New battery cable help

1morebike

Adventurer
Hello

My truck( 1990 Montero) has been giving me problems not starting every so often. I had the starter and battery replaced and it was good for a few weeks but now I'm back to it not starting some times. I think it could be the battery cables as they are the original 26 year old cables. I have never replaced cables and was wondering if you guys recommend anything more then another. Any help would be appreciated.
 

blackwood

Adventurer
Try some local battery shops. They will cut and crimp any size length you need. The place I bought my deep cycle battery had a nice setup with any connectors one would need. They were not an auto shop, just a local place that sold deep cycle batteries and such.
 

ripperj

Explorer
Lots of online places will make custom cables with proper crimps, adhesive lined heat shrink and high flex wire
http://www.custombatterycables.com/ is one, I have never used them. I was lucky and borrowed a very expensive hydraulic crimper from work and made my own.
Keith
Sent from my Passport
 

Ducky's Dad

Explorer
First clean all connections, especially the ground connections. Reassemble with a little dielectric grease. Test. If no start, jump the battery to a good ground and to the starter/solenoid. If that starts it, change the cables. if no start, then you have other issues.
 

seekerbeta

Observer
just go buy some and make them yourself, I needed just a vice, and a little propane torch, fill with solder, shove wire, give a little compression with the vice. add Heatshrink if you want, install and done. not the hardest thing out there to make.
 

dwh

Tail-End Charlie
Well...IF the problem is the cables...AND the originals worked fine for 26 years...

Then I don't see any reason not to go with another set of the same thing. So ya gotta replace them again in another 26 years. Meh, so what.
 

1morebike

Adventurer
I didn't even think of it but the interstate place I bought my battery from is super cool I bet they would make me new cables. My hope is that I have some corrosion in a cable some place the terminals look great . If this does fix it then I'm in for long few months of chasing every wire till I find the problem.
 

ripperj

Explorer
If the engine cranks strongly and starts sometimes, and other times it doesn't even crank over, then it is very unlikely to be the battery cables, look for loose wires inn the ignition circuit. As mentioned above 12v applied straight to the starter will eliminate the battery, cables, starter

Sent from my Passport
 

robgendreau

Explorer
I just had an electrical fail in starting with a 2 year old Odyssey battery. Turned out to be the connection with the + battery post. I woulda bet the house on something else, cuz it was a tight connection, and no visible corrosion. But all that washboard and heat and whatever did it. On my vehicle the cabling is tight and hence a lot of vibration gets transferred and it just seems to weird out the connections. Fortunately, easy to fix. So make sure that's not your problem before investing in more copper...which is hyper expensive these days.
 

Ducky's Dad

Explorer
I just had an electrical fail in starting with a 2 year old Odyssey battery. Turned out to be the connection with the + battery post.
Some of the early Odyssey 34/78 dual terminal batteries had an internal mechanical connection failure, but I think it was on one of the side terminals. If yours was two years old, it was still under warranty.
 

1morebike

Adventurer
Today I actually had time to climb under the truck and found where the ground connects to the frame and is all covered in oil and looks pretty bad . I still thinks it a ground as my stereo sometimes in fine but if I hit bumps it cuts out and if I turn on my blinkers it cuts out.
 

1morebike

Adventurer
Well today I had a new negative cable made ( 4ga for $20.00 at my local interstate store) I cleaned up the contact areas and installed the new cable. It's a world of difference my interior clock is bright now and my truck seems to idle alot better. It's started Everytime today also. They said my cable was super stiff and the end that connects to the frame and said that usually a bad sign. We will see if it fixed my problem over time.
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
You might also want to find the exposed braided wire ground strap on your engine and replace it too. They're usually connected to the back of the block or head(s), to the firewall.
 

Borrego60

Rendezvous Conspiracy
Hello

My truck( 1990 Montero) has been giving me problems not starting every so often. I had the starter and battery replaced and it was good for a few weeks but now I'm back to it not starting some times. I think it could be the battery cables as they are the original 26 year old cables. I have never replaced cables and was wondering if you guys recommend anything more then another. Any help would be appreciated.

Have you had the CHARGING SYSTEM CHECKED OUT. Check the output of the alternator, seems to me all is fine for a few weeks and slow to start. Sounds like something is not charging.
 

TwinStick

Explorer
Making your own cables is easy, Use welding cable of your size/Ga choice. Those braided straps suck. Make your own with welding cable. All the grounds on my PW sucked. Metal was primed & painted & clear coated, then they put on the ground straps. I took them all off & ground down to bare metal, reinstalled & sprayed with Fluid Film. I also added 6 more. Stereo instal shop said I have a ground issue. So, not any more.
 

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