Battery cables 4-0 seems like overkill

[Captain Ralph]

Maybe this is why participation is down here. Moderators letting people on here that call members morons and idiots probably doesn't help. I've seen people get banned from this site for much less offensive behavior, yet this is allowed over and over again from you.

You need to learn to play nice, Ralph.

I am a very nice guy. I try to be helpful when I can.
Just no tolerance for idiots after things have been typed slowly for their reading disorders.

 

[rsmith]

I guarantee you the cloth cable insulation on my old Connie's 2/0 cables wore out. And the lugs weren't tinned or shrink wrapped with adhesive. So water wicked up the strands and turned the cable all green. If that's not worn out, I don't know what is.

That’s corrosion not wear. And unless they were subject to salt submersion or spray if they were tinned cables it shouldn’t have happened. Krush has worked in heavy industry like I have it’s not uncommon to see wiring and electrical equipment that’s 40 50 years old and more still in use and safe. 90% of the time it’s the connection ends that fail. Even in that case you can strip back to clean copper and reuse. Q I have to say I’ve never seen cloth jacket on boat wiring. Maybe over the jacket as chafe protection.
Unless they’re chafed or rock hard and putting excessive load on the end terminals no reason they can’t be reused.
Ralph brags about what he used to do and maybe he was great but realize a lot of these mechanics like to spend your money and that’s how they make money.

 

[krush]

........

Krush is a good guy. Intelligent, a Hatteras owner, and quite well traveled. He's done more at his young age than many do in a lifetime.

Way too kind of words to describe me, lol. You know, I'm not young anymore either--approaching midlife crisis. Funny, I joined this form in my early 20's and than began on the world's longest hatteras search...how time flies.

What planet are you from?
Cables adsorb moisture and degrade.
Were talking cables in a boat if you have a clue where the frak you are at, a boaters forum..

I've seen plenty of cable on vessels and plants that is older than you and me combined. Maybe you need to go tell these guys any original wiring that is left needs to be replaced? https://www.ssjohnwbrown.org/

 

[Pascal]

Besides the obvious silliness of comparing a small boat with a Liberty Ship, you are ASSuming that the wiring is original….

Along the same lines, you can’t compare an industrial environment with a small boat. Apples and oranges. The corrosion factor in the ER of a boat is 100 times worst than a factory or power plant. Not even close. Plus the corrosion factor from the batteries gassing….

An additional problem is that for years Hatteras used untinned wire. Again that’s fine in an industrial environment but not marine. And to make things worst, the ends were not heat shrunk and are even more succeptible to corrosion.

Having redone all the DC and AC wiring on my 52 year old Hatt, I can tell you that the 70s Hatteras wiring left a lot to be desired. Call it wear… call it tear… call it corrosion… whatever word you use, replacing high draw wiring like the starter wires is a good idea

 

[q240z]

That’s corrosion not wear.

That's pedantic. Worn out = busted = no bueno = needs replaced, etc etc.

That said, the cloth insulation was, in fact, "worn" through in spots, as I mentioned, and it was not safely reusable. The ends were also badly corroded. The whole thing was...how about kaput?

 

[krush]

Besides the obvious silliness of comparing a small boat with a Liberty Ship, you are ASSuming that the wiring is original….

.................. Call it wear… call it tear… call it corrosion… whatever word you use, replacing high draw wiring like the starter wires is a good idea

How about, TEST BEFORE REPLACING. MikeP loved the voltage drop test. A few seconds tells a lot! Everybody loves data.

 

[Captain Ralph]

Ralph brags about what he used to do and maybe he was great but realize a lot of these mechanics like to spend your money and that’s how they make money.

Working in Ortega, with a West Marine store in walking distance of many docks, the area folk knew what stuff cost. In reselling items from jobber cost, we knew not to sell over what that store charged. So, lots of our hardware did not make us much money.
Our following kind of knew this after a while and may have appreciated it.
W had some dead beat non payments, never a complaint of what/how we estimated & charged.

When we stocked cable, it would move quickly or sit and collect dust. The dust collectors we saved for our self when we closed the shop.

 

[bigbill]

all i know is that my 50 year old battery cables are in good shape. shame they are all black and not fancy red and yellow.BUT i do know how to tell hot from ground

 

[whoover]

I think that the problems with mine were mostly the lugs on the ends and the sub standard terminal clamps on the battery posts. I stripped all of the cover off to take to the metal recycler and there was green about two inches back from the ends. The rest looked good but was very stiff, the red and yellow just spiffs up the look of the engine room and we all like that.

Walt Hoover

 

[rsmith]

That's pedantic. Worn out = busted = no bueno = needs replaced, etc etc.

That said, the cloth insulation was, in fact, "worn" through in spots, as I mentioned, and it was not safely reusable. The ends were also badly corroded. The whole thing was...how about kaput?

Webster: damage, erode, or destroy by friction or use.
"the track has been worn down in part to bare rock"

But over scrupulous? Lol I had to look that one up.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

That's pedantic. Worn out = busted = no bueno = needs replaced, etc etc.

That said, the cloth insulation was, in fact, "worn" through in spots, as I mentioned, and it was not safely reusable. The ends were also badly corroded. The whole thing was...how about kaput?

What does it mean when a person is pedantic?
Pedantic is an insulting word used to describe someone who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details, or emphasizing their own expertise especially in some narrow or boring subject matter.

 

[rsmith]

What does it mean when a person is pedantic?
Pedantic is an insulting word used to describe someone who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details, or emphasizing their own expertise especially in some narrow or boring subject matter.

Karl Karl?

 

[Pascal]

With all the background noise and static in this thread, has anyone bothered mentioning the price difference between 2/0 and 4/0 cable? It’s about $2 a foot… $8 vs $10. I used under 20’ per engine on my 53… I didn’t even bother looking up wiring charts. $40 per engine is a no brained.

 

[krush]

Karl Karl?

I believe we do need input from the "diesel god" himself. All knowing expurt of machines.

 

[brettportzer]

Does he know what he is talking about?

He posts a lot of really small detail expert type stuff on BoatDiesel as well...

 

[cww]

This is certainly the feistiest thread about battery cables I've ever seen on a forum.

 

[brettportzer]

Only the best!

 

[krush]

Does he know what he is talking about?

He posts a lot of really small detail expert type stuff on BoatDiesel as well...

I'm sure he will PM you and tell you everything you ever needed to know. Come out from hiding oh great one! The people miss you.

 

[Boatsb]

Calders is a book. One of many out there showing some good basics and a lot of opinion on how the author thinks it should be. Don't depend on any one source for reading information. I'm sure Nigel and I disagree on many things but the basics are the basics. If you don't understand the physics don't get into a DIY rewire.

 

[krush]

Historic first ever post by (now-Senior) Krush:
................
Indeed, how time does fly...

DAN

Hopefully I'm not losing my edge in my old age!