Battery problems - terminal worn down

Associate
Joined
20 Mar 2003
Posts
2,323
Location
On the stool at the end of the bar
I have a slight issue with the battery on my fto. The negative terminal seems to have worn slightly but enough so that when you tighten up the clamp it doesn't grip it well enough to stay on. This has led to a rather unamusing incident when i was driving down the road and suddenly lost all power :eek:

I currently have the clamp duck taped to the terminal so that i can get about but need to know if there is any way i can solve this without buy a new battery?

Also, i have noticed that on the voltmeter it sits at around 14 but when the indicators are on it varies between 12 and 14 to the beat of the indicator! Is the battery on it's way out anyway?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Don
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
41,732
Location
Notts
where the cut is on the clamp , cut/file a bit of metal away to make the gap larger , this will allow it to tighten up more
 
Associate
Joined
3 Jul 2004
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1,203
Location
Reading
Rotty said:
where the cut is on the clamp , cut/file a bit of metal away to make the gap larger , this will allow it to tighten up more
this is not the best way since you will bend/snap the clamping bolt just get a shim/wrap some copper sheet around the terminal then tighten it up
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
16,660
Location
Devon
Terminals don't "wear" as there are no moving parts. It's either been corroded from a leaking battery post at some stage or overtightened and stretched. Either bodge the job with something metalic to pack it out (which will encourage further corrosion) or fit a new battery clamp.

Edit: Just a thought, do you mean the battery terminal itself is too small? It's possible you have the wrong battery, some batteries designed for Japanese cars have smaller terminals then european ones. You can get proper lead shims to pack them out to the right size from battery specialists.
 
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