Installing New Battery Cables

bluemustang00 · Dec 15, 2004

Anyone ever replaced your battery cables? i have a short in mine so I need to replace my cables. doing a little reading I see its best to replace the whole shabang.
Just trying to figure out whether I should just drop the car off at my local shop or what

Thanks guys

deftsound · Dec 15, 2004

first of all...Hell no dont bring it to a shop! I replaced mine about 2 months ago and it took me all of 5 mins. You can go to wal mart or autozone and buy a new pair for around 10$, then just follow where the original cables go and install the new ones, one of them goes to the starter which is kinda a bitch to get to but its just a matter of unbolting a couple of nuts and replacing.

bluemustang00 · Dec 15, 2004

cool cool is this pretty much ill be needing

http://secure.50resto.com/product1.cfm?SID=1&Product_ID=553&Category_ID=558
See I read some info that I had to replace a huge harness and non such but all 5.0 got are for the 94 and up.

5.0 Nostalgia · Dec 15, 2004

Don't pay someone else to do that. It's too easy. Just disconnect the battery. This pull the postive from the starter relay. There will be a bunch of other connections on that. Just make sure you put them back the way they came off. I use a zip tie or screwdriver to hold them in order. The other half of the negative is bolted to the block above the oil filter. It also has a connection for the starter ground right behind the battery. I have a picture of it because I had one rip on me and didn't know what it went to.

5.0 Nostalgia · Dec 15, 2004

bluemustang00 said:
cool cool is this pretty much ill be needing

http://secure.50resto.com/product1.cfm?SID=1&Product_ID=553&Category_ID=558
See I read some info that I had to replace a huge harness and non such but all 5.0 got are for the 94 and up.

No. The harness I got is what you see in the picture you have. It is located as seen in the picture I posted. That plug just goes into the harness.

bluemustang00 · Dec 15, 2004

oh so thats the big harness. damn i was thinking of something like that was gonna be a huge PITA but if thats all I need im gonna order / buy one tomorrow at the parts store.

I just dont want those stupid screw on terminals I have these cool quick snap terminals. Think the cable would get screwed up if I changed out terminals?

BTW thanks for the help

cjman15 · Dec 15, 2004

its real easy to do, i did that not too long ago... tha negative that goes up under right next to tha oil filter is a bitch to get off... it just takes a little time and you'll have it off and changed

5.0 Nostalgia · Dec 15, 2004

bluemustang00 said:
oh so thats the big harness. damn i was thinking of something like that was gonna be a huge PITA but if thats all I need im gonna order / buy one tomorrow at the parts store.

I just dont want those stupid screw on terminals I have these cool quick snap terminals. Think the cable would get screwed up if I changed out terminals?

BTW thanks for the help

You can cut the terminals and change to what you have now. Metal is metal. I have some terminals on my car that allow you to disconnect the battery quick. They screw on like a regular piece but have a part on top that you can turn by hand and pull the cable off from a terminal that connects the two. That sounds confusing, so I hope it was of some help to you. Check my garage for a picture.

5spd GT · Dec 15, 2004

Yeah definatly disconnect the positive/negative sides of the battery cables before you use the screwdriver "method" to remove off the other wires on the starter relay or you might get a minature 4th of July

So what are some symptoms if one has bad battery cables?

HISSIN50 · Dec 15, 2004

5spd GT said:
So what are some symptoms if one has bad battery cables?

the problems associated with bad cables generally occur in high draw situation (read starting). the cables simply dont flow enough (from physically breaking down, internal resistance/corrosion, etc) to allow the needed juice. a drop test can be a decent way of seeing how they are doing.

jwzg · Dec 16, 2004

Oh yes, I have and had mucho problems before I did. Hard/no starting, arcing and just about blew up my battery as a result. Here's what to do. Go to the Ford dealership and buy both the positve and negative cables. They will be a touch more than the parts store brand but fit and are whole cables instead of spliced junk. Second, remove the battery tray and clean the surrounding area with baking soda dissolved in water by simply pouring the mixture on any surface that looks to be contaminated with acid and washing off with a hose as soon as it quits bubbling. Third, use the battery post coating and you won't have to worry about your posts corroding again. I went through this with my car about 8 years ago and haven't had a problem since (one worn out battery is all).

