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melted battery terminal clamp

P

P and R Pete

Member
My father-in-law needs a good word, and this problem with his Farmall 450 is something with which I have no experience and no idea.

He had been running it today to "drag" his driveway, and then parked it. Next time he got on it later in the afternoon, he turned on the key, pushed the starter button, and smoke started coming out from under his seat, from the battery compartment. When he opened the battery compartment, the terminal clamp on the negative ground post was partially melted where the ground wire comes into it.

Can anyone give us a clue?
 
Failed connection. When the connection breaks down the result is resistance. When high starting current passes through the resistance the result is heat.
One way to check for weak battery cable connections is to check for hot spots while cranking. Be careful not to burn your fingers.
K-Mo
 
Thanks much! Makes perfect sense. I had just never seen this before, and it was sure surprising to realize there was that much current to do this.

Next question- was the weak spot where it melted? Will this be fixed by, say, replacing both heavy battery cables and all terminals? (Or is that plan self-obvious and I'm too dumb to see it?)
 
Just a new soldered on terminal if the wires are long enough to be used. If not, new cable/s are needed. 0gauge will be fine, do not go with automotive grade cables. Jim
 
Resistance generates heat...and corrosion is the most common cause of resistance in these situations.

6V system requires twice the amps to do the same work as 12V [volts x amps = watts, and that's what does the work], and to carry those amps well, larger gauge cables are a MUST.

If it was me, I'd be seeking out an old-style braided ground strap type cable.
 
this happened to me while i was driving home from a parade last yr. just all of the sudden slowly died. the terminals had shorted against the lid of my battery box and melted the clamp. tofix it: cut off the cable, buy a new clamp from napa and bolt it on. also buy insulator caps at napa like a car and put those over the terminal.
 
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