Home Made Battery Cables

[Machspeed]

On the crimping tool, I don't like the idea of just driving a stake into the terminal. It doesn't seem very well controlled, nor does it give the neatly crimped terminals the hydraulic crimpers give. For the price difference I'd still go hydraulic. I've used mine many, many times and love the results. I get cables the length I want them.

I get what you're saying Gary and I thought the same until I watched the video I posted below. And, that tool has awesome reviews. Check out the video all the way to the end, as it shows what the cut open cable looks like using several tools.

[Gary Lewis]

On the crimping tool, I don't like the idea of just driving a stake into the terminal. It doesn't seem very well controlled, nor does it give the neatly crimped terminals the hydraulic crimpers give. For the price difference I'd still go hydraulic. I've used mine many, many times and love the results. I get cables the length I want them.

I get what you're saying Gary and I thought the same until I watched the video I posted below. And, that tool has awesome reviews. Check out the video all the way to the end, as it shows what the cut open cable looks like using several tools.

I'll check it out after church, John. Off to Bible class now. Later, gator....

[grumpin]

I'll check it out after church, John. Off to Bible class now. Later, gator....

I made cables for my 88 7.3. I soldered them with a butane torch and used heat shrink.

[85lebaront2]

I made cables for my 88 7.3. I soldered them with a butane torch and used heat shrink.

I had to build a negative cable for my 86 Chrysler convertible. Chrysler used a "soft" alternator mount so the alternator case has to be grounded, the engine is grounded at the head and there is a body ground also. To compound matters, the ground cable is integrated into the engine harness, which means the ecm sensors and the gauge sensors run through the cableway. Here is a picture of the original and the one I made.

 

[Gary Lewis]

On the crimping tool, I don't like the idea of just driving a stake into the terminal. It doesn't seem very well controlled, nor does it give the neatly crimped terminals the hydraulic crimpers give. For the price difference I'd still go hydraulic. I've used mine many, many times and love the results. I get cables the length I want them.

I get what you're saying Gary and I thought the same until I watched the video I posted below. And, that tool has awesome reviews. Check out the video all the way to the end, as it shows what the cut open cable looks like using several tools.

John - I'm watching the video and taking notes:

• Marine Terminals: He has an excellent point that they are good if you are going to add accessories. I have a winch as well as the aux power cable on the aux battery.

• Terminals: He said terminals can be expensive and may go to $5/ea. He's buying the wrong ones from the wrong place. I got 5 Magnalug #2 & 1 GA for $11.66, making them $2.33/ea. And I don't think you can come close to the Magnalug quality with the cheap copper terminals he's using. Magnalugs are ~twice as thick and are already tinned.

• Dow Corning Compound: I add Dow's electrical compound/grease into the terminal before inserting the wire. Yes, it is an insulating grease, but it gets squeezed out in the crimp. However, I wonder if a connection were cut apart like he did what it would look like with the grease?

• Crimper vs Staker: He had a good point that it would be hard to hit the staker up under a truck. I do my best to make my connections on the bench, but the ones I recently did through the cab corners were done on the truck. But, as I think about it, had I put the grommet on the wire before installing the terminal I could have made it on the bench. Still, there will be a time.

• Tinned wire: He was using raw copper wire. I really prefer the tinned "marine cable" as I know the solder is going to prevent corrosion far better than copper.

All in all, it was an informative video. His findings of the strands having been mashed into a solid matches what I've seen before. But his problem with die sizing also matches what I've seen and experienced. So the striking tool does have some advantages as it is one-size-fits-all. But my 16-ton crimper sure does a nice job as well.

Guess you can't go wrong.

[ArdWrknTrk]

John - I'm watching the video and taking notes:

• Marine Terminals: He has an excellent point that they are good if you are going to add accessories. I have a winch as well as the aux power cable on the aux battery.

• Terminals: He said terminals can be expensive and may go to $5/ea. He's buying the wrong ones from the wrong place. I got 5 Magnalug #2 & 1 GA for $11.66, making them $2.33/ea. And I don't think you can come close to the Magnalug quality with the cheap copper terminals he's using. Magnalugs are ~twice as thick and are already tinned.

• Dow Corning Compound: I add Dow's electrical compound/grease into the terminal before inserting the wire. Yes, it is an insulating grease, but it gets squeezed out in the crimp. However, I wonder if a connection were cut apart like he did what it would look like with the grease?

• Crimper vs Staker: He had a good point that it would be hard to hit the staker up under a truck. I do my best to make my connections on the bench, but the ones I recently did through the cab corners were done on the truck. But, as I think about it, had I put the grommet on the wire before installing the terminal I could have made it on the bench. Still, there will be a time.

• Tinned wire: He was using raw copper wire. I really prefer the tinned "marine cable" as I know the solder is going to prevent corrosion far better than copper.

All in all, it was an informative video. His findings of the strands having been mashed into a solid matches what I've seen before. But his problem with die sizing also matches what I've seen and experienced. So the striking tool does have some advantages as it is one-size-fits-all. But my 16-ton crimper sure does a nice job as well.

Guess you can't go wrong.

Remember that all the splices in these harnesses are 'mechanically welded'....

That's right, just a incredibly heavy crimp with the right sized die.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Remember that all the splices in these harnesses are 'mechanically welded'....

That's right, just a incredibly heavy crimp with the right sized die.

