Positive Battery Cable Replacement

N

nsx_2k

Experienced Member
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15 December 2008
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I know a number of folks here on Prime have had periodic battery issues resulting in various anomalies (problems starting, strange behaviour from TCS, etc). Many times it turns out that the battery cables and/or connectors turn out bad.

I had some of the similar issues with starting. I followed the advice posted here on Prime by inspecting the cable & their terminations. I removed & replaced the ground strap (with OEM) and was amazed at how both ends of the cable were completely corroded. After replacement, some of the issues were completely resolved.

The positive cable was in pretty bad shape as well and I spent a fair amount of time removing the corrosion & attempting to "reform" the termination for a more snug fit. Now my issue is that some of the electrical gremlins have resolved with the replacement of the negative terminal and few still present (yet improved). The issue still annoying me a bit, is a somewhat slow crank requiring extended crank time for the motor to turn over. Interestingly, if I use one of those battery emergency battery jumper devices and connect it to the jumper terminal in the main fuse box, the car cranks and starts up like any of my other Acuras, super fast. This leads me to believe that the positive terminal/cable is less than ideal.

I've read multiple posts where people recommend merely replacing the end due to the difficulty replacing the positive battery cable. This in itself sounds fine, but I'm afraid that there maybe something else amok with my positive battery cable and am tempted to replace the whole assembly.

I realize the cost of the cable assembly is a bit over the top (as are a number of other components on our beloved NSX), but my real concern is how difficult is the replacement? I searched and can't seem to find any explanation or diagram of the EXACT path of the cable. I know it courses from the front to the rear and from the diagram has multiple grommets on the cable. But does it ever enter the cabin via the firewall or does it merely pass to the rear via the central tunnel all the while remaining remaining outside? If it passes through the tunnel are there other parts to remove to get at the cable, other than the cover (ie. coolant hoses)?

Also, has anyone actually done this procedure? Any tips or cautionary notes?

Thanks.
 
Related to this corrosion problem with copper and aluminum interfaces, has anyone tried using "NoOx" or a similar paste that is used on 100v/220v ac wiring (per UL code) when connecting aluminum wiring (used on high current electric stoves, for example) to copper. It seems that might be applicable to the NSX.

I can't think of any downside of using it on 12Vdc circuits vs higher voltage ac power circuits. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience to the contrary?
 
I know this thread is dead but I thought I'd answer the OP's question anyway in case anyone comes across this thread in the future.

No, the positive battery cable does not ever enter into the cabin through the front bulkhead/firewall. It snakes underneath the car next to (actually sitting just above all the plumbing for the radiator and AC lines. Then it goes back to the fuse box in the engine bay.

I know this because my positive battery cable is almost completely corroded away at the terminal/battery. Not having searched before, I was surprised at the length and the trouble it would take to do a replacement.

If anyone has a part number for the positive cable as well as an estimate on how long it takes to replace it... let me know! I was thinking of just cutting off the end of the cable and crimping on a new terminal, but the cable doesn't seem to have much slack as it is --- shortening it doesn't look to be a valid option.
 
I can't answer your question directly; but, the fix I implemented was to go to a auto electric / battery specialist and have them crimp a section of #1 cable on to a new heavy lead alloy battery post clamp. I had them include extra #1 2 wires under the crimp so there is no need to have wires attached to the positive battery post with ring terminals. I cut the existing battery clamp off the + cable and then cut the cable back a little further. I then cut the section of cable on the new clamp to the appropriate length and used a splice with a hex set screw type clamp to join them up. I used the set screw type splice because the NSX battery cable is at least #1 and perhaps 1/0 and requires a large heavy duty crimping tool. Working in the battery area with the cable on the car with that size of tool was going to be a problem. If I had the cable off the car and was fixing it I would use the crimp as opposed to the set screw splice. If the car was on a hoist you could probably drop the cable down under the car to allow easy crimping.

The crimp at the new battery clamp and the splice were covered in heavy wall glue lined heat shrink tubing. You can find the tubing in red so it is not quite as obvious that it is a patch.

