loose battery terminals HELP ASAP

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

Well I went to put my new xs power battery in and I cant get the factory terminals to stay tight on the battery posts. I tightend them down all they way but will still twist right off the post by hand. I went to put old battery back in and im having the same problem on it. What am I doing wrong?

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[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

New terminals are needed

 

[brian84corvette 10+ year member]

they are stretched out probably - you need new ones - if you absolutely have to get by for a day or 2 try adding a washer to each side of the nut / bolt on there to help pinch it shut harder... but theyr shot get new ones.

 

[WhatsAminiTruck]

Yep just buy new ones... they are like $10 at parts store

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

Do you think some post shims will do the trick? My terminals are part of the factory wires and i'm not going through the trouble of replacing them on a brand new car with 6000 miles. Maybe I could cut the end off but then I have a bunch of wires that might not be long enough and need ends to attach to battery.

 

[WhatsAminiTruck]

If you're gonna do something, do it right...

But if you wanna bullshit it the shims might work, but then again if the tightening mechanism is stripped, it won't work well.

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

new terminals needed, you could prob get away with putting a small piece of copper around the batt terminal, then put the terminal back on and tighten (not recommended)

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

Will my factory wires be long enough when I cut that ****** terminal off.

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

take a flat head screw driver and open the terminals a little wider. make sure the terminal is all the way down to the bottom of the post then tighten. some factory setups will have a plastic cover and sometimes the plastic will also be in between the terminal where it tightens from the bolt. if there is plastic in the terminal where it tightens take it out and you can get a little tighter. If the factory battery was tight and all you did was put another battery in and didnt have enough bite to make it tight I doubt there was any stretching of the terminal as there was not a fat enough battery terminal to make it stretch.

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

Got the new battery in and have the cables tight. What terminals work best if I cut off my factory end?

 

[jrdnhsnbrg 10+ year member]

Got the new battery in and have the cables tight. What terminals work best if I cut off my factory end?

http://bit.ly/1gwocUE

Those and ring terminals, that's what I'm doing for my Big 3 install

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

post a pic of what you have to work with for the best ideas

 

[bbeljefe]

Do you think some post shims will do the trick? My terminals are part of the factory wires and i'm not going through the trouble of replacing them on a brand new car with 6000 miles. Maybe I could cut the end off but then I have a bunch of wires that might not be long enough and need ends to attach to battery.

So if you wreck it, are you gonna refuse to repair it because it's a brand new car with 6000 miles?

Your terminals are broken and need to be replaced. That's all that matters.

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

So if you wreck it, are you gonna refuse to repair it because it's a brand new car with 6000 miles?
Your terminals are broken and need to be replaced. That's all that matters.

Well when you go cutting and hacking **** on a brand new car and then need some kind of warranty work done it makes for a hassle at the dealership. I'm not worried about maintaining warranty, they would have to prove my mods caused the failure and its illegal to deny warranty work cause a customer changed something. Just trying to avoid future hassle and headaches with the dealership. After inspecting my terminals and wires I feel comfortable replacing them and feel I should have something better than a $2 china part holding my power to the battery. I've spent a decent penny on everything else so why stop now lol. I have one issue though, my negative terminal has some kind of voltage sensor or some sort of electrical thing built into the terminal. If I replace my terminal I would have to ditch this thing and I dont know if car will work right without it.

 

[bbeljefe]

Well when you go cutting and hacking **** on a brand new car and then need some kind of warranty work done it makes for a hassle at the dealership. I'm not worried about maintaining warranty, they would have to prove my mods caused the failure and its illegal to deny warranty work cause a customer changed something. Just trying to avoid future hassle and headaches with the dealership. After inspecting my terminals and wires I feel comfortable replacing them and feel I should have something better than a $2 china part holding my power to the battery. I've spent a decent penny on everything else so why stop now lol. I have one issue though, my negative terminal has some kind of voltage sensor or some sort of electrical thing built into the terminal. If I replace my terminal I would have to ditch this thing and I dont know if car will work right without it.

I'd have to see what you're talking about to make a determination.