[Doworkscotty]

2011 Chevy malibu 2.4 liter flex fuel 6 speed automatic transmission. My negative terminal doesn't wanna tighten very much. Had to bend it in to get it to be snug. I wanna replace it but not sure which one to get. Also how to get the old terminal off without breaking the ground wire

 

[DrivenDaily]

I have one of those thin metal terminals on my ground and positive.

5 years ago my battery died so I replaced it with one that had both the top and side terminals. After that, the positive was getting a bit loose so I bought a replacement side terminal and it hasn't been an issue since.

More recently, the ground has been kinda loose, so I have the terminal for it but haven't installed it yet.

If you have only the top terminals, you can get replacements for them as well, which might be your best answer.

Remember to be careful with the ground wires as far as routing goes. They go through an inductive loop that tells the BCM how much current is entering or leaving the battery and it uses that info to operate the alternator. If you add any new ground wires, run them through that loop and you should be fine.

 

[Doworkscotty]

Thank you. Would a universal one work? Like this one? I remembered I had one

 

[DrivenDaily]

So long as it is able to grab the post firmly. The negative and positive posts are slightly different sizes, but universal terminals are usually designed to fit both.

On the clamp for the wire, I take the plate off and turn it upside-down just to put a little extra pinch on it, if possible. It may just make me feel better, though, so that isn't all that important.

 

[Doworkscotty]

Thanks.what's a good way to get the old terminal off? I was thinking to cut from where it's pinched together and that'll keep the wires together and put it in the new terminal and tighten it down.

 

[Doworkscotty]

Think there's enough slack though from the ground cable?

 

[DrivenDaily]

Cut the cables from the terminal, strip each one carefully so that you don't remove any copper strands, but only far enough to fit into the clamp.

I'd say that if there isn't enough slack, then they were too short to begin with. There should be enough to do that.

 

[repairman54]

If it's a corrosion issue just replace the cable. Corrosion will travel down the cable under the insulation and be a issue down the road.

 

[Doworkscotty]

I had to get a new battery. Cold here in Michigan and car wouldn't start. I had to get jumped and I drove around for a hour then got battery tested and it failed the test. Walmart had the cheapest battery and I couldn't get the terminal tight again so I had them do it. with a screwdriver and mallet. Now it's tight. Hit the post and side and it made it tight. Now I realized I could get battery post shims but if I have to take Battery out, I'll use the terminal post cleaner with the brushes on inside and put the shim on

 

[TexasAggie]

I had to get a new battery. Cold here in Michigan and car wouldn't start. I had to get jumped and I drove around for a hour then got battery tested and it failed the test. Walmart had the cheapest battery and I couldn't get the terminal tight again so I had them do it. with a screwdriver and mallet. Now it's tight. Hit the post and side and it made it tight. Now I realized I could get battery post shims but if I have to take Battery out, I'll use the terminal post cleaner with the brushes on inside and put the shim on View attachment 67809

I've got the exact same issue as you on your negative clamp.....it's split and not getting a tight fit. Replacements look to be a dealer item only since the battery has that lower deck level for the clamp so that the hood will close. I wonder though if I might just get a small hose clamp and tighten it that way

 

[DrivenDaily]

My last two batteries have had both top and side posts. I now use the side posts with ends that I bought at the auto parts store. To me, tightening a single bolt into a threaded nut just seems like it'll result in a better connection overall.

 

[Doworkscotty]

Metal Hose clamp is a good idea. Have to get one.

 

[TexasAggie]

Metal Hose clamp is a good idea. Have to get one.

I walked out earlier today and looks as though it'll work perfectly. The one hose clamp that I have is slightly too small, so I'll be getting a larger one today. I'll post pics once it's done.Fingers crossed!

 

[TexasAggie]

Well the new clamp that I bought is too large and the other one I have is too small. The good news though is that it works perfectly. It is tight now and will NOT come off by hand. Now I just need to get the correct size. For under $2, this makes a lot more sense when I'm not willing to cut the cable and add a new fitment at this time.

 

[DrivenDaily]

We like stuff that works for cheap!

 

[TexasAggie]

We like stuff that works for cheap!

Ha...true. I would normally always just get a new clamp, but to your point and others, not going to happen on the aftermarket without some mods. I did some in-store measurments and noticed that a Group 58 is a shorter battery and has a deck that is the same height where the cables attach with the stock size in my photo above. Problem is, there's no 58 that I could find without losing CCAs. I'll eventually do what you did with a side post mount setup and then I could probably find a higher CCA as well.

 

[DrivenDaily]

Ha...true. I would normally always just get a new clamp, but to your point and others, not going to happen on the aftermarket without some mods. I did some in-store measurments and noticed that a Group 58 is a shorter battery and has a deck that is the same height where the cables attach with the stock size in my photo above. Problem is, there's no 58 that I could find without losing CCAs. I'll eventually do what you did with a side post mount setup and then I could probably find a higher CCA as well.

I went with an Optima Red Top. I'm on my 2nd one now. On the 1st, my positive clamp was so loose that it would not keep from spinning so I cut the cable and replaced it with a side-terminal. The Optima battery has both terminals so it was just a matter of choosing which one to use. Recently I had to replace my starter so I took that opportunity to replace the negative terminal as well, but it was merely for consistency; it was not too loose at all. The battery has 850 CCA and fits in the normal spot with no issues.

Edit: See correction below.

 

[TexasAggie]

I went with an Optima Red Top. I'm on my 2nd one now. On the 1st, my positive clamp was so loose that it would not keep from spinning so I cut the cable and replaced it with a side-terminal. The Optima battery has both terminals so it was just a matter of choosing which one to use. Recently I had to replace my starter so I took that opportunity to replace the negative terminal as well, but it was merely for consistency; it was not too loose at all. The battery has 850 CCA and fits in the normal spot with no issues.

850 CCA? Wow, that's a nice jump!

 

[DrivenDaily]

Sorry, I misspoke. It's only 800 CCA. When the 1st one started getting weak, it was getting a bit dicey at starting the engine. A buddy who's a Certified GM Dealer Tech in Philadelphia (12 hours away) tested it for me and all it had left was 350, and that must be where I was thinking it had the extra 50.

Sorry, but at least now we know.

I believe that mine is the 34/78 since the terminals look identical to mine.

 

[Doworkscotty]

Well the new clamp that I bought is too large and the other one I have is too small. The good news though is that it works perfectly. It is tight now and will NOT come off by hand. Now I just need to get the correct size. For under $2, this makes a lot more sense when I'm not willing to cut the cable and add a new fitment at this time.
View attachment 68750

Good to know that worked. Have to pick one up.