Making new battery cables

[WiscoRedkneck]

After 340k miles about it is time for some new battery cables the old one are cracked, yellowing and corroded.  After hunting around I found the best bang for the buck was buying parts and pieces from multiple suppliers and create my own cables.

Now I'm waiting for the last of the one ought cable to get here to get two feet in but as it sits I have just under 160 dollars spent and this is what I got.

A cable repair kit with crimping tool http://www.fostertruck.com/larryb-s-battery-cable-repair-kit-for-dodge-cummins-1994-2009.html

10' of 2 ought red motor lead cable with SAE stamped

25' of 1 ought motor lead cable black SAE stamped

25' of 1 ought motor lead cable red SAE stamped

I got the 1 ought in a 50' bundle pack from Amazon same as the 2 ought.  You will need a foot or two of four gauge which I had laying around.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZBF0R0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3FOqAbF9A9P1F

I think that should get you to where I got my stuff I used prime only to get it in a timely manner but you may find it cheaper elsewhere yet but for flexibility cost and so on I could not be happier.

Made one crimp with the new tool an like how well it is designed it has a scale to prevent over crimping.   

Here are some pictures of what I got so far more to come once the rest of the cable arrives.  

The wire is very flexible can wrap a spray paint can with it and the ends are nice heavy weight pieces 

 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Mopar1973Man
Author requested a link to be removed.

[dripley]

Did the same thing about 3 months ago with 2/0 welding cable. I soldered mine though, no crimper.

[WiscoRedkneck]

4 hours ago, dripley said:

Did the same thing about 3 months ago with 2/0 welding cable. I soldered mine though, no crimper.

I plan to make all the cables and add ends then all at once solder and heat shrink the terminal ends. Apparently the piece of shrink tube on the cable slid out of the pic if you look closely you'll notice one of the notches in the insulation where we flow the solder in to the terminal end.

My old man is an electrical engineer and is telling me how to make the connections proper I can't blame him he's only been working on heavy drives for paper and metal mills since before I was born.  He's also the one that told me I needed to replace my cables after he borrowed the truck to haul a trailer. 

Long story short when checking the oil he gazed upon cracked insulation and corrosion on the cables I got a lecture rather than a thanks and I believe the words he used were "that makes my blood boil seeing that neglect just because it starts without hesitation doesn't mean it's not a problem"..... 

I just received the rest of the battery cables opened the box and found out they don't have the SAE stamp no temp rating stamp or voltage rating... I will be removing the link for that cable if I can.  I will find some windynation brand cable on Amazon to replace this stuff.  

Edited December 27, 2017 by WiscoRedkneck

[dripley]

I never had my daddy do much looking under the hood. Just was not his cup of tea, even though his father was the engineer at the textile plant. But trust me he found enough things about me to make his blood boil. I got mine off of amazon I believe. As far as solder versus crimp, mine seem to be working good so I guess I am living with it for now.

[dripley]

And to add the wire was rated SAE J1127 and temp rated to 105*c.

[Sycostang67]

I went to Napa and had them make me new cables.  I wasn't aware at the time that the 2 piece positive cable was normal.  Having just owned 2 IDI fords, I thought it was hacked together like that.  The condition of the terminals also helped reinforce that feeling.  I had my new positive cable made like the ones on my Fords, one long cable. 

[dripley]

Mine were all separate on my 02. Nothing combined like the photo.

[notlimah]

http://www.custombatterycables.com/

 

Kind of pricey but come very well made and they already have a kit made for our trucks. Replaced all mine couple years ago and they still look new.

[Sycostang67]

7 hours ago, notlimah said:

http://www.custombatterycables.com/

 

Kind of pricey but come very well made and they already have a kit made for our trucks. Replaced all mine couple years ago and they still look new.

 

They make the dodge positive cable like ford does.  They are bit pricey, I paid about $80 for all three of my cables.  Mine are OEM size though, I imagine those are a bit bigger.  I do have a lifetime warranty if they fall apart, just got to keep them clean. 

