I have a 1983 Chevrolet El Camino with 359,000 miles and the battery cables have never been changed, went to restart it on a hot day after drving 20 miles and stopping at 7-Eleven for a minute, I went to restart the car and the starter turned slowly for a second and then started. I can either get new cables or clean the ones on there now, it has not been as hot lately and the car starts fine, there is plenty of water in the battery which is a year old, as well as the alternator which is a year old, the starter has been on there for 8 years, they sell a heat shield for the starter, I have shorty headers that are coated and the pipes are not near the starter, when I take a temp reading with an infrared gun after a long drive on a hot day the headers are at about 400 degrees and the starter and solenoid are at 165 degrees, I just do not think it is wise to just start changing parts, in the past I have known when a starter is going bad because it would just spin and then catch,and that is when starting the car after it has been sitting for several hours, so the motor is cool, my thinking is worn cables or corrosion, but then again I have read that if you have bad battery cables the car will not start at all, anyone have any luck with these starter heat shields, any advice would be appreciated.
Should I Change My Battery Cables
- Thread starter c3po
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Do a volt drop on the + and - batt cables.
Originally Posted By: c3po
I have a 1983 Chevrolet El Camino with 359,000 miles and the battery cables have never been changed
With that said, yes, change them. Your starter won't have to work as hard, neither will your battery. I'd suggest using a size larger than the stock cables. They're pretty cheap.
I have a 1983 Chevrolet El Camino with 359,000 miles and the battery cables have never been changed
With that said, yes, change them. Your starter won't have to work as hard, neither will your battery. I'd suggest using a size larger than the stock cables. They're pretty cheap.
JHZR2
Staff member
yeah double aught cables ought to work well.
JMH
JMH
After you swap em out, strip them back and see if the copper is all corroded. If they are, that's resistance.
Less resistance and a smaller voltage drop. The car will start better under all conditions.
Larger cable , less voltage drop . You beat me .
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Heat shields were standard on many Chevys, and other cars.
They do indeed help.
But clean both ends of the cables really well, and check for corrosion in the wires.
They do indeed help.
But clean both ends of the cables really well, and check for corrosion in the wires.
You're not going to find larger than stock "in stock" at an auto parts store, you'll have to make them. 4 gauge is too small for what I'm guessing is a V8.
Buy some 1/0 or 2/0 welding cable long enough to do the job. Install battery terminals on one end, and ring terminals on the other where they bolt to your starter/engine block. It is very easy and you can buy all the parts at an auto parts or welding store.
Buy some 1/0 or 2/0 welding cable long enough to do the job. Install battery terminals on one end, and ring terminals on the other where they bolt to your starter/engine block. It is very easy and you can buy all the parts at an auto parts or welding store.
If it starts with 25 year old OEM size cables then OEM size is more than good enough
I would blame the heat from the headers, a weak and/or defective battery, alternator, or the starter itself for the slow cranking, before the cables, unless they are severely corroded.
Furthermore, all the replacement cables I've seen are the universal type and nothing like the original equipment in design or quality, even from the dealer.
If there is no damage or wear to the stock cables I would clean them by immersing in a small plastic bowl with a warm water and baking soda solution to neutralize any corrosion that may be inside the plastic covers.
If the solution bubbles and foams there is corrosion, if nothing happens they are probably clean.
Furthermore, all the replacement cables I've seen are the universal type and nothing like the original equipment in design or quality, even from the dealer.
If there is no damage or wear to the stock cables I would clean them by immersing in a small plastic bowl with a warm water and baking soda solution to neutralize any corrosion that may be inside the plastic covers.
If the solution bubbles and foams there is corrosion, if nothing happens they are probably clean.
