Help - cant tighten battery clamp?
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
Help - cant tighten battery clamp?
The positive cable to the battery is covered with green junk so I removed the battery, cleaned the terminals and the cable terminals, but couldn't tighten the screw enough to get it tight enough without fear of stripping the screw threads.
What is a good solution? Thanks in advance!
What is a good solution? Thanks in advance!
#2
Race Director
Make sure the nut on the clamp is cone shaped on the bottom. If you took it completely off you may have it upsidedown. If there is no cone shape on either side you need to find a new one.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c6-corvette-general-discussion/3808611-battery-nuts.html#post1591994264
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c6-corvette-general-discussion/3808611-battery-nuts.html#post1591994264
Last edited by EVRose; 04-21-2016 at 02:03 PM.
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#4
Drifting
Thread Starter
I'll check the nut and look into replacing the cable too.
Anyone changed a positive cable? Got a PN maybe? Thanks guys!
Anyone changed a positive cable? Got a PN maybe? Thanks guys!
Last edited by VettesRule; 04-21-2016 at 05:21 PM.
#5
Burning Brakes
Not a proper fix I know. But you could temporarily wedge a small screw between where the clamp closes together for a tighter fit until you can put a new clamp on later.
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BillytheKidder (04-22-2016)
#6
Team Owner
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C6 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
I had the same problem with the negative cable on one battery....would not tighten. What I did was loosen the nut and use a small slot screwdriver to spread the clamp apart. Push the clamp down as far as possible then tighten the nut.
Worked for me.
Worked for me.
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VettesRule (04-24-2016)
#7
Marine terminal worked great
Bought Autozone epoxy coated marine terminals. Cut OEM terminal off the "copper" strap as close to it as possible with tin snips (old school heavy duty straight snips with about 18" handles) and straightened the strap. Drilled 3/8" hole in strap. Attached to new Red marine terminal with SS lock washer and nut instead of supplied wing nut. OEM red rubber cover still in place. Less than 1 hour job, no worries about cable length, no electrical issues, no heat detected on connections after multiple start/stops.
#8
Burning Brakes
Same here... After they are removed a few times they need to be spread back apart. Then re tightened.
#9
Drifting
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The positive cable to the battery is covered with green junk so I removed the battery, cleaned the terminals and the cable terminals, but couldn't tighten the screw enough to get it tight enough without fear of stripping the screw threads.
What is a good solution? Thanks in advance!
What is a good solution? Thanks in advance!
BTW - If covered with green junk it might mean the battery is in its last few months. That's what happened to me, cleaned it and the terminals would not tighten. Then when I bought a new battery, same problem.
Last edited by Dutch08; 05-04-2017 at 05:11 PM.
#10
Instructor
Bought Autozone epoxy coated marine terminals. Cut OEM terminal off the "copper" strap as close to it as possible with tin snips (old school heavy duty straight snips with about 18" handles) and straightened the strap. Drilled 3/8" hole in strap. Attached to new Red marine terminal with SS lock washer and nut instead of supplied wing nut. OEM red rubber cover still in place. Less than 1 hour job, no worries about cable length, no electrical issues, no heat detected on connections after multiple start/stops.
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Jon05vette (08-28-2022)
#11
Melting Slicks
#13
Le Mans Master
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I wanted a more OEM look, so it was buy new GM cables or fix the ones I had. I just bent the edges of the terminal in with pliers so that there was bit more "bite" into the post when tightened. About a month now and perfect.
BTW - If covered with green junk it might mean the battery is in its last few months. That's what happened to me, cleaned it and the terminals would not tighten. Then when I bought a new battery, same problem.
BTW - If covered with green junk it might mean the battery is in its last few months. That's what happened to me, cleaned it and the terminals would not tighten. Then when I bought a new battery, same problem.
#14
Safety Car
I still have the same spray can of Silicon spray I bought 12 years ago. Once I mess with the battery clamps, I spray some on each terminal after I tighten the bolt. It never corrodes or turns green.