You are a working mans hero sir, you saved me almost 1000$ and time this week. My 2004 Cummins had loose terminals and I almost boiled one of my battery’s yesterday due to what I thought was a bad crossover cable. It was because the divers side terminal could never get tight enough. I had some roofing tin and did as you instructed and now I can run it until I buy the expensive replacement cable set. Thank you!
I've got 2 dodge diesels. In the end, order some new ones (I ordered zinc ones..I think they were zinc plated copper or steel) and used a torch to melt lead solder and install the wires in like the original. So far so good. I cannot believe dodge used lead..what crap. Eventually, you will be replacing them. Sooner or later,..Hopefully the replacements will last better.
I had the same problem, but I solved it by putting a small screw-type hose clamp around the outside of the terminal. I tightened it as tight as I could get it. It didn't come loose, and it worked perfectly, for years.
Thanks for posting. I had a stressful situation at a drive-thru at McDonald's (turned off my car at the window)....turned my car back on and it appeared to be DEAD, like the battery was taken out of the car. Same issue......loose battery terminal.
also had a stressful situation but in a taco bell drive thru, had turned the car off because the line was long, tried turning it back on and it seemed completely dead. Wiggled the battery cable and it turned back on, figured its a loose connection.
Omgosh I’m so glad I came across your video. Thank you. I’m so tired of going to start my car and it won’t start so I pop the hood and just hit the terminal down than close my hood. I even showed my 10 yr old how to do if I didn’t feel like getting out of the car to do it.
This really helped me I really appreciate it because my battery is in the back seat and it will just do the click click and my dad wasn’t going to help me so I gotta figure it out on my own but luckily I found your vid❤️
Thumbs up Man!! I got 2 parts in today, thermostat housing and my idle control valve, seem simple enough. I've cleaned the idle already, but it threw a code months ago didn't know what is was!? Thanks again for the tips Man!!
How does that work? I don't even know what a wood screw looks like. So please dumb it down for me. Wayyyyy down. Even when it comes to the slicone or dielectric grease. And if the bolt and screw are stripped, then what can I do?
How does that work? I don't even know what a wood screw looks like. So please dumb it down for me. Wayyyyy down. Even when it comes to the slicone or dielectric grease. And if the bolt and screw are stripped, then what can I do?
I was planning to use a stainless steel mini hose clamp, but apparently that's a *BAD IDEA.* According to an online *Galvanic Reaction Chart,* there's a _galvanic corrosion risk_ when lead comes into contact with stainless steel. If I'm not mistaken, tin, aluminum and zinc (and their alloys) are safe to use as shims on a lead battery terminal, so I'll try to find something like that. 🤔
I cut a very thin shim from an aluminum soda can, which worked well temporarily. Maybe I'm not reading that chart correctly; it says lead + copper is not good! What? Lead battery terminals are connected to copper wiring, right? Also, lead solder is used on copper wire. So, I think a copper shim would be fine too.
Thanks so much for This vídeo. I have that problem. Would please help me with the following. I'm Wondering if aluminum paper would do the job. I don't have the material you mentioned. Thanks a lot in advance.
Copper pipe will work well....but plan on cutting a slot down the side,..or cutting it in half and putting the 2 halves in. I just did one. Use a 1/2 inch copper coupling. Cut it in half longways (way to long compared to the terminal) and then took a grinder and cut a slot so I had some adjustment. Worked good. Your mileage may vary. Other than something gold plated,..copper is the best conductor. Probably true tin is better than aluminum but it is too expensive to use for something like this.
I was about to say I've got alot of old coil for wrapping windows and so on. I was concerned this three different metals would corrode easily. More one the the aluminum side maybe it's just me.
What might actually work fantastic you just kind of unlocked a cork in my mind. Take a piece of copper pipe and just cut a tiny piece of it and then cut the tiny piece open and then you might have a perfect spacer made out of copper instead of lead.. 🤔 I'm only here because I need to do this and I think I will do that exact thing today
I had the same problem with my Suzuki Ciaz when replacing the original battery which had a thicker negative pole, the new Energizer battery had a thinner negative pole, so the negative cable stayed lose even after full tightening, so i went to a machine lathe turner shop and created a shim made of tin that would fit like a cap on the thin pole and so the problem was resolved. almost same idea. Better to polish the tin piece with sand paper before installation.