You guys have gotta be kidding me!!!! These old beasts did that when they were NEW !!! Usually associated with timing slightly off, or timing chain (or plastic teeth on cam pulley) worn and stretched untill timing varies. Occasionally caused by leaking needle valve in carb allowing raw gas onto top of pistons and boosting compression (smoke like a diesel when they start though). New oversize cables and a 1,000+ amp battery will cover problem,, but they won't cure it ,
Bob
Bob
I guess I will check the cables, dealer no longer stocks them, if original equipment is better then I will have to keep these cables, NAPA had a price of $11.00 for the positive cable and $11.00 for the negative cable so maybe they are cheaply made. I got rid of the plastic timing chain gears at 200,000 miles, I now have an Edelbrock timing chain and gears, on a hot day the header temp was 400 degrees and the temp on the starter and solenoid was 165 degrees, that has me thinking I need to clean the cables.
The side terminals on all GM cars and trucks are prone to corosion and create many problems over time. Some say the center bolt was too long and when you tried to tighten the bolt down to make a better connection, it pulled the lead insert in the battery out enough to cause a leak. Now you really have a problem. The cable corosion tends to get under the insulation, so it is hard to see at a glance.
Originally Posted By: Jim Spahr
The side terminals on all GM cars and trucks are prone to corosion and create many problems over time. Some say the center bolt was too long and when you tried to tighten the bolt down to make a better connection, it pulled the lead insert in the battery out enough to cause a leak. Now you really have a problem. The cable corosion tends to get under the insulation, so it is hard to see at a glance.
Odd,
over the years since GM went side terminal I've allways been amazed at how seldom I ever find one corroded when changing batteries. There is no lead insert in terminal, threaded steel insert that's seated in lead thru case lug can be pulled out if over tightened.
I'd still check timing before spending time and money on starting system, just going by symptoms described in original post, and type vehicle.
Bob
The side terminals on all GM cars and trucks are prone to corosion and create many problems over time. Some say the center bolt was too long and when you tried to tighten the bolt down to make a better connection, it pulled the lead insert in the battery out enough to cause a leak. Now you really have a problem. The cable corosion tends to get under the insulation, so it is hard to see at a glance.
Odd,
over the years since GM went side terminal I've allways been amazed at how seldom I ever find one corroded when changing batteries. There is no lead insert in terminal, threaded steel insert that's seated in lead thru case lug can be pulled out if over tightened.
I'd still check timing before spending time and money on starting system, just going by symptoms described in original post, and type vehicle.
Bob
Originally Posted By: Eddie
If it starts with 25 year old OEM size cables then OEM size is more than good enough
OEM cables are sized to be just barely big enough to do the job when the car is new. Much like everything in a car, they can be upgraded, and when it's 25 years old with nearly 400k on it, replacing the battery cables with something bigger will give an overall reliability boost to the vehicle, and make it easier to start under all conditions. No matter what, 25 year old battery cables should be replaced.
c3po - I'm tellin' ya, just make your own. You'll get something better than you have now, and better than anything Napa stocks. It is so easy. A hunk of cable, two battery terminal connectors, and two ring terminals for the other end to bolt onto the starter and ground points. Very very easy, and you've got everyone here to walk you through it.
I have upgraded the battery cables on every vehicle I have ever owned, and always, ALWAYS, it made a big improvement - even when the old cables still worked.
If it starts with 25 year old OEM size cables then OEM size is more than good enough
OEM cables are sized to be just barely big enough to do the job when the car is new. Much like everything in a car, they can be upgraded, and when it's 25 years old with nearly 400k on it, replacing the battery cables with something bigger will give an overall reliability boost to the vehicle, and make it easier to start under all conditions. No matter what, 25 year old battery cables should be replaced.
c3po - I'm tellin' ya, just make your own. You'll get something better than you have now, and better than anything Napa stocks. It is so easy. A hunk of cable, two battery terminal connectors, and two ring terminals for the other end to bolt onto the starter and ground points. Very very easy, and you've got everyone here to walk you through it.
I have upgraded the battery cables on every vehicle I have ever owned, and always, ALWAYS, it made a big improvement - even when the old cables still worked.
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