Extend the battery cables about a foot longer

[bnichols04]

I have just put in a real cold air intake and I have no place to put the battery because the cables are too short. I want to put the battery where the old air box used to be at. I need to extend the battery cables (+ and -) about a foot longer. How do I do that? Get a butt connector and extend it or replace the whole cable??

 

[410Fortune]

replace the WHOLE cable.


You can solder and extend a few of the smaller power leads to the dist box, but for the ground strap and the larger cables, replace with new.

The ground strap will go down to the frame, you can undo the bolt and replace it.
You can buy a direct replacement at most auto parts stores if you know what length and how many leads to get....

 

[bnichols04]

is it possible to just extend what I have now? this is my web site so you can see what I am talking about (the batt is at it's limit in the pic shown) http://www.cardomain.com/id/bnichols04

 

[bnichols04]

Does anyone have a scematic (drawing) of how the cables are set up in my 93? Is there a place where I can disconnect them and run new ones?

 

[410Fortune]

You know with that OPtima you can lay the battery on its side, that may solve your problem.

Like I said above,

you can extend the smaller power feed wires, but the ground strap and main power feed for the starter should be REPLACED.

If you unhook the wires you can follow them to the other end, you will see where it connects to the frame.

You can always use some crappy but connectors and try to extend what you ave but I can almost guarantee you will have problems with them at the worst possible moment. Like when you really need your truck to start = no go. Guess why? loose/bad connections....

There is only 1 way to relocate a battery properly....

 

[bnichols04]

I see your point. So the ground wire tha goes to the - side of the battery goes down to the frame? Where does the + part go to? I think that is splits off into different directions.

 

[410Fortune]

Yes its called power distribution.
a big + lead goes to the starter
a couple leads go to the power distribution box

and thats about it.

You can extend all those wires if you solder the connection PROPERLY and cover it properly (insulate)

You can catch your truck on fire, short out the whole electrical system, or give yourself some serious problems if you dont do it right....

Now I read your other thread and you said the filter was soaked from driving in the rain?

You need to figure this out, you cant have a soaked air filter and expect the truck to run or filter the air.

THis is why Ford used an airbox. A good cold air intake will not have water problems. I suggest you re-think this project and see if you cant fab it properly, so you r battery is tied down without stretching wires, and your air filter doesnt get soaked.

Also the MAS meter can only be moved so much in relation to the throttle body before the readings are wrong.

I have been there and done that!
experiementing is one thing, but the damage you can cause to your engine/truck is real

 

[bnichols04]

what would it damage it the MAF is too far from the trottle body? I thought is was just a sensor that tells the engine the rate of the air flow. I have rethought my intake setup and I have to make the filter do another 90 degree bend to tuck it behind the bumper. Also where is this distrubution box at? Sounds like a lot of work to extend the battery cables 1 foot or less! I am heasetent to do this mod because of all the things that could go wrong!

 

[410Fortune]

well I spent an entire weekend re-locating my battery and tray. First off the stock tray is welded to the frame, so moving or removing it is not easy.

I can do engine conversions in a weekend and re-locating the battery is not as easy as it sounds!!

yes the meter does tell the computer the amount of air flowing through it, but it is calibrated for the stock intake, you move it too far away or too close to the throttle body, introduce new leaks or vacuum lines into the system and you can screw it up.

If you are going to take on a project like this, it is best to be prepared to see it through to the end and to do the work right the first time. Bootyfab is no good for anyone! Especially when it comes to reliability and to resale value.........in fact there are entire web sites dedicated to making fun of poor bootyfab setups, including intakes

 

[bnichols04]

you can make fun of me all you want but I am just tryin to get some help on my problem. I am not planing on resaling my explorer because I love it too much. I just wanted to know how to extend the battery cables about a foot more but it sounds like a lot more work that I thought it would be. I want to just put a butt connector on it but I know it won't start up when I really need it as you said. How would I properly extend and insulate the wires if I do extend them?

 

[general x]

I think the basic idea that is trying to be expressed is there is no "proper" way to extend them. You can pound them full of solder or crimp the crap out of the bugger with some butts' but in the end its going to corrode and have problems.

 

[410Fortune]

I am by no way making fun of you man, I am trying to help.

I have been there and done that believe me.

I am trying to help you AVOID getting pictures on one of those pages, see what I am saying?

You dont want a Bootyfab intake do you? You want a functional cold air intake that does what it is supossed to do without causing problems to the truck!

sucking up water, corroding battery cables, loss of power, a loose battery, and a poor runing engine would kind of kill the whole benefit you are trying to acheive with this setup wouldnt it?

I am speaking from experience, I have experimented with about 4 different intake setups on my truck for two different engines. My design and setup has changed more times then you could imagine, so bear with me! I am just trying to save you some trouble, you know?

