Battery cables.

[jaywish]

What gadget said. If no magnet is handy, scrape the coating off on an edge, if it is copper you will find it if you dig.

Just ask the seller the question first, Are the ends tinned copper or steel?, through EBAY and test them when you get them. That way he can't fight on a return if they are steel. They have the look of tin in the pics but can't be sure.

[ootdega]

If they turn out to be steel, I can just put copper lugs on them later. The cables are good, I'll just need to trim some off and do it again. I'll have plenty of extra cable to do that.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

Something that was pointed out to me about the cheap cables, sometimes they have steel ends. If you get corrosion between the copper wire and the steel end it will be a high resistance spot and can cause cranking and charging problems. The fat copper lugs are the way to go. Welding cable is also nice to work with, it will actually bend and flex where the fat strand stuff simply will not.

Another issue with high-resistance steel ends is that they build up heat. Like, enough heat to melt the plastic inner fenders. If you use a proper Megafuse holder they tend to fare a bit better, but still it's far from ideal.

Something to consider, welding cable insulation supposedly isn't always oil-resistant. If the engine leaks a lot of oil, that could become an issue. Still good for at least a charging cable tho, and I'll probably trust it for grounds as well.

I'm at the point where I'm done screwing around with standard cables. Steel ends are one issue, undersizing the gauge (says 2 but it's really 4) is another, and then we have the battery terminal clamp that likes to crack the second time you tighten it on. My solution will come in the form of marine terminal adapters, they clamp onto standard Group 65 terminals but they have no cable attached to them, just a 3/8" stud with a nut (replace the nut and washer with stainless). Then I build my cables from whatever gauge and in whatever lengths I need them using copper ring terminals on each end. Never have to worry about undersized cables and corrosion and heat buildup again. Then if battery needs to be disconnected just undo the nut and pull the cables off the adapter - since the clamp is still clamped onto the battery's actual terminal it cannot crack cause it never gets removed in the first place.

[turbo2256b]

i HAVE OFTEN USED MARINE BATTERIES and terminals.

[gadget73]

I've never been partial to battery studs that stick up. Keep in mind the hood clearance. Not sure if you've ever seen what it looks like when a too-tall battery is shut under a hood but it ain't pretty. Does a fine job of melting a hole through the hood where it makes contact. I've seen pictures from my VW days of similar stuff. The battery lives under the rear seat, and you can definitely get the seat springs to short across the battery if you aren't careful.

I have considered harvesting some of that nice fat cable from a Lincoln LS and making cables though. They have about an 18 foot piece of nice fat flexible cable running from the trunk-mounted battery to the starter. I'd hate to buy that cable assembly as a replacement item but they should be reasonable enough at the yard.

[GM_Guy]

2005+- Lincoln LS positive battery cable is not listed on Tasca, not even a part number. And Rockauto only shows a negative cable available.

Alex.

[ootdega]

I've never been partial to battery studs that stick up. Keep in mind the hood clearance. Not sure if you've ever seen what it looks like when a too-tall battery is shut under a hood but it ain't pretty. Does a fine job of melting a hole through the hood where it makes contact. I've seen pictures from my VW days of similar stuff.

You could solve that problem by getting a side-terminal battery or putting those kinds of studs on an Optima and mounting it sideways. Not something I'd do, but it's an option. An Optima would probably weigh less too. That means you'd have to clamp it down, though.

[gadget73]

GM type batteries are most definitely not an option. Those things suck in a major way.

[turbo2256b]

Never liked Craptoma batteries many auto stores dont recomend them and last I KNEW GOT WORSE SINCE THEY WERE BOUGHT OUT. If you wanted to spend that much on a batery would go wit ha Braille BATTERY. I have one for my car for racing and one in my motorcycle

http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/

[VicCrownVic]

Hey, ootdaga, did you ask the seller about the ends? I haven't had a chance to look at my cable ends I've been busy after work the last two days and didn't get home before dark. I'm off work tomorrow so I should have some time to look at my cable ends.

[ootdega]

Huh. I'd heard good things about Optima everywhere. The replacement I got from O'Reilly's was around the same price. Works great, but it's really freakin heavy. I'll have to look into the Braille sometime in the future.

Hey, ootdaga, did you ask the seller about the ends? I haven't had a chance to look at my cable ends I've been busy after work the last two days and didn't get home before dark. I'm off work tomorrow so I should have some time to look at my cable ends.

No, I'll let you know what they're made of when I get them. I need them either way. If they turn out to be steel, I can replace them with copper later.

[VicCrownVic]

As far as I can tell, the ends on the cable that I got from the same seller apear to be copper. Magnet didn't stick and when I scratched it it looked like copper.

[ootdega]

Sweet.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

I've never been partial to battery studs that stick up. Keep in mind the hood clearance. Not sure if you've ever seen what it looks like when a too-tall battery is shut under a hood but it ain't pretty. Does a fine job of melting a hole through the hood where it makes contact. I've seen pictures from my VW days of similar stuff. The battery lives under the rear seat, and you can definitely get the seat springs to short across the battery if you aren't careful.

Yah, I'm all too familiar - slam the hood on a nice Group 31 and when she starts making funny sounds don't you dare fling that hood way up, instead try prying it up just enough to break the short it created - this way if she happens to go poof while shorting out the nasty stuff is contained under the hood and away from you, sure the vehicle will suffer and may even catch on fire but that's still preferred to you getting Harvey Dent-ed in the face...

I have considered harvesting some of that nice fat cable from a Lincoln LS and making cables though. They have about an 18 foot piece of nice fat flexible cable running from the trunk-mounted battery to the starter. I'd hate to buy that cable assembly as a replacement item but they should be reasonable enough at the yard.

Chrysler 300C is the same way. The ground is pathetic on those tho, guess the whole body serves as a ground? Not sure what the LS is like when it comes to that. But electrons don't know what color the cable jacket is, red works just fine as a negative cable.

That means you'd have to clamp it down, though.

You have to clamp every battery, regardless of type. In some states if the battery hold-down setup is missing or damaged this is reason enough for the vehicle to fail the annual safety inspections. Cause, if the battery jumps and shorts on the hood the ensuing speedy discharge is an equally violent affair regardless of battery type.

GM type batteries are most definitely not an option. Those things suck in a major way.

That they do, that they do... Evil given form they are.

As far as I can tell, the ends on the cable that I got from the same seller apear to be copper. Magnet didn't stick and when I scratched it it looked like copper.

Should be good to go then. Run it.

[ootdega]

You have to clamp every battery, regardless of type. In some states if the battery hold-down setup is missing or damaged this is reason enough for the vehicle to fail the annual safety inspections. Cause, if the battery jumps and shorts on the hood the ensuing speedy discharge is an equally violent affair regardless of battery type.

Huh. Mine's just kinda sitting there. That's the way it's always been. I've never seen under the hood of any others, and nobody else pointed it out, so I thought that was how it worked. Never crossed my mind, I had too many other things to worry about.

The thing is 45 pounds, so I don't think it's going anywhere, but you just reminded me I bookmarked a ratchet strap to buy for this anyway.

Now I'm beginning to question some of the noises I couldn't identify. I still have the fiberglass hood insulation mostly intact, so it wouldn't have done much if it bounced. I do feel really stupid right now, though, and this isn't the only reason.