You can also take a hammer and slowly and methodically beat on top of the lead post, because it's made of a soft metal (lead) it will slowly fatten, you don't want to hit it hard and you want to track your progress but basically the post will sort of mushroom and fatten which will help you fit those loose terminals.
I did it better with a 1/2 inch copper pipe. Cut a piece off and split it. Confirm it against a deep socket of appropriate size similar to terminal. Make sure it goes around the terminal at least 60-70%. Loosen terminal to accommodate size and good to go
Sir, you're a life saver, I have the same terminals on my Ford ranger, I changed the negative terminal and replaced it with an aftermarket one hoping it would fix the problem and it didn't, so upon further inspection of the positive terminal, noticed there was a section of metal broken off, started taking the terminal off, was getting late and was too hard and frustrating to get off, so with the limited tools I have and only a used tuna can from the trash I cut it up as good as I could, affixed it to the positive post, slipped the terminal on and tightened it and lo and behold, cranked right up!! I was ready to give up and I came across this video, wow👍. This will at least get me through the week, thanks!
Three times the diameter of the terminal long strip should work. Cut a strip from a tin can if you don't have tin laying around. Clean off the liner inside.
Erm.. please correct me if I'm mistaken but.. if you were doing this on the RED /POSITIVE/LIVE side instead, you would need to be VERY CAREFUL where the other end of the tin piece is wandering while you are wrapping it around the terminal.. make sure you don't touch it to any other metal parts near the engine etc. As that might cause a short circuit... which could be very very bad.
I was told i need a new battery cable and something about a fuse because my cable keeps coming loose. 189 for the parts that will take a week to get here, then add labor costs. Very expensive and I'm a delivery driver and had to have a fix immediately so the mechanic secured the cable with a screw or similar. Why isn't that enough!?
I would put copper instead and not put aluminum though, aluminum has a higher electrical resistivity (2.65×10−8 ohm-meter) comparing to copper (1.68×10−8 ohm-meter). Here we just put an old (cause it's pure copper) clean penny on the railroad lol
@@FixingWithPassion Because there is just too much talk for a simple fix. At speed #2, you get there fast to see the fix. Sound off, spares your ears from incessant talk. No need for talk at all. Just show demo.
The correct way is to buy lead shim caps... They look just like the plastic caps on new batteries.... Just pop em on and put the terminals back on as usual...
Just remove the plastic shim that keeps the factory clamp from tightening. Or you can thin it to about half and still keep the factory look. That way there are only two surfaces to get corrosion instead of four if you use shims. Negative posts and cable ends are smaller on purpose.
I was looking for a different video. I feel like for most peoples application they should just pony up a few bucks for battery shims at auto zone. Encouraging people to Jerry rig things that can’t even com up with a piece of tin says it all!
The best thing to use is aluminum. But tin will work as good. Put some grease on the connection and it should not rust.
Aluminum foil?
@@bobbie143bc Perhaps.
@@FixingWithPassion soda can?
I have spent months researching into fixing a car battery and found a great resource at Jons mender guide (check it out on google)
@@bobbie143bc no
You are a working mans hero sir, you saved me almost 1000$ and time this week. My 2004 Cummins had loose terminals and I almost boiled one of my battery’s yesterday due to what I thought was a bad crossover cable. It was because the divers side terminal could never get tight enough. I had some roofing tin and did as you instructed and now I can run it until I buy the expensive replacement cable set. Thank you!
I've got 2 dodge diesels. In the end, order some new ones (I ordered zinc ones..I think they were zinc plated copper or steel) and used a torch to melt lead solder and install the wires in like the original. So far so good. I cannot believe dodge used lead..what crap. Eventually, you will be replacing them. Sooner or later,..Hopefully the replacements will last better.
I had the same problem, but I solved it by putting a small screw-type hose clamp around the outside of the terminal. I tightened it as tight as I could get it. It didn't come loose, and it worked perfectly, for years.
You ROCK!!! That’s what I needed to do didn’t know that that could be done. I almost cut my factory cable! You Rock!! Thanks!
