Question: Battery terminals tightning torque ?

[killain]

How do you tighten the battery terminals to 11 foot pounds? I don't have a 1/4 drive torque wrench ?

 

[c5y2k]

3/8" to 1/4" adapter? It will change your torque some but its closer than guessing.

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
Craftsman makes a cheap 1/4 drive torque wrench that can just fit in there.

Allthebest, c4c5

 

[Jistari]

Pardon my inexperience, but I never realized that the adapter would effect the torque ?

Not sure what my wrench is (its a beam type and pretty large, possibly 1/2"), cant recall if I had an adapter or extension on it when I used it on various stuff.

Much of a difference?

 

[bwing]

Heck, I never knew we had to torque the battery terminals.

 

[gmjunkie]

Pardon my inexperience, but I never realized that the adapter would effect the torque ?

Not sure what my wrench is (its a beam type and pretty large, possibly 1/2"), cant recall if I had an adapter or extension on it when I used it on various stuff.

Much of a difference?

Yeah,about 2 1/2 lbs minus per section give or take!
At least thats what the Big Boy's at the pool hall always told me!!

 

[vett boy]

Heck, I never knew we had to torque the battery terminals.

Don't feel lonely .I'm willing to bet 99% of vett owners have never torqued a terminal.I'm not saying it's wrong .

 

[njlouc]

use a small wrench, hopefully a battery wrench, and hold it in the middle to avoid too much leverage. Then tighten firmly - that is most likely in the ball park.
Whatever you do dont use a large wrench and tighten it like you would for head bolts.

 

[Jistari]

Thanks Junk
Battery Terminals...might matter (probably not) but I do look up the spec when tightening anything "important" good to think about if I have some attachments on there

 

[Fullback32]

Heck, I never knew we had to torque the battery terminals.

Whew...I'm glad some other people were thinking it too! I just kinda tighten them until they feel right. That's that way I've done it on every vehicle I ever owned.

Honest question...what does torquing battery terminals buy you?

 

[Hib Halverson]

It doesn't gain you much if you are using the right tools, have a good feel for tightening bolts and understand that there are "degrees" of tightness.

If you don't have the right tools, don't have a good feel for mechanical work and think that "tight" is always real tight, then it gains you battery durability.

Overtightening connections on side-terminal batteries is a major cause of battery case failure due to leakage.

I don't use a torque wrench on side-terminal batteries connectors, but I do use a dedicated "battery wrench" which is a short-handled 5/16" ratcheting box wrench and when I use it I tighten the bolts until the connection is snug but I'd don't make it real tight.

One thing to remember most side-terminal batteries have terminals which are lead alloy and quite soft, so it's easy to overtighten. There are some exceptions to this, like the Odyssey battery which uses brass terminals, but even then, it's best to either use tools that limit leverage and have a good feel for what you're tightening or use a small torque wrench.

 

[c4c5specialist]

Torquing battery terminals buys plenty.

#1, terminals will not loosen up over time.
#2, the soft lead compresses to the stakes in the cable end, which is actually what produces good solid electrical flow from the battery to the components and back.
#3, when you have a new battery, there is NO stake marks in the battery so with the vibrations and shock while driving the car, they can loosen.

On c5 and c6, battery terminal torque and capacity are so important that it can actually make your vehicle undrivable and create MANY electrical anomolies that people do not speak about.

Allthebest., c4c5

 

[killain]

It doesn't gain you much if you are using the right tools, have a good feel for tightening bolts and understand that there are "degrees" of tightness.

If you don't have the right tools, don't have a good feel for mechanical work and think that "tight" is always real tight, then it gains you battery durability.

Overtightening connections on side-terminal batteries is a major cause of battery case failure due to leakage.

I don't use a torque wrench on side-terminal batteries connectors, but I do use a dedicated "battery wrench" which is a short-handled 5/16" ratcheting box wrench and when I use it I tighten the bolts until the connection is snug but I'd don't make it real tight.

One thing to remember most side-terminal batteries have terminals which are lead alloy and quite soft, so it's easy to overtighten. There are some exceptions to this, like the Odyssey battery which uses brass terminals, but even then, it's best to either use tools that limit leverage and have a good feel for what you're tightening or use a small torque wrench.

Well I went out and got a 1/4 torque wrench, but found out it's only gauges 20 pounds to 100 pounds, so that is a waste. I too, like Hib have a dedicated 5/16 ratching close end wrench I use for battery teminals and since I'm close to sixty and have tightened a Lot Of Battery Terminals, I'll just have to settle on my feel for the time being. But Thank you all for giving me ideas.

 

[Toms007]

Are you sure it's gauged in ft lbs? Quite possibly those are in inch lbs, which makes more sense.

 

[Red Vette]

Went to Sears today to get a 1/4 inch torque wrench; store doesn't carry them, but the clerk said that they are available on line. Will check later to see if this is true. c4c5specialist recommendations are always to be considered closely and followed if you are of mind to. I follow them. One question I have, if the torque wrench reads in foot pounds, can one convert directly to inch pounds by multiplying by 12. I would think not because that would be a linear conversion and torque is not linear because it is a rotating force. Does anyone know?
Barrett

 

[Toms007]

Yes Barrett, that's the way it works. Multiply by 12 so 11 ft lbs is 132 inch lbs.....I cheated and did a search myself on this and found a conversion.

 

[Red Vette]

Yes Barrett, that's the way it works. Multiply by 12 so 11 ft lbs is 132 inch lbs.....I cheated and did a search myself on this and found a conversion.

Thanks Tom for the conversion. I looked on the Sears web site and did not find any torque wrenchs 1/4 inch drive that were digital, found one that used the indicator rod. E-bay and Amazon had 1/4 inch drive torgue wrenchs in inch pounds, but many are in 20 lb increments. Heeding c4c5specialist's advice, I need to find a torque wrench that meets his recommendations on torque that fits between the battery and what ever else is in the engine compartment.
Barrett

 

[Fullback32]

Hib and c4c5....appreciate your responses to my question. I guess I had never thought about it that way. Putting on battery cables was just one of those things I just did....socket and ratchet and you're done....ya know? Y'all have kind of made me rethink it all. Thanks.