As noted, the NSX positive cable is very large fine stranded cable, at least #1 . Finding a set screw style splice that large will likely be the biggest problem. This may force you to use the crimp style splice just because they are more commonly available. I applied the copper equivalent on Oxgard to the connections before crimping to insure a good electrical connection.
 
That is the style connector that I used. Mine was not chrome plated. Chrome plating is not a disaster; but, not a particularly good conductor.

The NSX positive cable is very fine wire, similar to welding cable. As a result, it was very difficult to measure the diameter of the conductor 'bundle'. The strands squash out as soon as you apply the caliper to get a measurement. I wrapped some tape around the strands to hold them in place so I could get a measurement. The result is I have some measurement error due to the tape. That is why I say that it is at least a #1 awg and maybe a 0 awg. Its been 5 years since I did this repair; but, my recollection is that the coupler I used was a #1 (or I made the cable fit the #1 connector).
 
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Thanks, Old Guy. I appreciate your input. I think there are lots of options for that style of coupler these days. What material would you be looking for then? The Stinger unit is plated with their "Shoc-Krome" but can't see to find any info on whether or not that is a good thing or just marketing bullshit. The Harmony Audio unit is nickel... I'm not an electrical guy at all.
 
I suspect a simple mild steel connector with a tin or copper plating.
 
The main positive cable going to the back of the car is 1/0.

I made a new ground cable and redid my OEM positive cables for my custom lithium battery setup:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/188095-Lithium-Pros-Battery-with-BMS

33296261775_b7796c7d51_o.jpg



Buy some quality terminals. I used this style of crimper for the large wire. Before doing the NSX cable I practiced a bit and did some destructive testing to ensure a good connection. Like Old Guy, I also used the adhesive-lined heat shrink after crimping.

View attachment 145004View attachment 145005


There's no way I would pay big $ for an OEM cable when you can make your own for way less. I only redid mine though to save weight and have a cleaner setup with the rest of my aftermarket stuff.
 
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I_M_Legend said:
Do you have pictures of your setup?

My positive terminal is corroded and I can't get the locking nut to unscrew.


View attachment 192645
Click to expand...

That is crusty! I suspect you are going to have to take a cut-off tool to the bolt.

I don't have a photo; but, I will go out and see if I can take a useful picture. The connections are covered in heat shrink so there is not a lot to see.

As an observation, if you switch to an AGM battery it should eliminate a lot of the terminal corrosion problem.
 
Old Guy said:
That is crusty! I suspect you are going to have to take a cut-off tool to the bolt.

I don't have a photo; but, I will go out and see if I can take a useful picture. The connections are covered in heat shrink so there is not a lot to see.

As an observation, if you switch to an AGM battery it should eliminate a lot of the terminal corrosion problem.
Click to expand...

I took a photo of the negative battery clamp because the positive battery cable now loops back over the top of the positive clamp and it is really hard to see anything. That was 10 years ago and the clamp is getting a little beaten up because it gets moved twice a year when the car goes in and out of winter storage. I re terminated the positive cable using an identical pre terminated battery cable with the attached secondary wire. The new cable end is attached to the existing cable using a set screw type butt connector which is then all wrapped up in heat shrink. This sort of thing

It is difficult to do a really sanitary job with the cables in situ because there is just about zero slack in the existing cables which makes the spicing and application of the heat shrink difficult - particularly if you have to cut back a fair amount of the existing cable because of corrosion damage. That is why I used screw style butt splice connectors for the job. #1 or 1/0 splices require a big crimping tool that is difficult to fit in the cramped space. If the butt splice slips out of place slightly while you do the crimp you are screwed. The set screw style connectors are theoretically not as good; but, they ae forgiving to work with.
 

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I_M_Legend said:
Do you have pictures of your setup?

My positive terminal is corroded and I can't get the locking nut to unscrew.


