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#1
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Battery Cable Upgrade
O.K. , several have asked me about this easy , simple & CHEAP upgrade that'll guarantee faster cranking speeds .
It can be done at any welding supply shop and shouldn't cost over $35.00 *if* they're honest . About $10.00 in materiels , soldered ends of course . If the pic isn't clear , open it with IE , it'll be small but clear then . I hope this helps .
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-Nate 1982 240D 408,XXX miles Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better Last edited by vwnate1; 02-25-2010 at 11:24 PM. |
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Good pic nate! I always wondered what a Bable was!!! lol
Just worked it out!! Short hand for Battery cable !!!
__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort.... 1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket. 1980 300D now parts car 800k miles 1984 300D 500k miles 1987 250td 160k miles English import 2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles 1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo. 1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion. Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving |
#3
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WHOOPS !
I *thought* I'd proof read it.....
Anyways , the short bit is the original length and attaches to the body as before ~ the longer end can be attaches anywhere on the engine or tranny except the exhaust manifold or it's fasteners . Try it , you'll LOVE it ! .
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-Nate 1982 240D 408,XXX miles Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better |
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Nate,
Can you provide some more details such as wire gauge and wire length? It'd be good to know when shopping around. Also, did you have the shop do all the work? Solder and crimp? |
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I can't figure out much from that pic , too small
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#6
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I have been making my own cables for years from welding cable. #2 seems to be sufficient for most cars, but I use #2/0 for diesel trucks and #4/0 for the winch on my F-350. All soldered with no crimp and I haven't had a failure yet. Keep the length as short as you can to minimize resistance without straining the connections. A length of welding cable and a couple of lugs is usually about half the price of a smaller factory made cable which is the reason I started making my own in the first place.
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#7
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What HE Said !
When you solder them ,here is no crimp - crimped battery cables are crap , worthless junk that'll corrode .
I make them in my shop . It's on SMWBO's car now but I'll be making up another one for my Turbo Coupe soon and I'll try to measure it before installation and snap a better pic . I *think* I used 1/0 Gauge but I forget now .
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-Nate 1982 240D 408,XXX miles Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better |
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X2 for crimping is crap!!!!!!
Soldering is good !! Use propane or butane torch & plenty of solder if you are good with DIY.
__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort.... 1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket. 1980 300D now parts car 800k miles 1984 300D 500k miles 1987 250td 160k miles English import 2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles 1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo. 1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion. Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving |
#9
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Depends what kind of "crimping" you use..... I use a cable swaging press for "crimping" and it works just fine for marine cables I use. Dip the stripped cable end in CorrosionX, BoeshieldT9, etc. insert into lug, hit it with the swage and its never coming off. Then wipe clean the cable jacket/jug with acetone and seal it with Ancor adhesive lined heatshrink tubing. The result is a bulletproof cable that will survive a marine environment. Any marine store, (west marine, etc.) will have the swage tool and if you buy the nice zinc coated Ancor lugs there they will be more than happy to let you use the tool. RT
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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops! 84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K 03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K 93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K |
#10
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I have seen crimps fail, even in smaller wires.
soldering is for continuity not for strength as some people think. Charlie
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there were three HP ratings on the OM616... 1) Not much power 2) Even less power 3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast. 80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works |
#11
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A crimped connection is a mechanical connection.
A soldered connection is an electrical connection.
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#12
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While I would agree with anyone that a soldered connection is the best it would also appear that "mechanical" connections are perfectly acceptable provided they are done correctly. I mess about with boats, cars and work in construction. Mechanical electrical connections dominate by a very wide margin. RT
__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops! 84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K 03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K 93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K |
#13
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Soldered and crimped makes no electrical difference when using an oversized cable.
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#14
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Does that battery cable neatly integrate into the harness, or is it a separate cable sitting there? Wonder if it would be easier to augment the oe cable with a second connectionwith smaller gauge cable in parallel...
Ground is likely more important on older cars that start well in the cold...
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Current Diesels: 1981 240D (73K) 1982 300CD (169k) 1985 190D (169k) 1991 350SD (113k) 1991 350SD (206k) 1991 300D (228k) 1993 300SD (291k) 1993 300D 2.5T (338k) 1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k) 1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k) Past Diesels: 1983 300D (228K) 1985 300D (233K) |
#15
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Oops
Quote:
The electricity flows around the exterior of each strand , this is why Welding cable is better , it has more and finer strands in the same gauge cabling . Soldering is not to prevent falling off , it's for maximum conductivity . Try it , the difference is so remarkable you'll be sold the very first time you try it . Either way you attach the connector , using that nifty heat shrink tubing with glue inside it, prevent corrosion .
__________________
-Nate 1982 240D 408,XXX miles Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better |
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