Better way to run the battery cable?

[White Lincoln]

Is there a better way to run the positive battery cable to the starter? Mine goes through the drinker side engine mount opening. Why it was such a B getting it out of there, I don't know. But I really don't want to go back that way if I don't have to.

Suggestions?

 

[XR7-4.6]

You can pretty much run it however you want to run it, as long as you do so in a way it wont get pinched or burned.

Many things that seem questionable from a maintenance perspective were done so from an assembly line perspective, wiring as a whole probably being one of the biggest compromises, battery cable included.

 

[Grog6]

I like the way you did the relocation,Matt. It makes the big3 easier, too. I made a new round strap a few years ago, it's 3 pieces of 3/4" braided copper,inside each other. It's about 2awg total.

 

[White Lincoln]

I like the way you did the relocation,Matt. It makes the big3 easier, too. I made a new round strap a few years ago, it's 3 pieces of 3/4" braided copper,inside each other. It's about 2awg total.

Hey Grog, care to share how Matt did the relocation, if possible?

The cable was originally in a plastic tubing that went through where the tranny coolant lines and O2 sensor cable are, but that seems really tight when I tried to get the plastic out. I could have been mounted to a brace and I was able to pull the plastic tube out from there, but none the less, it was tight. Which is the reason I wanted to pull the cable and check it. It has been sitting in that plastic, soaked by years of engine cleanings, dripping oil and whatever else would have seeped into the plastic housing and sat there, possibly rotting the cable.

I was looking for other possible routes, I know I can run it anyway I want, length and location to be considered, I was seeing if anyone wanted to suggest how they have run it to make it easier to get the cable to the starter. I suspect the current route is the easiest, bar none, the tight fit.

 

[Grog6]

Matt and I discussed it somewhere here, but he put the batt in the trunk, and ran 2 awg forward,thru the firewall beside the starter. Its right on the other side of the pass floorboard, basically. Batt round is on that engine mount.

 

[White Lincoln]

Matt and I discussed it somewhere here, but he put the batt in the trunk, and ran 2 awg forward,thru the firewall beside the starter. Its right on the other side of the pass floorboard, basically. Batt round is on that engine mount.

I did that with my 12 gauge for the amps in the trunk. I think I will go ahead and use the existing route, without the plastic cover. I don't think I will be around or have the car for another 20 years to see any damage to the cable..... I might wrap another, less restricted cover on the cables to get them through with ease.

Thanks guys!

This is a pic of the cable cover I referring too:

 

[Kidd-7]

When I replaced my starter cable I ran it straight down from the battery then across the subframe to the starter. Tucked up in front or back of the subframe, don’t remember which and not below it.
Put some split loom around it and zip tied it in place.

 

[Grog6]

My amps wouldn't run on 12 ga wire. You want 2awg wire for the trunk relocation. Matt mentioned lincoln ls battery cables from a jy to run his.

 

[White Lincoln]

My amps wouldn't run on 12 ga wire. You want 2awg wire for the trunk relocation. Matt mentioned lincoln ls battery cables from a jy to run his.

<sob, sob...> my amps will run on 18awg. But I don't have much hearing left anymore so it don't matter now.

 

[White Lincoln]

Okay, while I was out, before Kidd wrote, I snaked out a way to make it easy and stay with the original setting for length. From the battery, follow the Tranny lines and before you get to the engine mount, go to the fender side. On the fender side of the motor mount is a lot of room. The engine side is cramped and has the tranny lines and the O2 sensor harness. I saved a 4ft piece of 1" Ford auto wire wrap from a junk yard car and am going to use that. the 3/4" wrap I pulled was pretty beat up. Luckily I had the plastic wrap cover to use and just the right length.



Yes, both wires in the wire wrap.

More to come... (cause I know you guys are on the edge of your seat to see how I do this...)

 

[White Lincoln]

When I replaced my starter cable I ran it straight down from the battery then across the subframe to the starter. Tucked up in front or back of the subframe, don’t remember which and not below it.
Put some split loom around it and zip tied it in place.

Great minds think a like....

 

[XR7-4.6]

I was trying to take a picture of how mines run but it’s too tight to get my phone into but it’s not that different than factory other than not using those cumbersome mounts, it snakes through the same area as stock but much more loosely.

As @Grog6 mentioned that’s for a relocation, but if I had it in the front still I’d do the same, only instead of daisy chaining the cable at the starter is daisy chain it off the mega fuse (battery- fuse - starter)

 

[Grog6]

When I get a chance to go to the JY, I'm going to look for those ls cables.

 

[White Lincoln]

Well, got the starter connected and mounted. I decided with the 1" wrap stuff, whatever its called, I put the negative battery cable in the mix. Heck, they go the same way and there was no indication there was any damage from the last 'wrappy stuff' that was done at the factory.

I had to get new bolts for the starter cause the other ones where starting to round off due to they came off a washing machine or something of that nature. The ones i had and I think are OEM have a 1/2" head. The heavy duty bolts I got from Ace Hardware are 9/16". You would think it would not matter, "Au Contraire Mon Frère"... You can't get a 9/16" wrench on the top bolt.

