Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » battery cables
| battery cables [message #140873] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 08:41  |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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I am going to replace my battery cables. My coach will not start right now. I know it is not the battery, and I am thinking maybe starter.
So before I do the starter, I am going to replace the cables. I have access to some pretty big cables that i can make at work.(we do work on heavy equipment). and I am going to install a large ground cable.
my question is how big of a cable terminal can a person bolt onto the starter? What is the biggest positive cable does a person think they can fit?
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: battery cables [message #140884 is a reply to message #140877] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 09:30  |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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I was split between buying one from autozone for $60.00. and having lifetime replacement. understanding that i most probably will be exchanging it for replacement at some point in the future, or having the original rebuilt by a professional.
You just convinced me to have it rebuilt. We have an old school automotive electrical place here in town that does rebuilds on starters, alternators, and pretty much anything. and when I have gone that route, I have never had to deal with the rebuild going bad.
I am hoping it is just cables. it acts like the battery is bad. clicks and tries to crank. and the voltage inside drops(meter at 12 lighter socket). However when I put a meter right at the battery, the voltage does not drop.
I tried a different battery, and some jumper cable stuff. and my battery load tester says the battery is fine.(battery is only a few month's old too). so I gave up trying to side step the cables, and will just plain replace the cables now, so I know that is good.
Hopefully tonight I will get the cables in. and can then pull the starter out if it won't crank. need to remove the wheel, and jack it up to get under there better.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #140887 is a reply to message #140883] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 09:39 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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Rob,
the stud is one consideration. the other, is how much room there is around the stud, so as the edges of the cable terminal does not touch grounded metal.
What I have here at work is 2/0 cables. the flat part of the terminal is about 7/8" x 7/8 inch. with rounded corners. the stud hole is for 3/8" bolt.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
[Updated on: Thu, 25 August 2011 09:41] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: battery cables [message #140892 is a reply to message #140889] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 10:00 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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Everybody has their idea on "how cheap"
Reds Auto electric here in st. cloud,mn are very good. but normal starter rebuild I think is $110.00. I was going to have them do my buggy starter, until I found the one at autozone for $30.00.
my experience with the autozone stuff, is it is cheap, and the warantee is great. but I know my wife's old car went one year on the autozone starter. and my buggy is on it's third autozone starter. starters are normally easy to change, but the motorhome is hard to push, and can't be push started like my buggy can.
so I will probably pay the local to rebuild the starter on the coach if I figure out that the starter is the problem.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #140893 is a reply to message #140890] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 10:04 |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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Just went around Ron Smith's coach last week checking battery cables.
Grabbed the nice looking positive cable to the engine battery and gave it a
shake and it separated from the battery post clamp. Never was properly
soldered from the factory. Many signs of overheat. He had complained of
having to charge batteries frequently. We live 6 miles from the nearest auto
parts store. One of those cascading failures on electrical stuff. Took three
round trips to the auto parts house before we found all the problems. It
cranks like new now. All started with a complaint that the fantastic fans
drained his engine battery. Turns out the cables were switched between the
house battery and the engine battery. Recently had the buzz box replaced
with a Progressive Dynamics smart charger. The non GMC people who worked on
it wired it kinda half a##ed, which is more typical than not. Two days to
straighten it all out. Make sure that all the corrosion is removed from all
the battery cable ends, and all the connections are bright and tight. I
never find what I would call a sanitary 12 volt electrical system in the
coaches that I work on for others. Just the nature of things with lots of
cables and batteries, I guess.
Jim Hupy
Salem, OR
78 GMC Royale 403
On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 7:52 AM, Rob Mueller <robmueller@iinet.net.au>wrote:
> Jon,
>
> From memory the stud for the cable is positioned to that you could turn the
> battery cable terminal so it does not touch anything.
> You could also bend the terminal at an angle to point the cable towards the
> battery.
>
> Regards,
> Rob M.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Of Jon Roche
>
> Rob,
>
> the stud is one consideration. the other, is how much room there is around
> the stud, so as the edges of the cable terminal does not
> touch grounded metal.
