8D battery cable size

[whaler23]

Looks like I have a corroded end of one of my battery cables to my port engine. The terminal that attaches the cable to the actual starter motor is corroding off the end of the cable. I believe it's 4/0 cable but not sure. Last two times coming to the boat I have had to wiggle this end to get the engine to start. I know that's not good. The solenoid on the starter clicks fine and voltage across it is fine under cranking so I am assuming this corrosion is the issue. My question is is it 4/0 ( 8 D battery Cat 3160 engine) and can I repair the end myself (no idea how to crimp a new lug on it) or is it reasonable to replace the entire cable (10 feet or so) Thanks.

 

[Angela]

We recently replaced all of our battery cables because someone before us had used the smaller automotive battery cables that don't cut it in a marine environment. It was obvious that these cables were inferior and troublesome.

We went to West Marine and gathered up the parts which they had in stock (used 00 cable which is pretty big, but necessary). It is my understanding that the cables between the batteries should be the same gauge as that coming from and going to the charger. Then we went over to the rigging table in the store where they had all the tools (crimper, cutter, etc.) we needed to assemble the cables to whatever lengths we needed. We stripped the cable back equal to the amount wire that would fit into the connector. Then, we shoved all that into the connector and used the crimper to press the connector down on the wires inside. If you plan to solder, as well, this is the time to do it. Then, we put heat shrink tubing over the joint and shrunk it snug. When we were done, we measured the amount of cable we used, counted the connectors and shrink tubes, and paid for the parts we used. We were able to make our cables to the lengths we needed which ranged from 3" to 18" - we were connecting four batteries on each side of the boat.

The folks at West Marine were very helpful in showing us where the store's tools were and how to make these up. I didn't mind paying the "West Marine price" of the parts this time seeing as I didn't have to buy the tools to do this job. We walked out of the store with custom made/fit cables for the price of parts and a little elbow grease.

 

[Pascal]

when i installed my inverter a couple of years ago, i had to order the 4/0 cables from West (not stocked in store and not avail. form cheaper Boat Fix) but didn't know they had the tool to crimp them ! bought the anchor tool $50 and used the big knock off hammer from my car to crimp it. worked well though, connections are tight...

i think 00 is a smallish side... i can't see any markings on the main banks interconect cables but they are smaller than the original 4/0 cables that from batteries to switches to starters. they should be the same size, one more thing to address...

 

[Angela]

Pascal,

Maybe I have my 00 number wrong; they are the bigger cables and I remember it taking a lot of muscle to crimp them (Thanks Ed!). I thought they were the same ones you had. Nevertheless, it was nice to have been able to make them at West Marine.

 

[thoward]

I bought some from Surplus Unlimited in Daytona Fl. They were crimped and heat shrunk. I do not recall the price but it was reasonable. If you call them ask for the old guy b/c most of the others do not have a clue.

 

[jim rosenthal]

You can try cutting the cable back and putting a new lug on it. To do this right, you really need to take the cable out of the boat and be able to work on it. Or, you can measure the cable and make up a new one. If you reuse the old cable, replace both ends. And cut it back until you are sure you are looking at uncorroded strands.

I use Ancor 4-0 cable; it is the largest battery cable I could find and their quality seems the best. It is expensive. However, this is one of these instances where I just buy the best I can and defend that on the grounds that anything cheaper will be less satisfactory and less safe. The amount of amps that flows through these wires while cranking is formidable.

I do not use big cable like this for charging conductors. I use it from the battery to the switch, from the switch to the starter, to the inverter (if applicable) and FOR ALL RETURNS AND GROUNDS. Both sides of the current path have to be the same size. There is no universal ground in a boat like there is in a car. You are wiring BOTH legs of the circuit- out to the load and back- and they have to be equal size for this application.

For charging wires- the ones that run from the charger itself to the batteries-I use AWG 6, I think it is. It is the largest size that, once stripped, would fit into the lugs on the StatPower charger unit.

Welding cable or automotive battery cables are not good enough for this application, I think. The Ancor lugs are the best, and most WM outlets will let you use the tools (the huge crimper and etc, also the little sledgehammer) that you use to make the connections. And then you need a heat gun or butane torch to do the shrink wrapping.

The amps required to crank a diesel will melt a high-resistance connection fairly quickly. There are some instances in marine products where one company's products really do lead the field, and Ancor stuff is one of those instances. Given that battery cables do their job in an environment where it is hard to monitor their condition, and that it is not the easiest service in the world, it pays here to get the best.

 

[whaler23]

Thanks for all the advice. Looks like my options are West Marine or a local Golf Car Place that will make up the cable to my specs (marine grade Ancor) for a very reasonable price.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Just strip it back to clean strands and crimp a new end on it. Either buy a crimper or an anvil to put it on or borrow or rent one. I have the anvil. It is small and pretty inexpensive. You can leave the cable in place and just put the anvil on a block of wood and rap it with a hammer to crimp the end on.