Positive battery posts too small, can't easily fit clamps on

[LeJerk]

Is anyone else annoyed that on the battery, the positive terminal posts are way too small? Whenever I clamp something onto them to jump start someone's car, to run my compressor to air up tires, I can only clamp it on the tiniest tip of the one post. The main post on the battery is sunk into some plastic shrouding so you can't clamp it onto that. The negative side though I can usually get it on the post there no problem.

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[Brian_B]

Odd, I don't often get "too small" comments about my battery post.

You could always screw on a standoff on top of one of the posts - make it as tall as you want for however big a bite you want on it. I don't recommend leaving it on there permanently though.

I haven't had any issues with just clamping on top of one of the posts though, but about the only thing I clamp on is a trickle charger.

 

[Pops]

Your last line about clamping to the negative post;
I don’t think that’s a good idea. Clamp just beyond the monitor thing, on the bracket or where the negative cable connects to the Bronco body.

try to keep these damned computers happy.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

Your last line about clamping to the negative post;
I don’t think that’s a good idea. Clamp just beyond the monitor thing, on the bracket or where the negative cable connects to the Bronco body.

try to keep these damned computers happy.

Yeah, def don't want to clamp directly to the negative here or pretty much on any modern car/truck. You can really screw up some expensive electronics if you aren't careful or just damned unlucky.

As far as the ability to clamp . . . I first ran into this with my '05 Acura RL. My portable jumper has the stubby snout-style clamps and they couldn't *grab* in the limited space at the available angle. However I *did* have a set of jumper cables (belt & suspenders, here) with the older anteater-like clamps. I clamped the positive end of the jumper to the positive (my problem connection) and THEN clamped the portable jumper to that clamp. Of course the other ends of the jumpers were clamped back onto the insulated cables and so forth. After that I bought some anteater/needlenose clamps to just keep in the bag as "extensions" if/when needed.

 

[crenca]

Is anyone else annoyed that on the battery, the positive terminal posts are way too small?

I agree, as the clamps of both my maintainer and air compressor are smallish and I have to spend a few seconds and brain cells working them on...but in the end it's only a few seconds. The post/area is too "busy".

As others have said, unless your actually jumping a dead battery, it is best practice to clamp beyond the BMS sensor so that the computer sees the current (from whatever you are clamping on - like an air compressor) and account for it in its efforts to manage your battery.

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