Long Start Time Solved!

I'm too excited to wait until the video has uploaded to photobucket, but I've solved the problem of my long start and hard hot start problems!

Story is this...after help from you guys here in getting my grounding issue fixed, I've still had long start times, particularly the first start of the day and anytime it was too hot for the GP controller to kick on. After coming out to the truck from work at 1am to go home I had also been having the "loose connection" click. I would just pop the hood and jump the starter relay. Last time I did that, I noticed a spark from the passenger side negative terminal (cable clamp type). I mashed the cable farther into the terminal and she started right quick!

So this prompted me to order 2 more nickel plated cable terminals to match the ones a PO had put on the positive cables. I only got one on and found that the other needs a spacer (included ring wasn't enough), but I had already trimmed the cable to fit the new terminal. Battery cables are very fine, 2 or 0 gauge, nickel plated wire by the way. So now it won't fit in the old terminal (driver side). So I put a small bolt on the clamp with it so the cable would be right in the terminal, and now the starter rolls over like a scolded ape! Now starts, hot, cold, the 3rd or 4th time the starter rolls over.

Explainitory pictures and video here in a few hours.

Old start time, first start of the day. This is with the old burnt out Autolite GP's that were in it when I bought the truck. New Motorcrafts made starting a little easier, but still took about the same amount of cranking.


NEW start times, first start of the day (and after sitting for about 2 days untouched).



Passenger battery


Drivers battery (the lead clamp type terminal is the one with the bolt helping the cable to make contact)

Good news! Did you get those new terminals online, and if so, can you post a link?

Yep
Starting rpm is critical, my 88 had fubared terminals with new batt's it was hard to start.
New terminal ends cured it!
Congrats

madpogue said:

Good news! Did you get those new terminals online, and if so, can you post a link?

Click to expand...

Yes I did. I just searched ebay for nickel plated battery terminal and found a cheap set (like $15 and free shipping). They are indeed cheap China-made terminals, but they work. I found a US seller but they are the same thing that come from Hong Kong. They are stamped for positive and negative and the positive has a ring spacer, but to fit a negative terminal I'll need to get battery post shims.

Updated original post with pics of cable terminals and will update with current start time video when it allows me to copy it from photobucket.

good going crash.there's no better satisfaction than making things work like new again yourself.

Okay, I've seen terminals of that design on eBay / Amazon. Wondered if they were of decent quality. I always seem to break the conventional ones tightening them down. Now I've got some feedback on that ^^^^^ style, I think I'll give 'em a try.

They are indeed sturdier than the conventional lead terminals. I never really seen much advantage in them until I got this truck with them already on it. Although I do like the ones one of the PO's put on the positive cables better. If you look at the pics closely, you can see that the ones I have put on the negative cables clamp like a conventional terminal, were as the ones on the positive cables wrap all the way around the battery stud and have a single large bolt that threads into the terminal itself. I REALLY like the different sized holes with set screws for different gauge cables and auxiliary wires though. Makes everything much neater under hood and gives extra space for adding aux power feeds for say, a distribution block (for lights, CB radios, electric pumps).

After the mess I made under Bruiser's hood connecting aux lights and the CB when I was younger, I really have an appreciation for tidy wiring.

The conventional terminals are lead-free these days. But yeah, point taken, they're still flimsy compared to ^^^^^^.

Nice

Just updated my original post with the video showing my new starting time. Check out the vast difference!

I had same issue and solution, also thanks to this forum. Could NOT get my one bronco started and did new terminal ends and viola! !