YACAT: Hooking up an amp to the battery post

[upsciLLion]

I have a lot of corrosion building up around the tab/ring deal that attaches the power cable to the battery post, so I'm losing quite a bit of power to the amp. Not good.

How does one go about making a clean hook up? I have a battery with the posts on the top. If any other information is needed, just let me know. I may possibly be able to get pictures if necessary later this evening if I can get my digital camera back from my sister.

Thanks for any help!

ups

 

[Eli]

Take it all apart and wirebrush it?

That's about as simple as it gets.

 

[MysticLlama]

Expensive fast fix: New battery, new terminal for the wire.

Cheap fix:
Get a wire brush and clean the contacts on both sides (battery and cable). Then get some battery corrosion remover at an auto parts store (a couple bucks, a little bottle of stuff) clean it off really good with that.

Also buy those little green and red pad things that reduce corrosion, I don't know how they work, but they have worked great for me.

 

[MikeMike]

wirebrush, sandpaper, and then

monkeysh!t (will keep it from corroding)

MIKE

 

[Heisenberg]

Yep, use a wirebrush to clean everything and get some of those corrosion washers.

 

[Curly01]

Do what they said but don't buy any corrosion remover. Mix some baking soda and water and slap it to the terminals

 

[Pepsi90919]

coca-cola classic

 

[Saulbadguy]

Originally posted by: MysticLlama
Expensive fast fix: New battery, new terminal for the wire.

Cheap fix:
Get a wire brush and clean the contacts on both sides (battery and cable). Then get some battery corrosion remover at an auto parts store (a couple bucks, a little bottle of stuff) clean it off really good with that.

Also buy those little green and red pad things that reduce corrosion, I don't know how they work, but they have worked great for me.

they have a chemical that neutralizes the battery acid

 

[Saulbadguy]

Oh yeah..whatever you do, don't "blow" the green stuff away with your breath. The sh1t will get in your eyes and it burns like hell.

 

[HiTek21]

Originally posted by: Curly
Do what they said but don't buy any corrosion remover. Mix some baking soda and water and slap it to the terminals

This works wonders, I just mixed up some baking soda paste and applied it to the acid, used a wire brush and the terminal was as good as new. Gotta becareful it gets kind of messy. You should wear old clothes and gloves.

 

[Curly01]

Originally posted by: HiTek21

Originally posted by: Curly
Do what they said but don't buy any corrosion remover. Mix some baking soda and water and slap it to the terminals

This works wonders, I just mixed up some baking soda paste and applied it to the acid, used a wire brush and the terminal was as good as new. Gotta becareful it gets kind of messy. You should wear old clothes and gloves.

And Flush the area with plenty of water when you are done.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Curly

Originally posted by: HiTek21

Originally posted by: Curly
Do what they said but don't buy any corrosion remover. Mix some baking soda and water and slap it to the terminals

This works wonders, I just mixed up some baking soda paste and applied it to the acid, used a wire brush and the terminal was as good as new. Gotta becareful it gets kind of messy. You should wear old clothes and gloves.

And Flush the area with plenty of water when you are done.

Yep. Another tip: a couple small drops of engine oil on the terminals will help prevent the corrosion from returning.

 

[jamautosound]

Originally posted by: Curly
Do what they said but don't buy any corrosion remover. Mix some baking soda and water and slap it to the terminals

Agreed. But sometimes it's hard to get all the corrosion out, especially if it's gone inside the protective sleeve of the power cable.

If the corrosion did get inside the power cable, and it's really bad, you could cut back the cable (if there's enough extra) 'til you get to a clean section. Replace the terminal connector, and use some waterproof heatshrink tubing around the connector and cable. That will prevent the corrosion from coming back for quite a long time.

On a side note: You should have a fuse near your battery, since this cable is going straight to your amp. Correct? If not, you should get one.

Like this. . .

or this. . .

. . . depending on the size of your cable. With the bottom one, you could actually replace a short section of your power wire, if the corrosion comes back, without disturbing the rest of your setup.

 

[upsciLLion]

First of all there isn't any corrosion on the posts. I have anti-corossion washers in place that keep them clean. Basically I have the battery post clamps clamped right onto the battery posts. Then because my clamps are a bit messed up I have a bunch of washers stuffed between the clamp and the nut that keeps the clamp on. Between a couple of the washers I have the ring terminal. Between the washers and on the bolt is where the corrosion forms. It's kind of a messy job, but it's the best I could do with the limited time and money I had. Would something like this be better, or what would any of you recommend?

Thanks,

ups

 

[TechnoKid]

Dielectric grease will work better than engine oil to "coat" the contact terminals.

The washers you are using may be causing the corrosion. Make sure you use brass washers; other metals may cause corrosion.

 

[rudeguy]

what kind of car are we talking?

There are posts just for hooking up amps for most American made cars.

 

[upsciLLion]

Originally posted by: GoodDad
what kind of car are we talking?

There are posts just for hooking up amps for most American made cars.

I have a '92 Ford Ranger Super Cab.