View attachment 192645
Click to expand...
Update: I was able to remove the nut by using a 3/8" socket since the edges were a bit rounded.
Old Guy said:
I took a photo of the negative battery clamp because the positive battery cable now loops back over the top of the positive clamp and it is really hard to see anything. That was 10 years ago and the clamp is getting a little beaten up because it gets moved twice a year when the car goes in and out of winter storage. I re terminated the positive cable using an identical pre terminated battery cable with the attached secondary wire. The new cable end is attached to the existing cable using a set screw type butt connector which is then all wrapped up in heat shrink. This sort of thing

It is difficult to do a really sanitary job with the cables in situ because there is just about zero slack in the existing cables which makes the spicing and application of the heat shrink difficult - particularly if you have to cut back a fair amount of the existing cable because of corrosion damage. That is why I used screw style butt splice connectors for the job. #1 or 1/0 splices require a big crimping tool that is difficult to fit in the cramped space. If the butt splice slips out of place slightly while you do the crimp you are screwed. The set screw style connectors are theoretically not as good; but, they ae forgiving to work with.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pic!

I assume the butt connector is wrapped up under here?

1721691310958.png
 
I_M_Legend said:
Update: I was able to remove the nut by using a 3/8" socket since the edges were a bit rounded.


Thanks for the pic!

I assume the butt connector is wrapped up under here?

View attachment 192651
Click to expand...

Yes. The butt connector has some rather sharp edges on it so I put two layers of heat shrink on it to protect it if it rubbed against other parts. The outer layer of heat shrink had this odd X pattern on it which really became visible once it was shrunk. In retrospect, the extra layer on the negative cable was not really necessary because you don't have to worry about a rub wearing through and causing a short circuit. The heat shrink is more about protecting the surrounding parts from scratches caused by the rather bulky butt connector.

On the positive cable you really do want to take steps to mechanically protect the cable repair area because it is crowded 'in there' and rubbing on the cable could create a disastrous short.

In retrospect, the ground cable is easier to completely remove and doing that would probably make the cable repair much easier and probably look better. Removing the positive cable for repair is very difficult; but, if you have access to a hoist, from below you could probably release enough of the cable end which should make it easier to do a nice repair
 
I ended up just removing the entire ground cable when I addressed my terminals on my car and just completely remaking it with 1/0 JL audio cable I had laying around, it ended up being easier than trying to mess around with the existing cable since my terminal was completely stretched out. For the positive cable I undid the positive terminal crimp on both the cables and cleaned everything and they both fit onto a 1/0 female fitting, and I put a piece of heat shrink tube over it.
71536492394__A599FF9A-DB96-4512-9F26-DA6BBFA09970.jpeg
71536772007__4D05E8BC-41C2-4172-B8FD-B7AC27B0DD5F.jpeg
IMG_0036.jpeg
IMG_0046.jpeg
IMG_0062.jpeg
IMG_0047.jpeg
 
I_M_Legend said:
This is a very clean setup! Do you have a link to the terminals you used?
Click to expand...
The terminals are JL Audio XD-BTS
www.jlaudio.com

XD-BTS

Ultra-Compact Universal Battery Connector, Positive or NegativeThe tiny size of the XD-BTS battery connector makes it easy for tight-space installations, and ideal for smaller systems that require a single main power wire for the audio system. OmniSert™ technology ensures secure, high-integrity...
www.jlaudio.com www.jlaudio.com

And I used some 1/0 female to 4awg male reducers from Amazon to make it work since those terminals only have a single 4awg input

71529905287__9C945410-BEB6-4F9D-99E4-3697E208F8A5.jpeg
 
I finally got around to replacing my corroded positive battery terminal. Thanks to @D Baggins for suggesting removing the battery tray and doing this job from underneath. With the tray removed, there was plenty of room. After much research I went with the Bassik positive terminal from KnuKonceptz. I like that it's compact yet allows you to make multiple connections. They have a larger version for folks that need even more connections. Plenty of reviews of YouTube.

1728246841189.png

For the main positive connection, I used this terminal from Harmony Audio

1728246743644.png

I was concerned that it would be difficult to put the two positive wires into a single terminal so I bought this 4 gauge Contex Link terminal just in case I couldn't get them to fit. Luckily I did because it made it much easier. I would've used a matching terminal from Harmony Audio but I couldn't find a smaller option.

