clamp to the top of the pass. battery. I then cut off most of the rubber on the other cable that runs to the starter and bolted it up in the side terminal. This making any sense?

Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it.

:nopics:

 

[Dieseldad97]

:nopics:

I forgot how to put pics on this site. I have no idea why I can't. For some reason it's telling me something about a wrong JPEG file? I'll try and get it figured out.

As a matter of fact, I posted a help question up under the test forum regarding this. Anyone help me?

 

[chi2]

For those of you who have done this mod, are there problems using stainless steel bolts? Does steel conduct electricity as well as the stock side-post bolts?

My battery side posts bolts are copper or brass (which are not cheap btw!), and, as I understand it, copper is a better conductor of electricity than steel (and lead is even better, but I do not think that anyone makes lead side-post battery bolts).

Jon

 

[RadioMan]

Lead bolts would just twist off first time you tighten them - Lead is very soft.
Steel is fine in this application. The idea is to get solid contact between the battery and the connectors - The bolt just keeps them there and shouldn't be conducting electrons about till you attach jumper cables. Even then the loss is insignificant.

 

[chi2]

Thanks RadioMan. In order to facilitate solid contact and the battery cable ends, do people use a copper washer in between the two (positive) battery cable ends that overlap on the passenger-side battery?

I ask this b/c the battery terminal bolt that holds those two cables (overlapping) seems to loosen up a lot, and causes problems with starting. I thought that maybe if I inserted a copper washer btw the two cable ends, then I could tighten the bolt more (i.e. compress the washer a bit) and ensure a better connection.

Lead bolts would just twist off first time you tighten them - Lead is very soft.
Steel is fine in this application. The idea is to get solid contact between the battery and the connectors - The bolt just keeps them there and shouldn't be conducting electrons about till you attach jumper cables. Even then the loss is insignificant.

 

[minisub]

Chi2, It's not so much an issue of conductivity as contact with all of the side post terminals, but none so much as the passenger side positive.

I stripped the insulation off that cable in 2000 and have used a SS bolt, a couple of SS washers and nut with the original lead spacer ever since with zero issues....Just run the bolt in finger tight and while holding the bolt head crank down on the nut to make a secure connection.

 

[chi2]

Thanks for the info Minisub. I just realized something: I have never had a lead spacer between the two positive cable ends (on the passenger side battery). Perhaps this is part of my problem, and has resulted in a bad connection.

Chi2, It's not so much an issue of conductivity as contact with all of the side post terminals, but none so much as the passenger side positive.

I stripped the insulation off that cable in 2000 and have used a SS bolt, a couple of SS washers and nut with the original lead spacer ever since with zero issues....Just run the bolt in finger tight and while holding the bolt head crank down on the nut to make a secure connection.

 

[RadioMan]

Never tried a copper washer - but, the less different metals the better. Dissimilar metals corrode which will loosen the connection. Stainless steel is probably your best bet.

 

[docdray]

here are some pics of my side posts. washers are to make shure flat part of cables completely touch and crimp part of connectors do not touch and create a gap. copper is best connector unless you want to buy silver, use no-ox to inhibit corosion/oxidation on connectors.

 

[chi2]

Thanks for those pictures- that is exactly what I wanted to see.

Are you bolts copper? They look copper in color..

here are some pics of my side posts. washers are to make shure flat part of cables completely touch and crimp part of connectors do not touch and create a gap. copper is best connector unless you want to buy silver, use no-ox to inhibit corosion/oxidation on connectors.

 

[docdray]

yes---- bolts, washers are copper and covered with no-ox. I believe the most important washer is the first one at the battery side post terminal. this makes sure that the plastic around the battery terminal does not keep the cable from connecting flat against the battery. I ran bolt all the way into terminal and then used the nut to tighten connection-less probability of stripping the threads.

 

[Dieseldad97]

So this is what I did.

 

[Brooklyn Tow]

What's with the rusty nut?

 

[Brooklyn Tow]

So this is what I did.

Just to do it? Or was there a electrical problem?