'03 Ex Limited, 2wd, 6.0L diesel.

I was trying to clean the passenger side battery terminals from some corrosion that formed. The terminals are pretty corroded. I was trying to see if I can replace the battery cables but it looks like the passenger battery positive terminal shares a connector/clamp with the cable that runs to the driver's side battery. It looks like the two thick positive cables come in from different directions and both share the same positive clamp. In addition, the little red cable running off the passenger battery was very rusted (this all happened in the last 8 months when I bought new batteries). This little red cable goes back to the alternator or started I think, and when I was trying to loosen the nut holding the smaller cable (using a 10mm) it broke off from the whole positive terminal clamp. So now I'm left with needing to get a new passenger side battery terminal clamp for the two two big red cables as well as needing to reattach the smaller red/alternator/started cable. The bolt broke off when trying to loosen the nut. Now I'm stuck trying to force that bolt back out the hole but its fused pretty good.

Has anyone replaced their battery cables? The two big red ones look like 2 gauge. Would I just go a little further back than the corrosion and cut it there, then crimp on a new connector to run to the battery terminal? The smaller one I think I can just cut back an inch or two and still have enough cable (with a new connector of course) to remount on the positve terminal. Any suggestions? KNow the part number for the copper battery terminal connectors? Thanks for any help you guys can give.

 

I replaced my cables to 2/0 - my plans are to install a power inverter.

I had custom cables made up and crimped at Interstate battery. NAPA will do it also.

 

is it hard to put the new cables in? I figure that would be the best bet to have brand new cables. It just seems like its going to be hard to snake them down to wherever they connect to...alternator or starter? Seems like there isn't that much space to work in.

 

The smaller of the red cables on the passenger side battery goes to the back of the alternator. That's where you get the juice to charge your batteries. Sounds like as corroded as your cables are it wouldn't hurt to replace them. They can get corroded inside the insulation and give you all kinds of grief, even if you put on new ends. To get buy you can run some kind of a cable/wire battery to alternator so it will charge---at least 8 gauge.