[dripley]

8 hours ago, notlimah said:

http://www.custombatterycables.com/

 

Kind of pricey but come very well made and they already have a kit made for our trucks. Replaced all mine couple years ago and they still look new.

I does look like a good product I just couldn't work the price.out in my head. I ended up just over $100 doing them myself. I guess time will tell if what we both did was worth it.

[01cummins4ever]

32 minutes ago, dripley said:

I does look like a good product I just couldn't work the price.out in my head. I ended up just over $100 doing them myself. I guess time will tell if what we both did was worth it.

you got off cheap, I did mine a couple years ago, built myself and got everything from Napa including military clamps, cable, heat shrink, solder and end terminals and was close to $200 out the door... but maybe I just paid to much 

[dripley]

25 minutes ago, 01cummins4ever said:

you got off cheap, I did mine a couple years ago, built myself and got everything from Napa including military clamps, cable, heat shrink, solder and end terminals and was close to $200 out the door... but maybe I just paid to much 

bought mine on line at Amazon. Bought a small kit with 10' each of red and black and some connectors for about $75. Shrink wrap, solder  and such ran me up to $100 bucks or so.

[notlimah]

There’s certain things I’m more willing to pay a bit extra for to have someone do them right for me, crimping/soldering those big *** wires is one of them. 

[WiscoRedkneck]

A good friend of mine use those exact cables and loves them unfortunately I just couldn't spend $300 for cables that I can make myself.  Not to mention I wanted to have the option to add on other positive wires and grounds, which is why I switched to military style post connectors.

I have power ports for a mobile winch in the front and back of the truck. Along with a couple high band emergency radios so right now I have a style of battery that allows me to have a stud with a post next to it and some of the wires are attached to a stud while the rest are attached to a post it's  ugly and messy as all get out and I hate it.  

On another note it sucks in a good bad sorta way when you have an electrical engineer help you fix your truck cuz now that we went through the truck we found out the battery cables are really bad the batteries are floating from each other (as in not stabilizing volt wise)the alternator is bad and the starting battery is weak.

I have ordered the rest of my cable and should have it sometime after the new year until into the spare truck we go....  This could be interesting it hasn't been on the road in 3 months

[CTcummins24V]

On 12/28/2017 at 5:14 AM, notlimah said:

http://www.custombatterycables.com/

 

Kind of pricey but come very well made and they already have a kit made for our trucks. Replaced all mine couple years ago and they still look new.

 

Did that set come with all the little cables too? 

[dripley]

5 hours ago, notlimah said:

There’s certain things I’m more willing to pay a bit extra for to have someone do them right for me, crimping/soldering those big *** wires is one of them. 

I can certainly understand the mind set there. Me, I just did not have the cash and figured to do it my self. 

[notlimah]

2 hours ago, CTcummins24V said:

 

Did that set come with all the little cables too? 

 

Yup

 

Here’s a link to the kit options.

 

http://custombatterycables.com/application/dodge_ram.htm

 

 

[GSP7]

I just cut the bat terminals of my original cables(in excellent condition) . A local fastener specialty shop had heavy duty cable lugs and a commercial crimping press, they crimped the lugs on for free and used heavy mil-spec heavy wall adhesive lined heat shrink tube over top

I used some real mil-spec battery terminals from Napa,  and got a refund on the chinese knock off terminals that larryb sent me

 

Im very happy with my cables and terminals

 

[Royal Squire]

What is the difference in the terminals from Napa and Larry Bs?

[GSP7]

4 hours ago, Royal Squire said:

What is the difference in the terminals from Napa and Larry Bs?

 The ones I got from napa. Real Mil Spec looks like this, Notice the quality and the nuts detail

 

The ones I got from larry were just cheap chinese knock offs. Larry might have got some real Mil-spec in now.  He said he just happened to unknowingly order thousand or so  that were low quality knock offs that were not real mil spec

 

Side by side you could tell difference big time, and the bolts and nuts were sloppy junk

 

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Edited December 30, 2017 by GSP7