Yep, and I've tried to pull them apart. They seem to be truly fused. And the insulation goes right up to the spot where they are fused, so there wasn't much heat.

I've been thinking about my 16-ton crimper, and I don't want people to think it is the best thing since sliced bread. It has worked for me, but I have always had the problem of it not crimping correctly, which I attributed to the die being sized for metric wire. To compensate I've been using the much thicker Magnalugs, but even then the die leave "wings" sticking out to the side.

Given that and the fact that my crimper is now failing I've been keeping my eyes open for a possible replacement. And I may have found one. It is called TEMCo Industrial Hydraulic Cable Lug Crimper TH0005 V2.0, and while it is $140 it has AWG die instead of metric ones. In fact, it has 32 die sets from 10 gauge to 600 MCM, including half-steps between sizes so you fine tune your crimps.

And, on the TEMco site they say "Leading competitors flattened hex profile attempts to compensate for poor die to terminal fit. This under crimps and often leaves sharp “wings.” That seems to perfectly describe my die.

I'm not ready to buy, but I am saying that the run-of-the-mill Chinese crimpers don't have the right die. So if any of you know of other crimpers that appear to have the right die, meaning ones that are in AWG sizes, please let me know.

[Machspeed]

Yep, and I've tried to pull them apart. They seem to be truly fused. And the insulation goes right up to the spot where they are fused, so there wasn't much heat.

I've been thinking about my 16-ton crimper, and I don't want people to think it is the best thing since sliced bread. It has worked for me, but I have always had the problem of it not crimping correctly, which I attributed to the die being sized for metric wire. To compensate I've been using the much thicker Magnalugs, but even then the die leave "wings" sticking out to the side.

Given that and the fact that my crimper is now failing I've been keeping my eyes open for a possible replacement. And I may have found one. It is called TEMCo Industrial Hydraulic Cable Lug Crimper TH0005 V2.0, and while it is $140 it has AWG die instead of metric ones. In fact, it has 32 die sets from 10 gauge to 600 MCM, including half-steps between sizes so you fine tune your crimps.

And, on the TEMco site they say "Leading competitors flattened hex profile attempts to compensate for poor die to terminal fit. This under crimps and often leaves sharp “wings.” That seems to perfectly describe my die.

I'm not ready to buy, but I am saying that the run-of-the-mill Chinese crimpers don't have the right die. So if any of you know of other crimpers that appear to have the right die, meaning ones that are in AWG sizes, please let me know.

Thanks for the responses gentlemen! Pulled my ground cable today and it is worse than I had thought. The insulation is brittle and whole chunks were falling off of it as I was stretching it out to measure. It's the OEM unit. The positive cable had been replaced in the past but the terminal is cracked. Interestingly, the cable running to the starter motor appears fine. Think I'll leave it for now.

Couple of questions, first being what is the gauge of these OEM cable. I'm thinking it's 4AWG, can I get a confirmation? I think I measured ~.350" with my verniers around the insulation.

Also, note the picture below. In the approximate middle of the cable, the insulation was removed and a metal band is wrapped around it which has a bolt that screws into the frame. Is this another way to ensure ground? Should I replicated it in a new cable or merely secure it in the location it was in?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Thanks for the responses gentlemen! Pulled my ground cable today and it is worse than I had thought. The insulation is brittle and whole chunks were falling off of it as I was stretching it out to measure. It's the OEM unit. The positive cable had been replaced in the past but the terminal is cracked. Interestingly, the cable running to the starter motor appears fine. Think I'll leave it for now.

Couple of questions, first being what is the gauge of these OEM cable. I'm thinking it's 4AWG, can I get a confirmation? I think I measured ~.350" with my verniers around the insulation.

Also, note the picture below. In the approximate middle of the cable, the insulation was removed and a metal band is wrapped around it which has a bolt that screws into the frame. Is this another way to ensure ground? Should I replicated it in a new cable or merely secure it in the location it was in?

The 'flag' is indeed to create a ground path from frame to battery.

Or maybe I should say to tie block, frame and negative terminal all together.

When I redid my block ground I just used a short cable from the bolt on the corner of the block back to the bolt in the frame.

You can still get the OEM Motorcraft cables, but boy are they $$$ at retail!

 

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks for the responses gentlemen! Pulled my ground cable today and it is worse than I had thought. The insulation is brittle and whole chunks were falling off of it as I was stretching it out to measure. It's the OEM unit. The positive cable had been replaced in the past but the terminal is cracked. Interestingly, the cable running to the starter motor appears fine. Think I'll leave it for now.

Couple of questions, first being what is the gauge of these OEM cable. I'm thinking it's 4AWG, can I get a confirmation? I think I measured ~.350" with my verniers around the insulation.

Also, note the picture below. In the approximate middle of the cable, the insulation was removed and a metal band is wrapped around it which has a bolt that screws into the frame. Is this another way to ensure ground? Should I replicated it in a new cable or merely secure it in the location it was in?

Yep, I'd go like Jim suggested with two separate cables.

As far as size, this table says that is probably a #2 cable. Stranded wire is very difficult to measure and determine the size of because the # of strands makes a big difference. In fact, a #2 can go from .306" to .373" in diameter depending on the strands, and that is just from that chart. I'd be willing to bet the #2 I have been using has more than 36 strands, which would make it even larger in diameter. But it would still have the same current rating.