1996 Nissan Pathfinder, Installing a New Positive Battery Terminal

This 1996 Nissan Pathfinder came in with cranking problems and one of the first things that I noticed was that the positive battery cable end had been replaced and that the crimp connection seemed questionable at best. Upon closer inspection is was just plain bad. I was able to easily pull the cable out of … Continue reading “1996 Nissan Pathfinder, Installing a New Positive Battery Terminal”

Battery Cable Ring Terminal Repair

A friend of mine brought in a set of battery cables off of a golf cart that he was working on to have the cable ends repaired. He asked what I thought caused the problem and I told him it was simply a badly designed terminal and connection process. While working on the cables I … Continue reading “Battery Cable Ring Terminal Repair”

2005 Buick Lacrosse, Repeated ECM Failures

In two previous articles I outlined the problems and solutions on a 2005 Buick Lacrosse.  Symptom  and Solution. Now for the root cause of this failure. In every case that I found, similar to the vehicle I was working on was that the condition was preceded by a battery event. Most notably loose and corroded … Continue reading “2005 Buick Lacrosse, Repeated ECM Failures”

2004 Volkswagen Beetle, Battery Goes Dead

This 2004 VW Beetle came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead while driving the vehicle. Especially when the a/c and lights were on. A quick visual inspection found the problem. Note the rusted nut in the center of the picture below. Rust on a steel nut that is part of n … Continue reading “2004 Volkswagen Beetle, Battery Goes Dead”

1995 Buick Park Avenue, Hard Crank Condition

This 1995 Buick Park Avenue came in with the complaint that it was hard to crank sometimes. Meaning that the starter would turn slowly. A quick look at the positive battery terminal connection revealed a possible problem. The engine was still running at this point so I touched the terminal to see if it was … Continue reading “1995 Buick Park Avenue, Hard Crank Condition”

2004 GMC Envoy No Crank Condition

This 2004 GMC Envoy came in with multiple electrical complaints. The main complaint was that it had to jumped started any time the engine was shut off.  A quick check found that the battery cables were very loose. After removing the cable ends for inspection an excess amount of corrosion was found. From the way … Continue reading “2004 GMC Envoy No Crank Condition”

How to Change a Battery Terminal When It Is Part Of A Harness

Although this vehicle is a 2004 Suzuki Verona, this repair can apply to a multitude of manufacturers. The general problem is the battery terminal has failed. The bigger problem is that this battery terminal end is only supplied a part of a larger harness assembly by the vehicle manufacturer. This repair begins with separating all … Continue reading “How to Change a Battery Terminal When It Is Part Of A Harness”

1996 Ford Explorer, Intermittent No Crank Condition, Engine Stalls

This 1996 Ford  Explorer came in with an intermittent no crank condition. Followed by a stalling and no re crank condition.  The customer told me that he had fixed the battery cable connections. Well yes, there was a new negative battery terminal installed. I have mixed feelings about these painted battery terminals. I dislike them, … Continue reading “1996 Ford Explorer, Intermittent No Crank Condition, Engine Stalls”

1999 Chevrolet Suburban, Erratic Speedometer Caused by Burnt Battery Terminal

This 1999 Chevrolet Suburban came in with the complaint of an erratic speedometer. I have seen this problem before, so I went straight to the positive battery cable connections. This is what I found. At first the cables look a little corroded but not too bad. A closer look shows heavy corrosion on the terminal … Continue reading “1999 Chevrolet Suburban, Erratic Speedometer Caused by Burnt Battery Terminal”

2002 GMC Sierra, Erratic Charging Condition, Battery Goes Dead

This 2002 GMC Sierra came in with the complaint that the battery had gone dead and that the voltmeter was reading low voltage at times. I opened the hood and the problem was quite evident to me but I decided to do some testing anyways. The following picture shows 14.32 volts at the alternator output … Continue reading “2002 GMC Sierra, Erratic Charging Condition, Battery Goes Dead”