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Old 10-03-2012, 02:26 PM   #8
JohnnieB
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Virginia
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Default Re: Battery Cable Temperature

Yep. Tightening too tight can loosen the stud embedded in the lead post, which in turn allows corrosion to form around the stud and inside the post where it isn't visible.

Take a look at your picture showing the stud and melted post. Notice that the threads and hex-head are discolored.
The melting point of lead (Pb) is 621.5°F, which probably isn't high enough to discolor the Stainless Steel stud, so what's seen is probably evidence of corrosion.

Problem is; Being that loose (~9 ft/lb), the cables don't have to vibrate much to loosen the nuts, so you need to check them for proper tightness every few weeks. I check mine when I check the water level in the batteries, which is about every month.

In all honesty, I have no idea how tight the nuts on my battery cables actually are, but I'm pretty sure they aren't more than 20 ft/lb or so.

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You mentioned in your first post, that other cables were getting hot. I'd take a close look at the other battery studs. Wiggle them to see if any others are loose.

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I'm an efficiency nut, so I went with 2Ga cables, but with tall hills and regen braking, I think they would be a good idea.

I run in Mild Hill PDS mode nearly all the time because I like the regen braking.
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