How to tighten battery terminals without getting shocked

Universal terminal. Like $2-4 at any parts store, and is entire bolt on with basic tools.

Table of Contents Show

Step 1 - Check Placement and Coverage
Step 2 - Clean
Step 3 - Tighten the Car Battery Terminals
More Articles
Will I get shocked if I touch battery terminals?
How do you change a battery without getting shocked?

I would just clean it, lube it, back the clamp off, rework a bit, and get it to sit way down on the (tapered) post. Then see if you can tighten it back up. Definitely not "bad", in comparison to some of the shit I have seen. :)

Good point about it being the negative terminal. If you are getting some sparks, then do you have door open/dome light on?

Remove negative first, connect last, so you don't ground the positive and unintentionally ark weld some shit. DC burns, AC shocks. If you short the circuit you will burn your nibs, or maybe get some molten hot metal shards in your eye if you're not wearing your safety glasses, but you won't get your socks blown off. :)

The car battery is one of the most important parts of a vehicle's operating system. If it seems to be failing, however, it doesn't always mean the battery itself it dead. Sometimes the cables or terminals can come loose, and once they do, the charge will not go where it is needed. Tightening the leads on the car battery is an easy job and the article that follows will show you how.

Step 1 - Check Placement and Coverage

Car Battery Terminals on Amazon

It's always a good idea to check for the simplest solutions first, so open the hood of your car to look at the battery cables and make sure they're on the correct terminals. If the connectors have been moved or placed incorrectly, then the car battery will not work the way that it should. This can also cause damage to some components in the future, so switch the cables if necessary.

The cables attached to the leads on the car battery must be insulated as well to prevent any possibility of shorting out. The wires can corrode and cause the energy created from the battery to disperse, creating a weaker connection. Cover the wires with electrical tape or replace them completely if they are not insulated.

Step 2 - Clean

Even if the car battery is properly connected, the terminals can still be too dirty for a charge to be produced or disbursed. Apply cleaner to the terminals on the car battery as well as the clamps. Use as much as you think you need; it will not hurt the terminals or anything around them. Use a wire brush to work it in to the parts, and then wipe it off with a clean towel. Repeat this until the battery is clean.

Step 3 - Tighten the Car Battery Terminals

If you had to replace a car battery, or were cleaning other parts of the engine, you would have disconnected the car battery for safety reasons. This can cause them to become loose, but they can also loosen during normal use. However, as mentioned previously, car battery terminals are easy to tighten regardless of the situation.

Use a open end wrench to turn the bolts on the clamps counterclockwise to open them. Then, place each clamp over each of the terminals on the car battery. Make sure the negative clamp is on the negative terminal, and the positive one is over the positive terminal. Once they are in place, you can tighten them again with the wrench. Turn it clockwise until it no longer moves.

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dead battery image by Katrina Miller from Fotolia.com

A tight connection between your battery cables and the positive and negative posts of your automobile's battery is essential to insure proper starting of your vehicle. A loose battery connection can prevent your vehicle from starting. When tightening your battery cables, do not allow metal tools to touch both the negative and positive terminals at the same time, as it could cause damage to the battery, your vehicle or to you.

Step 1

Open the hood, and locate your vehicle's battery. The battery is normally located on the passenger side, toward the front bumper of your vehicle. However, in some makes and models, the battery may be located on the driver's side. Car batteries are usually large and rectangular-shaped.

Step 2

Examine the battery and determine if it has top-post battery terminals or side-post terminals. On top-post batteries, you will see two metal posts on the top left and right-hand side of the battery. On side-post batteries, there are two wires attached to the side of your battery. The primary difference between the two posts--besides location--will be the socket size you will need to adjust the cables.

Step 3

Wipe off the top of your battery, near the terminals, with an old rag until you find the positive and negative signs. As a rule, the red battery cable attaches to the positive terminal, and the black cable attaches to the negative terminal. However, on some cars the battery cables may not be clearly color-marked, so always make sure to check for negative and positive marks near your terminals.

Step 4

Select the correct size socket to fit the nut on the battery clamps, and attach it to the ratchet. Loosen the nuts, and remove the battery cables from the battery. Make a note as to which cable attaches to the positive terminal and which attaches to the negative terminal.

Step 5

Scrub the battery terminals with a wire brush.

Step 6

Slip the battery cables back onto the appropriate terminals. Use the socket and ratchet to tighten the bolts of the cable connector to the terminals.

References

Things You'll Need

Old rag
Socket and ratchet set
Wire brush

Writer Bio

Ashton Daigle, a New Orleans native, graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1998 and went straight to work as a journalist. In 2005 he tackled the biggest news story of his life - Hurricane Katrina. Daigle is writing a collection of essays: What It Means to be a Saints Fan.

Will I get shocked if I touch battery terminals?

A battery will not give you any shocks. But however, a short circuit can occur. Remember: in a battery, electricity flows from the negative end to the positive end. If the positive and negative ends of a battery come into direct contact with each other, a short circuit occurs.

How do you change a battery without getting shocked?

You may have found that your battery needs replacing after it failed to turn over, so your keys may still be in the ignition. If so, remove them. Without the keys, your car's electrical system shouldn't be active, which will reduce the chance of a spark or shock while you're changing your battery.