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Topic: Broken starter battery main wire bolt (Read 544 times) previous topic - next topic

Broken starter battery main wire bolt

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.
1999 U320 WTFE #5586
2014 Subaru Forester 6sp
4000 watts of solar
650 aH @ 24v

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #1 –

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 &...

As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Chuck & Jeannie –
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 &...



 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. 😔
As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.
1999 U320 WTFE #5586
2014 Subaru Forester 6sp
4000 watts of solar
650 aH @ 24v

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #3 –
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.
Old Scout
2015 IH45
New Braunfels Tx

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #4 –
NAPA has built cables for me.

Rich
Rich and Peggy Bowman
2002 U270 3610 WTFS, build #5939--"Freedom"
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4xe
SMI AirForceOne brake system
PakCanoe 15

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #5 –
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.

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Zach –
...
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.
Peter and Tammy Fleming
1991 U300 GV 40 - Sold, owned for 4 years
Downsized to Roadtrek Popular 210 class B

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #7 –
Quote from: prfleming –
...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.

1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #8 –
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.
2014 ih45  (4th Foretravel owned)
 1997 36' U295 Sold in 2020, owned for 19 years
  U240 36' Sold to insurance company after melting in garage fire
    33' Foretravel on Dodge Chassis  Sold very long time ago
 

Re: Broken starter battery main wire bolt

Reply #9 –
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.
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD