Truck electrical question

I'd go easy on tightening the battery terminals too much. Delco batteries are notorious for leaking from the positive battery terminals when overtighened. Speaking of which, I'd check your positive battery cable for corrosion if your battery was previously replaced ( probably for leaking). Pull the battery terminal bolt from the terminal and slide off the red cover and see if its corroded. I've seen more that I'd lie to that were like that. Locktite is unnecessary. Just make sure you have the correct length terminal bolts installed, they may be too long. Just my .02.

I thought the same, I never had a problem with my 88 s10 and the side terminals, just replaced the starter on my 2000 s10 and the new one wouldn't work either, took a closer look at the battery cable and the + side was corroded, cleaned it off and its working fine, didn't need the starter after all.

Battery was replaced because it was dead, 3 years and 364 days after the truck was built. The corrosion, or lack of it, is one thing I've noticed about the side-terminal batteries, I didn't see a lot on my old truck that had a similar battery and this one doesn't have a lot. Most any top-terminal I've seen has had a lot of corrosion on the connections.

I'll check the cables for corrosion.

May I call every GM owner, past and present, attention to the following concerning AC Delco Batteries:

"lawsuit over Delphi/AC Delco Maintenance-Free Automotive Battery defects. "

"The lawsuit alleges that AC Delco and Delphi Maintenance Free Batteries are defective due to a design and/or manufacturing defect that allows battery acid to leak from the side mounted positive terminal."

LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN, LLP E-Mail: snipped-for-privacy@lchb.com Firm Website:

Delphi Automotive Battery Cases Delphi Automotive Battery Cases Delphi Automotive Battery Cases

Delphi Automotive Battery Cases

That's odd, the OE battery in my 94 Jimmy had no such issue, and it lasted until 1999, only to be replaced due to an accident. My 2000's battery lasted until 2004, to be replaced because it died. Neither leaked ANY battery acid. AAMOF, the replacement in the 94 leaked more than the OE one, and it leaked out the vent caps.

There isn't any acid leak on mine though, just a bit of corrosion.

You should remove the battery terminals\cables and clean(scrape or wire brush) them and the cables. then rinse with baking soda and water mix. that is better than tightening the cables. seen that many times. john

Pull back the red boot (it can be removed) and hit it with a wire brush... You "may" have to take off the clamp and clean up the copper to made a better connection. I don't see any reason for a new cable, and absolutely no reason a "help" brand cable wouldn't work....

GMC Gremlin

Just curious, but why on Earth would you buy anything form a dealer that you can get for about 1/4 the price at an auto parts store? Only time I'll even come within 50 feet of a stealership parts dept is when I need a part that the autoparts stores don't carry.

OEM fit is not really an issue with a battery cable... as long as the hole in the end connector is the same size as the terminal it goes on , it will pretty much fit ;-)

-Tony

Well, it seems that AZ and Advance Auto don't carry vehicle-specific cables. I'd rather have the right length of everything so I can just pull the old and install the new. Also turns out I have a contact for at-cost parts at a dealer, a member on zr2.com that lives close by. That still looks to be a costly option. I'll try pulling the boot, see if I can clean it up some. Still not getting warm fuzzies about this cable though. I'd think the dealer would catch something like this when replacing the battery.

Napa's Neg. cable is priced about >Just curious, but why on Earth would you buy anything form a dealer

Yea, I used a scrap of sandpaper and cleaned mine up nice and shiny then smeared plenty of dielectric grease to seal it up and its working fine.

I still have my original battery from 2000 (truck build date was actually nov 99), what's a good replacement now a days and since the side posts don't seem to be helping with preventing corrosion should I just go to a top post? and convert the cable ends?

hmm, problem is there isn't any corrosion on the battery that I can see, is this the leaking problem problem that I've heard about. And is there a dealer that I can goto that won't claim I "modified" my electrical system when I put in a different radio therefore it caused the problem (like they did when the solonoid went out in the transmission) Unfortunatly dealer service departments loose me as a customer by doing things half way or trying to play me like I'm stupid. I'd rather buy a new battery that risk have something else get messed up by going to a dealer (the big scratch in my wife's Impala hood for example).

I fight in different ways, I asked for the case info then called the GM hotline and asked them for that bit of info in writing so I could let all the aftermarket radio makers know to warn potential customers that they couldn't put their radios in GM vehicles. I rattled off a few brands and phone numbers of radio companies (quick google search) and then when I called the dealer they decided to warranty replace the engine computer though I still had to go back and let them replace the soloniod in the transmission which was the real cause of the problem.

Yea, its company stupidity that kills them every time. My S10 is like a 98% american product and its holding up fine with 76k on it now. My 88 I ran to 170k when the radiator blew and took the engine with it but it was a cheap truck that I got from a repo auction and I didn't take care of it and had already gotten my moneys worth many times. I keep thinking I would like a nice new Silverado but I don't want to deal with dealers and their crap. I'm thinking instead I'll just buy a welder so I can drive my s10 until the wheels fall off and then weld them back on and drive it some more. If GM/Cheby would clean up their attiudes I'd go give them some $. I even went to buy a part at a dealer and it was hassle. Had to go to one counter to ask for the part once the three guys behind it finished their conversation and lite another cig. Then had to go to another counter to pay for the part and wait for them to hit the button on the computer to send the invoice up there, then walk to a third counter where two more and wait for the two guys behind the counter there to finish a conversation and lite another cig before they came over to help me. It took an hour to buy my transmission filter and I had to shower before I could change it because I stuck so bad from smoke!

. . =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D (when questioned on his reasoning fer using OEM parts) snipped-for-privacy@levyclan.nospam.us (Mike=A0Levy) replied: .

Well, it seems that AZ and Advance Auto don't carry vehicle-specific cables.

I'd rather have the right length of everything so I can just pull the old and install the new.

Also turns out I have a contact for at-cost parts at a dealer, a member on zr2.com that lives close by. That still looks to be a costly option. I'll try pulling the boot, see if I can clean it up some. Still not getting warm fuzzies about this cable though. I'd think the dealer would catch something like this when replacing the battery.

Napa's Neg. cable is priced about in-line with GM's Neg., so the Pos. from a parts store may not be much less.

I'm looking for the whole assembly, I'm not one to mess around with pulling something like that apart to replace one piece of it. If I'm going to the trouble to do that, I'll do the whole job... =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

My kinda customer.....

one that can afford to do it correctly the first time with the correct parts for the application, which ALWAYS makes the job easier.

~:~ marsh =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

But in this case, what's wrong with the OEM part that came with the truck?

GMC Gremlin

Well, it seems that AZ and Advance Auto don't carry vehicle-specific cables.

I'd rather have the right length of everything so I can just pull the old and install the new.

Also turns out I have a contact for at-cost parts at a dealer, a member on zr2.com that lives close by. That still looks to be a costly option. I'll try pulling the boot, see if I can clean it up some. Still not getting warm fuzzies about this cable though. I'd think the dealer would catch something like this when replacing the battery.

Napa's Neg. cable is priced about in-line with GM's Neg., so the Pos. from a parts store may not be much less.

I'm looking for the whole assembly, I'm not one to mess around with pulling something like that apart to replace one piece of it. If I'm going to the trouble to do that, I'll do the whole job... ======= =======

My kinda customer.....

one that can afford to do it correctly the first time with the correct parts for the application, which ALWAYS makes the job easier.

~:~ marsh ======= =======

Your 4/5 year old AC Delco battery is still under warranty (6 years) and thus I would go to a dealer and get a new AC Delco battery.

GMC Greml>

I spent 10-15 mins with a good size wire brush, and even a dremel tool with a grinding wheel and a wire wheel. I STILL didn't get all the corrosion off that terminal. That wire is VERY short, had to work on it down near the belt and alt. I neglected to wear a dust mask, not sure if there's even one here at the house, that was a mistake.