Thanks for posting. I had a stressful situation at a drive-thru at McDonald's (turned off my car at the window)....turned my car back on and it appeared to be DEAD, like the battery was taken out of the car. Same issue......loose battery terminal.
Make sure gear shift is tight in park.
also had a stressful situation but in a taco bell drive thru, had turned the car off because the line was long, tried turning it back on and it seemed completely dead. Wiggled the battery cable and it turned back on, figured its a loose connection.
Omgosh I’m so glad I came across your video. Thank you. I’m so tired of going to start my car and it won’t start so I pop the hood and just hit the terminal down than close my hood. I even showed my 10 yr old how to do if I didn’t feel like getting out of the car to do it.
Nice!!
Used foil and it worked. Thanks
“ we all have tin “ jus laying around
Nice!
😂
lmao! Thats what I was thinking
LOL I've never had tin
Can I use the tin from a spaghetti can? 😂😂
any tips if the nut on the terminal is stripped? the 10mm nut wont tighten or loosen
Great idea.... I think we all have been in that situation. You have a quick, easy fix for it.
This really helped me I really appreciate it because my battery is in the back seat and it will just do the click click and my dad wasn’t going to help me so I gotta figure it out on my own but luckily I found your vid❤️
Good idea! Metal strapping works pretty slick as well. 👌
Thumbs up Man!! I got 2 parts in today, thermostat housing and my idle control valve, seem simple enough. I've cleaned the idle already, but it threw a code months ago didn't know what is was!? Thanks again for the tips Man!!
Just put a screw in it until you can buy a new terminal. Not everyone has tin lying around either lol
Ha ha....or a beer can....lol
@@FixingWithPassion it worked with a piece of a beer can!!!
How does that work? I don't even know what a wood screw looks like. So please dumb it down for me. Wayyyyy down. Even when it comes to the slicone or dielectric grease. And if the bolt and screw are stripped, then what can I do?
How does that work? I don't even know what a wood screw looks like. So please dumb it down for me. Wayyyyy down. Even when it comes to the slicone or dielectric grease. And if the bolt and screw are stripped, then what can I do?
@@nelnel2516 So you know how to comment on UA-cam videos but you don’t know how to google “wood screw”?
Yup!!! One side of my battery had a smaller terminal than the other as well!! Thk u brother!!
;D
isn't negative battery cable smaller than the positive
@@douglasmcdonald715yes
I was planning to use a stainless steel mini hose clamp, but apparently that's a *BAD IDEA.* According to an online *Galvanic Reaction Chart,* there's a _galvanic corrosion risk_ when lead comes into contact with stainless steel. If I'm not mistaken, tin, aluminum and zinc (and their alloys) are safe to use as shims on a lead battery terminal, so I'll try to find something like that. 🤔
I cut a very thin shim from an aluminum soda can, which worked well temporarily. Maybe I'm not reading that chart correctly; it says lead + copper is not good! What? Lead battery terminals are connected to copper wiring, right? Also, lead solder is used on copper wire. So, I think a copper shim would be fine too.
I thought the terminals were brass.
To chrome plate terminals must be brass plated first.
Is copper okay? I was just going to use a penny.
What is the size and the name of the tools you are using?
I think Aluminum is 4 times more conductive than tin. But what you recommend is a cool technique.
Thanks so much for This vídeo. I have that problem. Would please help me with the following. I'm Wondering if aluminum paper would do the job. I don't have the material you mentioned. Thanks a lot in advance.
Copper pipe will work well....but plan on cutting a slot down the side,..or cutting it in half and putting the 2 halves in. I just did one. Use a 1/2 inch copper coupling. Cut it in half longways (way to long compared to the terminal) and then took a grinder and cut a slot so I had some adjustment. Worked good. Your mileage may vary. Other than something gold plated,..copper is the best conductor. Probably true tin is better than aluminum but it is too expensive to use for something like this.
Great!!
I was about to say I've got alot of old coil for wrapping windows and so on. I was concerned this three different metals would corrode easily. More one the the aluminum side maybe it's just me.
Yea just change it out now and then!
Will a cut up aluminum can work?
Wouldn't wrapping some bare copper wire around the post like a spring be a better conductive solution?
It might be but all those thin strands are going to oxidize in time.