>
> What I have here at work is 2/0 cables. the terminal is about 7/8" x 7/8
> inch. with rounded corners. the stud hole is for 3/8"
> bolt.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #140894 is a reply to message #140884] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 10:05 |
Mr ERFisher
Messages: 7117
Registered: August 2005
Karma: 2
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Senior Member |
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try this first
http://goo.gl/xOPQT
may be the problem
read the whole set
gene
On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 7:30 AM, Jon Roche <lqqkatjon@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> I was split between buying one from autozone for $60.00. and having lifetime replacement. understanding that i most probably will be exchanging it for replacement at some point in the future, or having the original rebuilt by a professional.
>
>
> You just convinced me to have it rebuilt. We have an old school automotive electrical place here in town that does rebuilds on starters, alternators, and pretty much anything. and when I have gone that route, I have never had to deal with the rebuild going bad.
>
> I am hoping it is just cables. it acts like the battery is bad. clicks and tries to crank. and the voltage inside drops(meter at 12 lighter socket). However when I put a meter right at the battery, the voltage does not drop.
> I tried a different battery, and some jumper cable stuff. and my battery load tester says the battery is fine.(battery is only a few month's old too). so I gave up trying to side step the cables, and will just plain replace the cables now, so I know that is good.
>
> Hopefully tonight I will get the cables in. and can then pull the starter out if it won't crank. need to remove the wheel, and jack it up to get under there better.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
--
Gene Fisher -- 74-23,77PB/ore/ca
“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today --- give him a URL and -------
http://gmcmotorhome.info/
Alternator Protection Cable
http://gmcmotorhome.info/APC.html
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #140895 is a reply to message #140884] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 10:00 |
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Jon, check this:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=5493
bdub
-----Original Message-----
From:] On Behalf Of Jon Roche
I was split between buying one from autozone for $60.00. and having
lifetime replacement. understanding that i most probably will be exchanging
it for replacement at some point in the future, or having the original
rebuilt by a professional.
You just convinced me to have it rebuilt. We have an old school automotive
electrical place here in town that does rebuilds on starters, alternators,
and pretty much anything. and when I have gone that route, I have never had
to deal with the rebuild going bad.
I am hoping it is just cables. it acts like the battery is bad. clicks and
tries to crank. and the voltage inside drops(meter at 12 lighter socket).
However when I put a meter right at the battery, the voltage does not drop.
I tried a different battery, and some jumper cable stuff. and my battery
load tester says the battery is fine.(battery is only a few month's old
too). so I gave up trying to side step the cables, and will just plain
replace the cables now, so I know that is good.
Hopefully tonight I will get the cables in. and can then pull the starter
out if it won't crank. need to remove the wheel, and jack it up to get under
there better
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GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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bdub
bdub.net
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #140899 is a reply to message #140887] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 10:32 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Any size cable 2 ga. or larger will work great for battery cables. The OEM one was 4 ga.
Put that 3/8 id connector on the cable and if the od is too large, simply grind down the outer edge to fit what you need. Also the battery cable on an GMC normally goes to the boost solenoid and not the starter. A second cable then runs from solenoid to the starter. That second cable could also be your problem if it is loose or dirty.
Some people run the battery cable direct to the starter. It will not hurt but I feel it is unnecessary. You have to be careful not to over tighten the nut on the starter with those two cables on it. The stud is soft and made of either copper or brass.
Do not forget the ground. The ground is just as important as the positive cable. It is 1/2 of the circuit. The ground cable must go to any convenient bolt on the engine block. It does NOT go to the body or the frame. When you make the new ground cable, on the battery clamp end you need a second 12 ga. wire under the same battery clamp. (the OEM one was 14 ga.) That additional wire goes to the aluminum plate up front that has the isolator mounted on it.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #140938 is a reply to message #140893] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 14:31 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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Senior Member |
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The PO of the parts coach which I hafta get home had welding cable with get-by clamps on it for the engine battery. The minusative is easy - a two footer goes directly to the engine. But, how long should the plusative cable be to go battery to starter? I got to buy the cables and then go over and install them.
