Joining 25mm 170 AMP Battery Cable

[Janne L]

A properly made crimp is just as durable as a properly made solder joint, but both require the right tools, especially when dealing with these gauges. With my experience I choose crimping, even for smaller gauges. It's very dependant on good quality thought :-)

[bashbarnard]

Hammer and a really blunt chisel

Pikey!! Pikey!!! Use a nail and a vice.

[Dum-Dum]

If you cant crimp it I'd drill and tap the butt connectors for a couple of screws either side and then tightening them up locks the cable in like a battery terminal.

[darrenjlobb]

Grounding to the chassis is fine, mine always has been, cranks fine, just have to make sure you made GOOD grounds with GOOD cable, 90% of issues arse causing by crap cable and crap connections...

I personally crimp things, soldering is a face, and a crimp thats done properly does just as good a job, infact alot of people say soldering in cars is unreliable due top it cracking, but tbh i think thats more long term as never seen it happen much myself....

[Alan_M]

Grounding to the chassis is fine, mine always has been, cranks fine, just have to make sure you made GOOD grounds with GOOD cable, 90% of issues arse causing by crap cable and crap connections...

I personally crimp things, soldering is a face, and a crimp thats done properly does just as good a job, infact alot of people say soldering in cars is unreliable due top it cracking, but tbh i think thats more long term as never seen it happen much myself....

This. I've got the battery behind the passenger seat in the 205 and that is grounded locally. Use a 'grip' washer though and it'll get a good contact to chassis (don't forget to expose bare metal too).

Part of my job is to maintain big UPS systems at work and I've never soldered the joints on the multi-strand cable (It's a big no-no on site) after crimping for that very reason, they snap (you're taking the flexibility of the joint away). No need to if you use the correct tools.

Incidentally, Halfords sell the battery cables ready with the lugs crimped on in various lengths.

[Dum-Dum]

Grounding to the chassis is fine, mine always has been, cranks fine, just have to make sure you made GOOD grounds with GOOD cable, 90% of issues arse causing by crap cable and crap connections...

I personally crimp things, soldering is a face, and a crimp thats done properly does just as good a job, infact alot of people say soldering in cars is unreliable due top it cracking, but tbh i think thats more long term as never seen it happen much myself....

This! When I relocated the battery in the black HDi I earthed to the chassis and never had an issue.

You need to have a good earth to the chassis, I wouldn't use just 1 earth cable, I'd have 1 main one and a couple of smaller ones and make sure you pick a good point with a fine pitch bolt through a thick part of the chassis, seat belt mounts are good.

Also 25mm2 cable isn't enough IMO, you want 35mm2 to give it an easy life. I know the oem cable is only about 15mm2 but the thicker the cable the easier it is for the electric.

[DarkInferno]

Bloody hell those crimpers that you found are cheap cully, I don't know if I'd trust them to actually apply the appropriate pressure.

I personally have a 50mm^2 earthing conductor, job jobbed.

[silverzx]

Fek sake for the BOT bump! However I bought some 500A/70mm cable today..

[Poodle]

LOL, is that really necessary?

I crimp with a punch then solder it in for a nice weather-proof seal.

[w3526602]

I kind of want a clamp like on the terminal clamp but just for joining wires.


Hi,

I probably don't understand your problem, but if it is that you want to join two bare ends of starter cable, I suggest the proper answer is to buy a brand new but longer length of cable, professionaly fitted with the corret terminals.

And I always perfer to have the starter motor/engine "hard-earthed" (living language) back to the battery, prevents all that smoke. My Reliant Scimitar GTE was earthed via three sections of radiator cowl linked in "series". I'll let you guess at what problems that caused.

602

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Hi,

See my mail about ELECTRIC SMOKE THEORY.

602