Fixing a battery cable?

Question

I had to call AAA and the guy who looked at it clearly showed me it had literally severed itself. Dunno why. Anyway, to save money I figured I could replace it myself. It's been a long time since I've seen it done.

How do you replace a battery cable??

Answer 1

First, make sure you get the EXACT SAME cable for your car, preferably from an official dealer...not just a general auto parts store.

Just remove the old connections on the old cable (i.e. battery, alternator, ground, etc.) one at a time. After you remove a connection, look at the new cable apparatus and number each connection in the right order from how you disconnected.

Then, once the entire old apparatus is off, attach the new cable apparatus, following the numerical order of how you removed the old one.

Use vaseline or petroleum grease at the connections to prevent corrosion.

Wear gloves and eye protection to protect your skin and eyes, too!!!

Answer 2

First, find out how the cable was severed. Otherwise, it will happen again.

If you have never worked on a car, get hold of a friend or relative who has experience to at least supervise while you are working.

Use insulated tools to avoid shorting terminals and components together.

Make sure your battery is secure and not loose & bouncing around. If it is bouncing around, it needs to be fixed first. This could be the reason the original cable was damaged.

Disconnect the positive (+) cable from the battery first. If this is the bad cable, try to trace it to its opposite connection and disconnect.

When replacing the cables, reconnect the negative (-) first then the positive(+) to the battery last.

By the way, wear clothes you don't like or care about, because you will get filthy.

Answer 3

Replacing the complete cables is often not that easy in my opinion. For example, how are you going to get under the car to unbolt the positive red battery cable from the starter solenoid (after disconnecting the battery cables at the battery, of course)? Or, how are you going to get that old rusty bolt loose that's holding the negative black ground battery cable eyelet to the engine? Ok, so you'll buy a set of Rhino ramps and jackstands (required for safety while working under the car) and wheel chocks. And then you'll make sure to have the proper tools. Not bad. You might make it if you take your time and don't need the car running the next day to go to work.

Answer 4

Splice a battery cable with electrical tape?! That guy shouldn't be allowed to own a car! All you have to do is reconnect the cable just like how it was originally. If the negative (black) cable is severed, it will probably just need to be connected to the battery and a groud somewhere (bare metal). If the positive (red) cable is severed, it will have to be connected the battery and probably the igniton, starter, relay, etc. It depends on your vehicle. Just copy what was done before.

Important: If the positive cable needs to be replaced, make sure you disconnect the negative cable first. If the negative cable is connected and you touch the positive cable to something you aren't supposed to, you could short out the circuit. Rule of thumb - disconnect black cable first and reconnect black cable last.

Answer 5

if it's the one that goes to your starter, you remove it from the started by taking a nut off. then you replace it. if it's the negative side(black) it will be grounded to something, follow the cable, and disconnect it there. to take the cables off the posts you will need a wrench, probably 7/16 or 1/2 inch depending on your car. sometimes the cables won't want to come off, so you will need a screwdriver that you can pry with. btw, since you will have the cables off anyway, clean the posts with water and baking soda. it could save you from having to call aaa again.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Fixing a battery cable?
I had to call AAA and the guy who looked at it clearly showed me it had literally severed itself. Dunno why. Anyway, to save money I figured I could replace it myself. It's been a long time since I've seen it done.

How do you replace a battery cable??

Answer 7

i would remove the old cable first, as they sell them in all different lengths and you need to ensure that the new one is long enough. Go to the store and buy one equally as long or longer. reroute it through the same spot. all you should have to do is disconnect it from the battery and the starter. really simple fix.

Answer 8

undo the positive cable from the battery first then trace bad cable to both ends and unbolt and both ends then replace and retighten reconnect positive cable last .positive is the red usually

Answer 9

you purchase the right cable be it neg or pos and you trace the cable from the battery to the start point and you take it loose from the start point replace it with the new one bolt it on and then connect it to the battery

Answer 10

When you ask questions like this ALWAYS include the NAME< make, model, engine size, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN< and MILEAGE! It SOUNDS Like your ANTI-THEFT system is going CRAZY! You may need NEW BATTERIES for your remote, or to have your KEYS re-synchronized to the ENGINE and Electronics! NO MORE HELP without MORE DETAILS, SORRY! READ YOUR OWNERS MANAUL FIRST< or cal the actual DEAPERSHIP PAERTS DEPT! REMOVE the battery and have it FULLY SLOW CHARGED to get back to NORMAL from sitting! ALL CARS are DIFFERENT And without more info no oen can really help you! BYE!