5.0 Nostalgia · Dec 16, 2004

5spd GT said:
Yeah definatly disconnect the positive/negative sides of the battery cables before you use the screwdriver "method" to remove off the other wires on the starter relay or you might get a minature 4th of July

So what are some symptoms if one has bad battery cables?

That's a good tip. Stay safe. I always disconnect the battery when I do anything to my car. However, some people don't. In this case, as stated, not disconnecting the battery first could have disasterous results.

5.0 Nostalgia · Dec 16, 2004

When the battery cable failed in my car, the car would have a hard time starting. I noticed that when it wouldn't start smoke would come out of the hood. I pulled the battery off and discovered the wire that grounds the starter was corroded off. It wasn't until I was in Autozone to the get battery tested that I noticed my leg start itching as I was carrying the battery. Sure enough, the corroded wire had burned a hole in the battery and acid was leaking out. I ended up having a nice clean up to do in the engine bay after removing the tray and finding a mess.

04sleeper · Dec 16, 2004

5.0 Nostalgia said:
That's a good tip. Stay safe. I always disconnect the battery when I do anything to my car. However, some people don't. In this case, as stated, not disconnecting the battery first could have disasterous results.

You ever heard of ARC welding? Basically the same principal.

Anyway you always unhook the Negitave terminal first and then the Positive and put them back on in the reverse order. This usually helps keeping the fireworks show from happening.

5.0 Nostalgia · Dec 16, 2004

89sleeper said:
You ever heard of ARC welding? Basically the same principal.

Anyway you always unhook the Negitave terminal first and then the Positive and put them back on in the reverse order. This usually helps keeping the fireworks show from happening.

Of if your alarm breaks and gets stuck in the alarm position when you disconnect the battery, you can get a lesson in arc welding when you try to connect the battery! One time this happened on my convertible. The alarm was having problems and when I tried to connect the battery, the car tried to start, sparks shot out, and the terminal began welding to the cable. I actually had to yank it to get it off.

PonyBoy90 · Dec 16, 2004

Good post. I was interested in replacing mine also, however show none of the symptoms you guys have mentioned that mine are bad.

A good investment to get after you replace the cables is to get a battery cut off switch which 50resto also sells. You install this on the negative terminal of the battery and then hook your negative battery cable to the post on the kill switch. Put vaseline all over the terminals to prevent corrosion at the posts. With the kill switch, every time you need to do work which requires disconnecting the battery, all you have to do is turn the switch counter clockwise and check by openning you car door to see if the cabin light turns on that the power really is off. It's that simple. You also save damaging the bolts and the clamp itself which 80% of the time is caused by having to undo and do up the cables all the time with wrenches.

5.0 Nostalgia · Dec 16, 2004

I would use a visual inspection also to indicate if you need to change them. The first time I changed cables was based on their appearance. Although they worked fine, I changed them because they were corroded and probably would end up leaving me on the side of the road with my thumb flying.

jwzg · Dec 16, 2004

5.0 Nostalgia said:
When the battery cable failed in my car, the car would have a hard time starting. I noticed that when it wouldn't start smoke would come out of the hood. I pulled the battery off and discovered the wire that grounds the starter was corroded off. It wasn't until I was in Autozone to the get battery tested that I noticed my leg start itching as I was carrying the battery. Sure enough, the corroded wire had burned a hole in the battery and acid was leaking out. I ended up having a nice clean up to do in the engine bay after removing the tray and finding a mess.

That makes two of us. What a bear.

Installing New Battery Cables

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