So batteries not charging again.... found the ground on drivers side kinda sketchy and voltage would go up to 14 if i moved it to the right position, I have spliced in new terminals, sections of cable to get rid of corrosion under the jackets over the years... just looking to replace the whole harness now.
Looked at a couple 3 suppliers online but no luck. Would like to get the OEM harness with the pass through on the passenger side.

Anyone have a source for this?

Thanks all!

 

@FordTruckNoob just replaced his main cables with a very nice kit. I am not sure if it has the parallel terminal on the passenger side though. I am sure he will be along shortly to provide more details.

What about making your own cables out of high quality lugs and cable? A supplier like Polar Wire is able to provide you everything you need and is of high quality. You can purchase a parallel battery terminal to suit your needs at someplace like Del City.

Another option is to go to an alternator/starter shop locally and have a kit built.

Once you have a kit sorted out, I would suggest using some sort of antioxidant on the connections. I "think" something like that may have come with the kit FTN bought. I use DeOxIt and dielectric grease on my critical connections and terminals.

You have options going forward sir, just need to figure out what is the best choice for you and your application.

 

There are some here on FTE who have used these guys: https://www.custombatterycables.com/f250-f350/

Good luck. Let us know what you go with.

I’m planning on making my own cables as @Sous mentioned.

 

DEKA has a lot of stuff too, if you want to make your own. Most of their products are made in USA.

 

I got my kit from CE Auto Electric Supply. I also got the charging system cable upgrade which is not listed on their site since it is semi-custom which means you have to provide them with some measurements. This is because the cable routing for the charging system upgrade can vary based on your circumstances.

 

Buy your own cables and copper lugs. Marine grade 2/0....Soldering them is easy and it cost me a total of $95 IIRC. Cables, HD heat shrink, copper lugs. Take old one off, measure with the old one, and make new. Easy peasy. The hardest part was getting the cable off the starter and through the frame.

 

Always crimp your electrical connections and not solder if you can help it in automotive or any application that sees vibration on a regular basis.
https://www.hpacademy.com/technical-...r-vs-crimping/

@Y2KW57 has also mentioned other reasons for avoiding solder in another thread. I’ll see if I can find it.

 

Leonard ( @FordTruckNoob ), is this the post you are referring to? SkySkiJason also discourages soldering, as does Ford according to their documentation and literature in the Ford Service Manual.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post19931574

Just so we are clear, I used a 16 ton hydraulic crimper and appropriate sized lugs and dies when I created my additional battery cables. This was roughly the same time I installed a complete solar power system on my 5th wheel where I used hundreds of feet of cable and dozens of lugs of various sizes.

 

@Sous , that is indeed the one. Thank you!

 

Yup, it can create a little more resistance, but with the distances of cables and the fact that none of us has a resistance meter built in our head, it isn't enough for us or the truck to notice. Crimping can leave more room for corrosion and not a good of contact, but again, unless you are metering resistance on batt cables as you drive, it isn't noticeable, AFAIK. Kinda like motor oil....solder or crimp. Doesn't really matter other than another subject to argue about how to go about it. And we haven't had one come back for cracking at the solder joint yet, but the way we do it mitigates those chances more so than corrosion. Just my own experience. We have done both quite a bit and seem to have much better results with a soldered cable end.

Either way OP, make your own cables and do what you're comfortable with. The new cables themselves will make a world of difference.

 

Sous, you mentioning your RV solar set up reminds me I've been meaning to ask if you did a write up on that and if you have a link to it, or a title I might find it under?

 

I'm sorry sir, I do not have a link or write up. I can share some of the details with you via email if you want to PM me your email address. If you have some questions or would like to speak about them or my methods of installing the solar equipment, I wouldn't mind talking to you on the phone about them. Sometimes it is easier to have a 2 way conversation regarding questions and methods than shooting emails back and forth.

When working on the charging/12v system of the truck or an RV or any other large power consumption system, there are certain considerations that should be taken.

A charging or 12v solar power system is only as good as the weakest link. If that link is a shoddy connection, the circuit and possible the entire electrical system will not be as efficient as it could be. I used a simple tool called a "multimeter" set on ohms/resistance to ensure each cable was up to the task of being as efficient as possible. Just as I did with my positive and negative cables I installed on the truck. On the truck, I was lucky... I was able to use my existing OEM cables after testing them (ohm/resistance) from connector to connector. I simply doubled up the links with high quality parts and now the batteries work as one big battery. The alternator and both batteries exactly the same voltage down to the hundredths, as it was designed by Ford engineers.

I have two of these, one I keep in the truck and the other in my garage. Being on the road a lot and far away from home, it has saved us from calling a service tech a couple of times. Well worth the few bucks it cost...

Digital Multimeter

Having an inefficient charging/12v system in the truck is a bad idea. It only creates heat and leads to failures at a very inopportune time.

Just like an efficient solar system on an RV. Why spend $$$ on equipment and cabling and then truncate the efficiency with poor connections at the panels, charge controller or bus bars. It doesn't make any sense...

@JSPEX , I look forward to discussing your options going forward offline and perhaps you can teach me a thing or two. I was recently discussing a very specific MPPT all in one charge controller with another FTE'r and he taught me something I was unaware of.

Once you stop learning, you start dying...
-Albert Einstein

 

Thanks for the reply Sous. When I can get a chance to tinker with the TT again I'll take you up on that offer. Back on topic with the OP I unknowingly got lucky a couple years ago when I ordered all the battery cables for one of my Ex's, they were still available (Motorcraft) . A few months later went to order another one for the other Ex and they were nowhere to be found. A good set of crimpers and an assortment of fittings are on the list. Seems like a few guys on here have been pleased with the Custom Cables referenced above as well.

 

I am about to do the cables on my truck and am trying to convince myself to build my own. I could do the job for about $150 with the good stuff and about two hours to build them or buy and have it at my door for about $400. I have every thing other than the 2/0. Building the cables it not hard.

 

Holy Crap!!!!! I leave you guys alone for just half a day and BOOM!!

I got me some research n shopping to do....Unless SOUS wants to come visit. We just did up the spare room!

Thanks for all the info and links guys. I didn't think of building new but now that I see what you all sent... looks like i need to plan for a weekend in the shop.

The corrosion is expected since most of the harness is original. But after 22yrs and 358K on the clock....time to replace. I have always coated anything bare on the cables but it seems inevitable to happen anyway,.