battery side terminal bolts help (Page 1/1)
jon m DEC 06, 12:00 PM
Hi - Wow its been a while since I was last here - I am after some help.
I am going to get my 1987 2.8 fiero back on the road and I am getting a new battery - however the side terminal bolts I have a no good so I am going to purchase a pair of new ones.
I have found these but not sure if the're the correct ones they are made by dorman part number 844004 with a 3/8th thread

Here https://www.rockauto.com/en...?pk=6337137&jsn=1616

Can anyone advise me?

Many Thanks in advance

Jon m
Thunderstruck GT DEC 06, 12:07 PM
Dorman has good products and in this case will be as close to original as you will get.

FYI: HELP products are also Dorman and quite often are cheaper as well as readily available at big box parts stores like Advance, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, ect.
Gall757 DEC 06, 12:34 PM

quote
Originally posted by Thunderstruck GT:

Dorman has good products and in this case will be as close to original as you will get.

FYI: HELP products are also Dorman and quite often are cheaper as well as readily available at big box parts stores like Advance, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, ect.



maybe not in England.
fierofool DEC 06, 01:09 PM
I have found many current batteries have threads in the side terminal that the OEM cable bolt will not screw into because the battery threads don't fully extend to the mating surface. I've been purchasing Dorman Product side terminal bolts that are designed to allow multiple batteries to be connected. They have a longer bolt with a removable spacer when used for multilple cables, but with the spacer in place, the bolt is still longer than the image you display.

https://www.amazon.com/Dorm...nt=&hvlocphy=9010757 &hvtargid=pla-571302567565&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61040318086&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312681740304&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9108676522035622264&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010757&hvtargid=pla-571302567565
jon m DEC 07, 01:27 AM
Hi - Many thanks for your replies this has helped me a lot - I think I am going to buy both the long and the standard ones as I live quite far from the USA.

thanks again
Jon
theogre DEC 07, 03:08 AM
Linked Bolt are for Only for Factory/ACDelco cables.
If used on Lead cable ends then very likely that bolt is Too Short and will cause problems. Wrong thread length will cause battery problems not covered by most warranties.

If old bolts are bad them very likely cables are bad too.

Your best bet is just get new cables.
Come w/ new bolts.
STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS A304D & A354D
ACDELCO 4SD30X & 4SD35X
Same part, standard is a bit cheaper.
Note: For these numbers... I think small wire is a Fuse Link. If true, Do Not Cut It. Splice w/ wire to box under C500 and coat w/ the joint w/ brake or silicone grease.

Might find thru amazon.co.uk cheaper then rockauto

See my Cave, Wire Service battery cables

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

jon m DEC 08, 06:22 AM
The cables I replaced a few years ago with ones from the fierostore.
So would the longer dorman bolts be the choice to go for?

Jon
fierofool DEC 08, 01:42 PM
All my cars have the factory original battery cables. It seems that the batteries of the past decade have threads set too deeply into the side terminals that the factory battery bolts will only catch a couple of threads. That's why I went to the longer bolts.
PatrickTRoof DEC 08, 03:43 PM
On my friend's Fiero we used 3/8" bolts with nuts on them. We threaded the bolts into the battery terminals, and then tightened the nuts down until they held the cables in place.
Thunderstruck GT DEC 08, 04:27 PM

quote
Originally posted by fierofool:

All my cars have the factory original battery cables. It seems that the batteries of the past decade have threads set too deeply into the side terminals that the factory battery bolts will only catch a couple of threads. That's why I went to the longer bolts.



It isn't that they are set too deeply, it is that the outer most part of the terminal is now chamfered for ease of installation. On the older batteries the threads came right to the edge making it easy to cross-thread. I have had this issue with newer batteries on all my older side post battery cars. My McLaren Grand Prix pulled the first couple of threads on the terminal when I went to tighten the terminal bolt.