E350 battery terminal replacement

[ohpyramids]

Hi all. I have an 03' e350 with the 7.3 diesel.

Ive got some old batteries with loose terminals. When the truck wouldnt start a few months back, i called AAA and the tow truck driver did this before I realized.

In true goon fashion- hammered a penny into my clamp with his crescent wrench. I mean, it works, but it is dumb.

But with needing new batteries soon, hese connections arent ideal. Mainly I feel like they would give me problems on the trail by wiggling loose from bouncing alot.

Ive been doing homework but havent seen a red terminal like ive got. Will i be ok to clip it off and go with military style ends?

 

[rdcolorado]

As long as you can mate the cable ends to the new terminal you shouldn't have any problems. I ordered cable ends from customerbatterycables.com.

 

[Mr_Henrietta]

I've got the same problem as OP with the same positive terminal posted. I took the van to two shops who offered no help. Anyone know where to purchase the terminal or how I would go about getting it fixed?

 

[villageidiot327]

I've got the same problem as OP with the same positive terminal posted. I took the van to two shops who offered no help. Anyone know where to purchase the terminal or how I would go about getting it fixed?

One way, would be to get a battery with both a top terminal, and a side post terminal. Then crimp a new lug onto the existing main cable, and put the other one on the side post.

Same could be done with marine batteries, just use 3/8 lugs.

They also make a positive terminal buss you could fit and re do the cable setup.

Otherwise, it looks like that's a factory cable and you may have to change the whole shooting match.

 

[Gravity]

Interested as well Mr H... My Positive cable on my rig looks identical just w/o the penny - hammered into oblivion. No issues to date but I'd like to replace/update soon

 

[ohpyramids]

In addition to this bootleg connection, I also had some corrosion in the cables. So I took it to a shop. This is where I ended up.

 

[Mr_Henrietta]

Thanks everyone for the replies!! So I just spoke with Sportsmobile and they told me it is a Ford factory part... Ford says it's not haha.. Looks like I may be going the bootleg route unless anyone can shed any light on where to find a direct replacement. I'm dumbfounded.

 

[philos]

It's a Ford part. Bought one in 2014 for my van. Wasn't cheap at around $300, but it's a big giant hunk of wiring so I was happy to pay it in the end.
Found it on eBay.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[philos]

So I only paid $142 and change, but I guess it felt like more, hehehehe.

It's listed as a "starter cable" so that's why folks have trouble finding it.
Motorcraft part number 95714 is for the 99-03 E350 with 7.3 diesel.

here's an ebay auction with a pic of the part, you can find a cheaper one with minimal effort...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcraft-...ash=item58c9226f1f:g:2RMAAOSwd0BVp8K~&vxp=mtr

 

[Mr_Henrietta]

So I only paid $142 and change, but I guess it felt like more, hehehehe.

It's listed as a "starter cable" so that's why folks have trouble finding it.
Motorcraft part number 95714 is for the 99-03 E350 with 7.3 diesel.

here's an ebay auction with a pic of the part, you can find a cheaper one with minimal effort...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcraft-...ash=item58c9226f1f:g:2RMAAOSwd0BVp8K~&vxp=mtr

This looks different. Is it just that the cables are wired in lower?

 

[philos]

This looks different. Is it just that the cables are wired in lower?

They follow the factory routing, it should be in the factory service manual. This is for a 7.3 diesel, so if you've got another engine....

Mine fit perfectly. Quality piece of kit, hecho en Mexico, still looks great today.

 

[BajaSportsmobile]

We stock those as part of a whole factory harness. It is a very nice piece.

 

[huskyhauler]

Do you have two batteries or just one? The wiring harness is indeed a Ford factory item. If the corrosion doesn't go too far down the line you can simply cut the wire where it's clean and install a new terminal, well, so long as it will still reach the batter post.

I ran into this issue a while back and everyone said to stay away from the cable clamp style terminal. The cable clamp style terminal does not contact as much wire, and it will indeed loosen up over time. Go with a crimp style or compression style terminal. They are much more secure. You also mentioned your battery was moving around a bit? Make sure to lock that thing down!

Patoz directed me to this website:

http://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/how-to-replace-battery-terminals/

 

[luthj]

X2 on new terminals. Closed end terminals with adhesive lined heat shrink work great. Then just install an adapter on the battery with a stud.

This site has good prices on terminals, heat shrink, and custom cables.

http://www.genuinedealz.com/


For the occasional crimp this tool works fine on concrete with a hammer.

http://amzn.to/2b6IELK

 

[huskyhauler]

Expensive !

Maybe also pound a penny into the nose of a ************** AAA contractor.
Nobody can be legitimately that stupid. That was simply deliberate vandalism of a paying customers equipment.

To be fair, the AAA guy wasn't there to do auto mechanic work. He was there to get the driver off the side of the road and home. That penny trick is much cheaper than a tow job. It's not like he ruined the terminals. Those terminals were pretty well wrecked.