Also just because you read a thread and the answer you get means more work for you, dont get all upset, that is the whole purpose of the forum. Hopefully you can get input on solutions to your problems from people who have been there and tried that.


Okay now back to the task at hand.

yes you can extend the cables, this is not the best method but you can try it. First off you need to be able to solder, butt conectors just wont suffice on these wires.

A good solder joint is VERY important, as is proper insulation of the exposed joint when you are finished.

Flux and solder should be used, the wires should be joined, then heated, the solder should then be applied. the Flux will flow the solder into the wires. It is very common to make the mistake of heating up the solder and dropping it onto the wires, this will not last and is often refered to as a "cold solder".
With the smaller wires you can use heat shrink tubing to seal the exposed joint, followed by electrical tape and conduit.
FOr the larger joints you can use liquid electrical tape, followed by electrical tape, and then conduit.

If you dont solder, or havent before have somebody who knows how help you with this, you dont want to find out the hard way that your truck wont start because the soldered extension isnt holding anymore

 

[bnichols04]

sorry about getting all bit**y I was just having a bad day .

Uh...Oh yeah I do know how to soder because I have installed a outside water facuet for the hose on my house so I am comfortable with sodering. I think this method is the one I am most comfortable with.

Would this last for a long time?

Would it corrod over time?

I know replacing the wires with longer ones is a better method but I am just not that comfortable with that because a fire is the last thing I want to happen.

Another thing how close shoule the MAF be from the manafold, I have not made the vacume line and the oil blowoff line go into the intake setup could that be the reason that it wants to stall out????????

Where would I find some battery cable at???? I have the flux, the soder and the shrink wrap I just need the wire.

 

[mhn3773]

u might want to look at the prices of the cables at say..kragens or wal mart before u dismis the idea of extending the wires

your truck is a 93 so the wires have a few years on them anyway..they diffenantly have given more then they are worth so just drop by and see how much it is for new cables

i replaced all the cables in my 91 tracker with new cables and it didnt cost more then 45$ and didnt take more then 5hrs(thats with me messing things up as i went (=)

 

[general x]

Not quite sure but not having the oil blowoff line connected to the intake could do a number with the regulation of your PCV or at least give the engine a new place to suck up all the dirt in your engine compartment. That vacuum line would probably not help you idle either. Once I started my 92 and a vacuum hose popped off where it joins one hose to another and the truck immediately died. After a few trys it ran but it had a high idle and made a really loud sucking sound. I've got a hose clamp on it now

Good Luck

 

[bnichols04]

Yeah I have that loud sucking noise under my hood too and I have a high idel. The rpm gauage says above when ideling. Tommrow I am going to try to put the oil blowoff line in and the vacume line in and see what happens.

Also I am going to try to tuck the filter under the bumper more so that it won't get damaged by rain.

I think that the new cables are just too high on the difficulty scale for me and I still want my truck to be relyable. I don't know what to do. I am just about ready to rip out that pvc pipe and replace it with the old box.

Heay general x what does reulation mean?????

 

[general x]

My bad. I ment Regulation (like to regulate somthing) but I never Proofread my Posts. I guess it a good time to start because every post I make I screw up somewhere.

Yep...Uhuh...Everthings in order

When I bought my x There was alot of underhood worrys for me. So far I have found that my oil blowoff hose was unhooked along with a loose intake clamp, a loose Vacum advance hose (it popped off) and a small hose unhooked (i think it was for my intake preheater)

Good Luck and I hope that intake works out for you.....cuz I wanna do the same

 

[TheRookie]

OK nothing personal here. You came in and asked a question. Why are you so closed to the solution? Cables arent much harder to change than your intake. Extending them is a terrible idea. Just going to cause problems down the road. Having soldered pipe does not make you an electrician. Soldering wire is totaly different. First thing when soldering wire is a good physical connection. Solder is a poor conductor, all its really for is holding the wire together. Prior to soldering 2 wires together they must be making excelent contact. They you want to solder them that way to make them stay.
Again, extending your cables is not good. That is a patch job that will have problems down the road

 

[bnichols04]

I guess that I will have to see where all of the wires go that yall are talking about. Does anyone have a picture or drawing that could show me where all of the wires go. If I go to autozone and I want to buy replacement wires they will just give me the wires that are the same length as they are now right? So I am not really getting anywhere. I am not closed to the idea but I am a little heasatent to rewire my main power wires because I have never really looked at the wires and where they all go. I do want my truck to be relyable but I just am not sure that I want to do this. If I see a diagram of where all of the wires go then that might convince me.

 

[TheRookie]

Or, just go open your hood and follow them. They are simple