Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

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Xaccers
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by Xaccers »

aerodynamica wrote:Hi all, I'm keen on w pre- winter service on the xantia that includes the battery terminal. Would you recommend a source for a replacement?
There are plenty on ebay with sockets multiple feeds which makes fitting much easier, and makes it easier if you ever need to add electrical equipment in the engine bay, such as doing the relay mod on the headlights.
Use plenty of vasaline on the wires once you've fitted the new terminals otherwise they can corrode and be just as bad as they were before.
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by aerodynamica »

Thanks Xac, that's great. I looked briefly on ebay but only found the type of leads that appeared universal. I'll maybe search for the multi terminal ones specifically.
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by steelcityuk »

Just think of the fun you could have with a Prius, 200+ volts DC from the battery or 400+ volts AC from the invertor. I sharnt be going through any deep puddles with mine....

Steve.
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by citroenxm »

steelcityuk wrote:Just think of the fun you could have with a Prius, 200+ volts DC from the battery or 400+ volts AC from the invertor. I sharnt be going through any deep puddles with mine....

Steve.
steve.. tell me about the prius.. my mrs (and me to be honest as the ten pound a year tax is appealing) fancies one as a replacment for her clio when it expires...

they seem reliable and not many at the side of the road and not much bad news on the internet...

So what did you think???
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by Xaccers »

A friend from Brighton has one as a company car, at 10,000 miles it needed rear discs due to rust. The auto parking was, er, interesting, to watch. It ended perfectly between two cars, but about a yard from the kerb :)
Other than that he's got on well with it but not my cup of tea.
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by citroenxm »

Oooo they have auto parking??? like the fraud focus has got?? they kept that quiet and said nothing about it...i thought the fraud was first to have it...
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by Xaccers »

citroenxm wrote:Oooo they have auto parking??? like the fraud focus has got?? they kept that quiet and said nothing about it...i thought the fraud was first to have it...
Even has a rear view camera.
His was funded by GMB member subscriptions so it was a top of the range model.
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by myglaren »

citroenxm wrote:Oooo they have auto parking??? like the fraud focus has got?? they kept that quiet and said nothing about it...i thought the fraud was first to have it...
Lexus have had it for a few years.
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by Old-Guy »

It looks to me as though the root cause is Citroen's use of a cable with many small strands plus a crimp-on battery clamp. This arrangement relies on good connections from the inner lead surface of the crimped cylinder to the surfaces of the outer layer of strands to the next layer of strands to the next etc. Over time with moisture plus salt spray and and sulpher trioxide fumes and free oxygen (from battery charging), the copper strands become oxidised (or worse) giving rise to higher resistance with ever-accelerating oxidation.

I understand why Citroen do this: Finer strands in a cable reduces it's overall diameter, makes it more flexible and theoretically more reliable because a broken strand carries a much small percentage of the total current. Crimp connections are cheaper, fast, easy and require little skill to make reliably.

A well-made solder terminal requires more skill and time, but gives a guaranteed minimal-resistance connection with the interior of the connector filled with solder and the end of the PVC insulation melted into a seal preventing the ingress of corrosive chemicals into the core.

However, I very much doubt you will find battery cables with solder terminals or even someone to make them up. :(

In fact I don't think solder terminals are available anymore - ROHS elf 'n safety nonsense. :(

I think I'd better have a look at my battery cables when I've fitted the winter tyres tomorrow.

The only answer is make up your own with slightly over-size cable and SOLDER on crimp terminals. :)
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by Brigsygtt »

Exactly the same thing happened on my old hdi, the + wire was glowing when i realised why it wasnt starting well in the cold. A new length of decent wire to the starter and two new batt terminals sorted it.
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by MichaelH »

Essential you check as Negative cable can be worse as on some vehicles this sometimes goes to wing then to engine block. My Pug 306 it was the lead from wing to block that went so lights, etc. all worked fine but starter was slow (it actually was earthing via other metalwork and cables which were getting warm). Luckily once bitten and I knew the problem.

Many years ago I had similar fault (Ford Escort) but it chose to earth via the choke cable which melted and started a fire behind the dashboard!

Everytime someone says the car turns over slowly but battery seems ok I now cringe!

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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by froggy »

Gosh ! Iam going to check my series 1 Xantia tonight! is this a Citroen only part? many thanks for the important info, Terry .
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by citroenxm »

NFP Probably... I made my OWN new leads for the other cars Ive done, you only need a motor factors battery clamp, and a m13 ring at the other for the Starter..
Sharing a pug 207 1.6 hdi Sw 16v.
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project

A very sad...
1994 XM 2.1 d auto
citroenxm
Posts: 8061
Joined: 30 Dec 2004, 23:10
Location: Somewhere in North Wales, Anglesey
My Cars: M reg Xm S2 2.1td Auto Exclusive. 269k and rising
L reg XM S1 V6 12v Manual SEi
L 94 XM 2.1 TD auto total resto

2008 Peugeot 207 Sw 1.6 16v hdi. 217k and rising
2010 Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 8v HDi 161k and rising
x 70

Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by citroenxm »

I got the lengths of cable from ebay sellers.. battery positive cable or similar...
Sharing a pug 207 1.6 hdi Sw 16v.
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project

A very sad...
1994 XM 2.1 d auto
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Re: Check your POSITIVE batery lead!! PICS ADDED!!

Post by MichaelH »

If it is just a one-off, I got a 30 inch (76cm) from Halfords for £6 for the Pug 306 which was plenty for wing to engine block. Comes with eyelet each end.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255205" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

10 minute job to fit. (24 inch or 9 inch similar price Negative (black) or positive (Red)

Mike
UK Midlands currently with C5 (X7) Exclusive 2.0 HDI + 2 Pug 306s (Meridian and L) and a Pug 206L a/c
Previous C5 1 Exclusive 2.0 HDI, Pug 407LX HDI, 2No. Pug 406s LX HDI, Pug 309GLD, Pug 205GL, Pug 505GL, Pug 604SE, Pug 504ti
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