What might actually work fantastic you just kind of unlocked a cork in my mind. Take a piece of copper pipe and just cut a tiny piece of it and then cut the tiny piece open and then you might have a perfect spacer made out of copper instead of lead.. 🤔 I'm only here because I need to do this and I think I will do that exact thing today
Does Aluminum foil work??....several layers...
I had the same problem with my Suzuki Ciaz when replacing the original battery which had a thicker negative pole, the new Energizer battery had a thinner negative pole, so the negative cable stayed lose even after full tightening, so i went to a machine lathe turner shop and created a shim made of tin that would fit like a cap on the thin pole and so the problem was resolved. almost same idea. Better to polish the tin piece with sand paper before installation.
Good fix!
Good thinking
Nice!!
I've used soda can, foil, and also used a nail as shims & all worked well.
Nice!!
I used a white claw can worked well just needed to use a couple layers of it
You can also take a hammer and slowly and methodically beat on top of the lead post, because it's made of a soft metal (lead) it will slowly fatten, you don't want to hit it hard and you want to track your progress but basically the post will sort of mushroom and fatten which will help you fit those loose terminals.
Ok great!!!
I have a cracked battery ring,could this work over top of it instead of on the inside? To hold it in place
What if I don’t know if the metal is tin? I have a piece, it isn’t magnetic, but I have zero idea
Man you've saved a old woman hundred's.. ty. So much..
Can I use tin foil as in aluminum foil
You can used Ice water as water...yes
Will aluminum foil work?
What is an alternative to tin, for those of us who have none??
Beer can lmao
Any can in your kitchen that not aluminum. Corn can or any metal can with metal snippet
I did it better with a 1/2 inch copper pipe. Cut a piece off and split it. Confirm it against a deep socket of appropriate size similar to terminal. Make sure it goes around the terminal at least 60-70%. Loosen terminal to accommodate size and good to go
Thanks. “Get a piece of tin’’…. No help at all-thanks for the copper idea, I feel stupid for not thinking of that…
I could use thin copper wire, wrap in a spiral tightly.
Nice!!
Where do I find tin
i just stripped a piece of copper wire and used that to fill the gap, seems to be working fine...
Does loose terminal drain out battery fast?
-15%
@@FixingWithPassion ok thanks
Udało się ❤
You just solved my problem ! I love you
Mines been lose on my dad's old xtrea could this be the case for it not to start
O my!!
Sir, you're a life saver, I have the same terminals on my Ford ranger, I changed the negative terminal and replaced it with an aftermarket one hoping it would fix the problem and it didn't, so upon further inspection of the positive terminal, noticed there was a section of metal broken off, started taking the terminal off, was getting late and was too hard and frustrating to get off, so with the limited tools I have and only a used tuna can from the trash I cut it up as good as I could, affixed it to the positive post, slipped the terminal on and tightened it and lo and behold, cranked right up!! I was ready to give up and I came across this video, wow👍. This will at least get me through the week, thanks!
Nice!! Hillbilly Hack!!
@@FixingWithPassion lol, I see! 👍
Car starts great now, but cats follow me everwhere because it smells like tuna
That 3 year old Campbell's soup is finally being put to use.
Thank you! I'm on my way to my shed now ,, instead of autozone!
I did notice the addition of music in the editing. Thumbs up 👍
Going big time and raising the bar some....;) ha ha
thanks
Can I use foil paper
I think an aluminum soda can would work well too. Aluminum conducts electricity much better than tin, and it's also far more available.
True!!
soda can inside is coated with a nanofilm of plastic youd need to sand off first.
Thank you!
Very nice
Nice!
Thank you so much for the video. About to try it right now.
OK
You almost shorted out the battery terminals with the tin strip at 1:26.
Three times the diameter of the terminal long strip should work. Cut a strip from a tin can if you don't have tin laying around. Clean off the liner inside.
Erm.. please correct me if I'm mistaken but.. if you were doing this on the RED /POSITIVE/LIVE side instead, you would need to be VERY CAREFUL where the other end of the tin piece is wandering while you are wrapping it around the terminal.. make sure you don't touch it to any other metal parts near the engine etc. As that might cause a short circuit... which could be very very bad.