--johnny
--- On Thu, 8/25/11, James Hupy <jamesh1296@gmail.com> wrote:
From: James Hupy <jamesh1296@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] battery cables
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Date: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 3:04 PM
Just went around Ron Smith's coach last week checking battery cables.
Grabbed the nice looking positive cable to the engine battery and gave it a
shake and it separated from the battery post clamp. Never was properly
soldered from the factory. Many signs of overheat. He had complained of
having to charge batteries frequently. We live 6 miles from the nearest auto
parts store. One of those cascading failures on electrical stuff. Took three
round trips to the auto parts house before we found all the problems. It
cranks like new now. All started with a complaint that the fantastic fans
drained his engine battery. Turns out the cables were switched between the
house battery and the engine battery. Recently had the buzz box replaced
with a Progressive Dynamics smart charger. The non GMC people who worked on
it wired it kinda half a##ed, which is more typical than not. Two days to
straighten it all out. Make sure that all the corrosion is removed from all
the battery cable ends, and all the connections are bright and tight. I
never find what I would call a sanitary 12 volt electrical system in the
coaches that I work on for others. Just the nature of things with lots of
cables and batteries, I guess.
Jim Hupy
Salem, OR
78 GMC Royale 403
On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 7:52 AM, Rob Mueller <robmueller@iinet.net.au>wrote:
> Jon,
>
> From memory the stud for the cable is positioned to that you could turn the
> battery cable terminal so it does not touch anything.
> You could also bend the terminal at an angle to point the cable towards the
> battery.
>
> Regards,
> Rob M.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Of Jon Roche
>
> Rob,
>
> the stud is one consideration. the other, is how much room there is around
> the stud, so as the edges of the cable terminal does not
> touch grounded metal.
>
> What I have here at work is 2/0 cables. the terminal is about 7/8" x 7/8
> inch. with rounded corners. the stud hole is for 3/8"
> bolt.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #141022 is a reply to message #140970] |
Thu, 25 August 2011 23:35 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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The OEM cables were 4 gauge. I increased each of those to 2 gauge. I can not seen much use for anything larger. Larger cables will not hurt anything other than your pocket book.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: battery cables [message #141314 is a reply to message #140873] |
Sun, 28 August 2011 08:24 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
|
Senior Member |
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Just an Update. coach is starting again.
I installed the big cables, and custom made it so they feed the hot to starter and ground to engine directly with 1 guage, and had a 4 guage wire go from battery to solenoid, and aluminum ground plate.
That did not improve my problem. so I pulled the starter and had it rebuilt.
after reinstalling the starter, boy does that 455 now spin over fast with the good cables. so we are back in business.
I had installed a fuel pump back on the aux tank. but first try did not really help my long crank starts after it sits a day. I will see what today does.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: [GMCnet] battery cables [message #141340 is a reply to message #141326] |
Sun, 28 August 2011 11:52 |
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WD0AFQ
Messages: 7111
Registered: November 2004
Location: Dexter, Mo.
Karma: 207
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Senior Member |
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| Mr ERFisher wrote on Sun, 28 August 2011 09:32 |
> That did not improve my problem. so I pulled the starter and had it rebuilt.
thanks for the update-
I found a local rebuild of the starter, was much better because the
new "ceramic magnet" starters did not have the iron in them for this
load.
Changing your cables, lets you "know" where the problem is, and that
is 1/2 the battle
did you drop the tanks, or install the pump from the top?
good systematic approach to following a problem, and when you are
done, you will never have to drive this road again.
gene
--
Gene Fisher -- 74-23,77PB/ore/ca
“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today --- give him a URL and -------
http://gmcmotorhome.info/
Alternator Protection Cable
http://gmcmotorhome.info/APC.html
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GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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Yep, do it once and be done with it. I love that approach also. Makes life good.
Glad all is well again Jon. Good choice on local builder.
Dan
3 In Stainless Exhaust Headers
One Ton All Discs/Reaction Arm
355 FD/Quad Bag/Alum Radiator Manny Tran/New eng.
Holley EFI/10 Tire Air Monitoring System
Solarized Coach/Upgraded Windows
Satelite TV/On Demand Hot Water/3Way Refer
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