**Edit** Turns out there is a 4 gauge option from Harmony.

Here's a test fitting:

1728247030548.png

I had a hard time removing the old terminal. As you can see it was very corroded. @D Baggins said he used some cutters to remove but I was unable to. I ended up using a Dremel to cut it off. I had considered, just cutting OE terminal off at the wire since with the new connection there would be enough wire to spare but didn't want to just in case it didn't. If I was to do this again, I would suggest just cutting if off if you have the proper tool. You can see from the pic that there's just enough wire to spare.

1728247320032.png

1728247407233.png

With the OE terminal cut off:

1728247498378.png

I decided to cut more of the rubber sleeve to see the extent of the corrosion and to clean it up. In total, I cut off about 3/4".

1728247636031.png

I used some Battery Terminal cleaner spray and a wire brush to remove as much corrosion as I could:

1728247741181.png

After installing the new terminals, I used some heat shrink to finish it up.

1728247851369.png

I actually added some more heat shrink as the red rubber dust boot only convers up to the end of the terminal and I didn't want to have any exposed metal:

1728247939081.png

I opted to purchase a new OE ground cable since it was only $40 and easy enough to change. If you want, there's a negative terminal available from KnuKonceptz as well.

Here's what it looks like with the battery back in place. Still very stock looking.

1728248147628.png

1728248167821.png

While replacing a section of or the whole positive cable is probably the best in terms of longevity, I think this is decent option. Thanks to @Old Guy for recommending an AGM battery. Hopefully I don't get more corrosion in the future.
 
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That looks nice and tidy, I need to get one of those red boots to cover my positive terminal like you did.
IMG_0062.jpeg
I ended up splitting the terminal open on mine but it was not as corroded as yours was.
 
For the future reference of anybody doing this, a little vinegar will help in cleaning the corrosion off of the cable before terminating it.
 
I_M_Legend said:
I finally got around to replacing my corroded positive battery terminal. Thanks to @D Baggins for suggesting removing the battery tray and doing this job from underneath. With the tray removed, there was plenty of room. After much research I went with the Bassik positive terminal from KnuKonceptz. I like that it's compact yet allows you to make multiple connections. They have a larger version for folks that need even more connections. Plenty of reviews of YouTube.

View attachment 194340

For the main positive connection, I used this terminal from Harmony Audio

View attachment 194339

I was concerned that it would be difficult to put the two positive wires into a single terminal so I bought this 4 gauge Contex Link terminal just in case I couldn't get them to fit. Luckily I did because it made it much easier. I would've used a matching terminal from Harmony Audio but I couldn't find a smaller option.

**Edit** Turns out there is a 4 gauge option from Harmony.

Here's a test fitting:

View attachment 194341

I had a hard time removing the old terminal. As you can see it was very corroded. @D Baggins said he used some cutters to remove but I was unable to. I ended up using a Dremel to cut it off. I had considered, just cutting OE terminal off at the wire since with the new connection there would be enough wire to spare but didn't want to just in case it didn't. If I was to do this again, I would suggest just cutting if off if you have the proper tool. You can see from the pic that there's just enough wire to spare.

View attachment 194342

View attachment 194343

With the OE terminal cut off:

View attachment 194344

I decided to cut more of the rubber sleeve to see the extent of the corrosion and to clean it up. In total, I cut off about 3/4".

View attachment 194345

I used some Battery Terminal cleaner spray and a wire brush to remove as much corrosion as I could:

View attachment 194346

After installing the new terminals, I used some heat shrink to finish it up.

View attachment 194347

I actually added some more heat shrink as the red rubber dust boot only convers up to the end of the terminal and I didn't want to have any exposed metal:

View attachment 194348

I opted to purchase a new OE ground cable since it was only $40 and easy enough to change. If you want, there's a negative terminal available from KnuKonceptz as well.

Here's what it looks like with the battery back in place. Still very stock looking.

View attachment 194349

View attachment 194350

While replacing a section of or the whole positive cable is probably the best in terms of longevity, I think this is decent option. Thanks to @Old Guy for recommending an AGM battery. Hopefully I don't get more corrosion in the future.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links for these, mine just arrived, about to tackle this after work.
 

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