Word!!
i make my own post shims with copper pipe but you have to know what you are doing
I was told i need a new battery cable and something about a fuse because my cable keeps coming loose. 189 for the parts that will take a week to get here, then add labor costs. Very expensive and I'm a delivery driver and had to have a fix immediately so the mechanic secured the cable with a screw or similar. Why isn't that enough!?
Thank you so much that totally worked.
Thank you.
Hello I’m about to use , threadlocker 😅
Nice!
Good job well done
Really appreciated this video!
I just got a car that had a penny in between the terminal and clamp. Is that okay to leave in there
You won't get a better value for your penny ;)
How do you do that really? I dont have tin.
Dang. Thats an incredible gap for a penny to fit lol
I use a penny works perfect
Nice!!
Usefull hack
Thank you so much for that great information. It is just what I needed.
Hi, did it work?
Can your battery die from this problem and won't charge
Add air!
Blinker fluid is more effective!
Better to buy readymade shim. You should have sand papered that tin plate. It still had little paint on it.
I would put copper instead and not put aluminum though, aluminum has a higher electrical resistivity (2.65×10−8 ohm-meter) comparing to copper (1.68×10−8 ohm-meter). Here we just put an old (cause it's pure copper)
clean penny on the railroad lol
Nice!
3:01 someone whispering... is that you?
“Tin foil” works well as well🎉!
Use battery post shims people.
peoples.............
Thank you that was fantastic.
Roofing lead?
A very short piece of copper pipe is all you need !
Nice!!
I used to tab off of a can of soda.
This just happened to me so now I need me some tin or something
It's below zero where I'm at. Can't I just vise grip it! Feck!!! 🤣❄
Yeeeaeeaaaaaa!
Beer can will work easier
i love you
Shouldn't mix metals when conducting electricity.
But I did ;)
Nathan Rohrbough , i Just tried your scrap tin, and it worked great for about an hour...now I'm stranded again...in the heat & dark
Be right there.
Ha ha ha ha...nice.
@Jaime Alonzo that's not what your momma said...
Good stuff. Can I send you a pair of new gloves? :)
You saved me 100-something dollars
You made my day.
My friend sent me this video to fix my dead car. Did he think I had tin laying around the house? I texted asked if I could use aluminum foil !!!!
Nice!
Me walking around my garage "Tin....tin...hmmm...tin...where would I have common Tin laying around..."
In my neighbors yard 0-o
😂😂😂
Good tip. Watch at speed #2 with sound off. No need to talk at all.
Why?
@@FixingWithPassion Because there is just too much talk for a simple fix. At speed #2, you get there fast to see the fix. Sound off, spares your ears from incessant talk. No need for talk at all. Just show demo.
Na....I'll keep talking...lol
The correct way is to buy lead shim caps... They look just like the plastic caps on new batteries.... Just pop em on and put the terminals back on as usual...
Cool!!
j s na there to expensive 2 dollars while you can make some for free with alitle knowledge
It will make your car hard to start up.
Buy a shim
Why not fix it right with a new connector? It is electrical. Tin rusts.
Can u use tinfoil?
2 different metals eat each other dont so it
Nathan, You duh man!!!
Nice!!
Just remove the plastic shim that keeps the factory clamp from tightening. Or you can thin it to about half and still keep the factory look. That way there are only two surfaces to get corrosion instead of four if you use shims. Negative posts and cable ends are smaller on purpose.
Hi, can I use coke tin can?
Neighbor beer can also.
@@FixingWithPassion Thx, aluminium can is a good conductor right, mean it can be use for battery terminal shim..
So you can use a soda can? I need to try this but I don’t have any tin lying around but I’ve got lots of soda cans.
I was looking for a different video. I feel like for most peoples application they should just pony up a few bucks for battery shims at auto zone. Encouraging people to Jerry rig things that can’t even com up with a piece of tin says it all!
Will tinfoil work?
Na.
That's surely going to rust and start hell and all problems
Na....Better to deal with a little rust that replacing , cutting a perfectly good battery terminal....been doing this for 40 years...no Issues!
Shane Kneeshaw of your that worried about it use copper/aluminum
That battery terminal identifies as shim. Shims pronouns are she/him
My car blow up
Yo man needs to get you car!!
Or you could go buy some shims at your local auto parts store.