Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Zach on November 03, 2022, 06:26:55 pm

Title: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: Zach on November 03, 2022, 06:26:55 pm
Torquing down the battery terminal nut and it twisted off. Trying to see what can be done to fix this. I'm not familiar to this type of battery terminal, so unsure if it can be replaced.

Can it be drilled out and retapped? Replaced? Add the main negative cable to a different part of the wire? Any help is appreciated.
Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on November 03, 2022, 06:51:38 pm
Military style terminals.  Available online and from some auto parts stores.  Get enough to replace all of them on your coach, if that one is any indication of what the others look like.

Amazon.com: Military Style Top Post Battery Terminal 3/8 - Bolt positive &... (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QRTZR0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: Zach on November 03, 2022, 07:09:47 pm
Military style terminals.  Available online and from some auto parts stores.  Get enough to replace all of them on your coach, if that one is any indication of what the others look like.

Amazon.com: Military Style Top Post Battery Terminal 3/8 - Bolt positive &... (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QRTZR0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)



 I'll have to peel back the heat shrink and see how to tie something like that in to the cable as it seems like one end has a stud and the other is an unknown type of wire connection.

I could potentially cut it off, add a wire lug (3/0?) to the existing wire, have that lug on it me side of the terminal and then the other cable on the other side...

It's such stiff cable that I may have to make a whole new bridge cable. 😔
Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: OldScout on November 03, 2022, 07:47:32 pm
That's a new one to me--military-style cable clamps usually have a thru bolt and nut so you can attach cable eyes to either side and tighten the thru bolt. Yours appears to have a molded cable on one end.  Looks like the cap nut is deep threaded to accommodate tightening on to the stud.  Suspect the broken stud is also molded [cast] into the battery clamp.  So, agree, you will need to get new standard military-style battery clamps and then "crush" an eye onto the existing molded cable end.
Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: Rich Bowman on November 03, 2022, 08:07:00 pm
NAPA has built cables for me.

Rich
Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: Barry & Cindy on November 03, 2022, 09:44:56 pm
Everyone with those old OEM all in one cables needs to replace them with Military terminals and a couple of short cables with spade terminals. It will pay you back in spades with improved charging and battery use.  Do it before you need to do it.
Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: prfleming on November 03, 2022, 11:08:22 pm
...
It's such stiff cable that I may have to make a whole new bridge cable. 😔
Bay Marine will make custom cables - or you could do as some of us have and get into the cable making business. A search on the forum will bring up several examples. Bay Marine has everything needed including crimpers, lugs, shrink tubing and marine grade battery cable by the foot.
Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on November 03, 2022, 11:29:49 pm
...or you could do as some of us have and get into the cable making business.
I did like Peter suggests.  With his help and encouragement it was a easy skill to learn and very useful.

Sadly, in my case, it is a "Nonprofit" business...not unlike nearly everything I do these days.

Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: turbojack on November 04, 2022, 10:05:13 am
As for a quick fix before you fix it correctly. Can you connect that cable to one of the other batteries.  We don't have an over all picture to tell if that would work.
Title: Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt
Post by: nitehawk on November 04, 2022, 10:19:01 am
Quick fix: Take the battery post bolt off. Get a longer bolt. Thread the longer bolt thru your cable, then thru the post clamp, then put the nut on and tighten the bolt/nut.