Back to the hardware store. I originally went to AutoZone asking for a starter bolts... "their in the HELP section, isle 6 back against the wall." I might as well gone to Michael's or Hobby Lobby. What a dump for car parts.

 

[White Lincoln]

So I went to the hardware store, O'Reilys and another hardware store only to find what might work. Hex bolts. I have the fitting for a hex head to mount on a ratchet or whatever to tighten them to the supposed and mythical 20-25ft lbs. I need to look that up in my service manual.

Anyway, 1/2" head 3/8" #16 1 1/2" bolts do not exist in my world. Maybe at the junk yard but not where i looked.

 

[racecougar]

Are you talking about running a positive cable with a negative cable in the same loom? I wouldn't do that.

As far as starter bolts go, it's been a LONG time since I worked on a 3.8L, but are you certain the starter bolts aren't metric?

 

[Generalee0527]

I had to change my starterr cable a couple yeas ago thanks to a dumba$$ mechanic who cut the factory end off (it was broken) and put one of them bolt ons. I went back the factory route and it was a B*tch. those stand-offs work as intended to keep them from getting in the way on assembly line. There is one between starter and front of k-member. I was able to spread it apart enough to get old one loose. I cut tab end off with angle cutters and taped the new one to it and pulled it through. Don't ever want to do it again either.

 

[White Lincoln]

I had to change my starterr cable a couple yeas ago thanks to a dumba$$ mechanic who cut the factory end off (it was broken) and put one of them bolt ons. I went back the factory route and it was a B*tch. those stand-offs work as intended to keep them from getting in the way on assembly line. There is one between starter and front of k-member. I was able to spread it apart enough to get old one loose. I cut tab end off with angle cutters and taped the new one to it and pulled it through. Don't ever want to do it again either.

Amen.

 

[White Lincoln]

Are you talking about running a positive cable with a negative cable in the same loom? I wouldn't do that.

As far as starter bolts go, it's been a LONG time since I worked on a 3.8L, but are you certain the starter bolts aren't metric?

Yeah, double checked the size, even at the hardware store, the guy put the current bolts in the test nuts and verified the size. I ended up useing hex nuts after going to three different stores and not finding a 1/2" head. I have a hex socket I put on my torque meter and torgued the hex bolts at 20. Book said 15-20 ft lbs.

Now, as for the plastic loom, it may come back to bite me in the arse, but the neg cable is only on the part of the loom from the negative cable near the block up to the battery. The reset of the loom goes on the fender side of the motor mount. Everything is tight, clean and well tied down.






Let someone else complain about how I ran the cables cause by then, it will probably be in a junk yard. Thanks for the concern RaceCougar and I do agree, it is risky putting the two cables together.

 

[97teebs]

I ran 2 zero gauge to the trunk. I the trunk to the 2nd batt. from there i can run whatever guage my amps need. Sub amp is 0 gauge my 2 4 channels are 4 gauge. I ran 2 0 to the trunk because I didn't use high end wire just Amazon Cooper clad. Also of course you have to use equal gauge ground wire for the 2nd batt. And big three set up so all of that is 0 gauge.

 

[Grog6]

Are you talking about running a positive cable with a negative cable in the same loom? I wouldn't do that.

As far as starter bolts go, it's been a LONG time since I worked on a 3.8L, but are you certain the starter bolts aren't metric?

Running a + cable and the round beside it is the best configuration electrically;That's why here are coax cables. The noise is proportional to the area inside the loop created by the runs, and side by side is minimum loop area.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Running a + cable and the round beside it is the best configuration electrically;That's why here are coax cables. The noise is proportional to the area inside the loop created by the runs, and side by side is minimum loop area.

For signals, sure… for running all the battery’s unfused juice next to the ground you’re one pinch away from burning your car to the ground like a Tesla

 

[Grog6]

Isn't the batt cable fused by the megafuse? If not then,yes, that's a valid concern. In my batt reloc I have a 175A fuse. I do have bigger fuses for possible winter starts. When it hit 30 below here in the 80's, my subaru had to be push started,as a 1000 cca batt I had wouldn't turn it over. Thankfully,it hasn't been that cold since.

https://www.parts-express.com/Wafer-Fuse-Holder-263-630?quantity=1

 

[XR7-4.6]

Isn't the batt cable fused by the megafuse? If not then,yes, that's a valid concern. In my batt reloc I have a 175A fuse. I do have bigger fuses for possible winter starts. When it hit 30 below here in the 80's, my subaru had to be push started,as a 1000 cca batt I had wouldn't turn it over. Thankfully,it hasn't been that cold since.

The mega fuse can only break between the alternator cable/power distribution block, there’s nothing in the way accounting for the several feet of cable from the + terminal on the battery to the starter solenoid to the fuse box in the stock configuration.

Mind you I live a little dangerously with my relocation as well, I put an extra layer of corrugated tubing over it the whole way but I don’t have a fuse from my trunk battery until the firewall, so if it ever did get smooshed enough to contact the unibody it’s fire season… my gamble is if the car gets smooshed that bad let it burn lol