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Anyone have any ideas on how to get this bad terminal off? I was trying to change terminals but the larger bolt has seized up somehow and now it wont budge. Ideas/solutions fellas??
Not sure if heating up the battery terminal is a great idea. I personally would try to clean off the nut/screw with a metal brush and use a socket with a longer arm (more leverage). With my limited tools i would try using 2 open end wrenches or a metal pipe at the end of your socket wrench.
You'll probably want to clean the area with a mixture of baking soda/water after
It really should not hurt the batter terminal if you apply heat to the bolt itself. Your not trying to make the thing glowing red hot but often heat is what helps the most. I agree that trying a lubricant and wire brush would be my first step. I also agree about replacing the whole terminal. Lots of corrosion.
I've tried just about everything short of a drill. WD40, CRC, nor PB blaster worked on this thing. It's also hard to get leverage on it because of its position and being still attached to the cable. Dont want to twist it too much. I really am not a fan of these type of terminal. I had the same type on my Camry years ago and it just wasnt all that great. Started to get weak and fall apart just like this one. Probably will upgrade to a heavy duty type once i get it off.
Given overall condition might make sense to replace the cable assembly. Or you could resort to carefully cutting the nut with a dremel too and chisel. I'd be careful with heat and or flame - lead acid battery vents hydrogen gas - typically not an explosion risk but pays to be careful.
Given overall condition might make sense to replace the cable assembly. Or you could resort to carefully cutting the nut with a dremel too and chisel. I'd be careful with heat and or flame - lead acid battery vents hydrogen gas - typically not an explosion risk but pays to be careful.
Well i do have Dremel but not sure about how good are the cutting wheels that are included. If all else fails, i will replace the whole cable.
get a bolt remover...i have a craftsman set that is made to remove stripped nuts like that.
Problem is the nut is not stripped. Sockets fit on it perfectly. It somehow it seized up amd wont turn. I'm a pretty strong guy but this nut will not budge. Leverage is also an issue. Hard to turn it without the whole cable trying to turn.
Please don't use a torch near a battery. They produce hydrogen gas. If you're trying to disconnect the cable, it the cable in such a manner that will make it twist around the terminal. This will break it loose, probably to the point where it will come off by hand. To break the nut loose, get the correct sized socket, which will be a 10mm or 12mm deep 6 point. Put it over the nut, make sure it's secure. Then hit the handle of the ratchet with your hand. An impacting motion, is better for seized fasteners, than a fluid motion. it's up to you if you want to replace the terminal. The contact portion of it should be just fine. +1 on inspecting the wires themselves, but then again, you can get away with a lot. After they're clean, reinstall the cable, and put a drop of motor oil on the top of the battery terminal. This will slowly serp down the sides, and will prevent corrosion, better than any spray would.
Are we talking about breaking loose the nut labeled "2" in the photo below? and is this the negative cable?
In any case if the negative cable is still attached, be careful when you use a cheater bar on the positive cable (avoid accidentally shorting it to any surrounding metal).
If you are talking about bolt #1, you can use an open ended wrench on the bottom (i forget the size off the top of my head), but it should allow you to push/pull on the top/bottom enough to get the nut to come off.
Best thing to do if you can get bolt #2 loosened is to get it off the battery post. I'd then use a big vice grips to hold the bolt bracket along with socket wrench on the nut and twist in opposite directions - likely would come loose. But suggest you avoid trying to horse anything on the cable while it is mounted to battery. It is super easy to break/damage a battery post and it completely bricks the battery.
Battery terminal bolt seized.
