Hybrid battery cable lug inspect

[Mach 1]

If you have been waiting to inspect/repair the famed hybrid battery cable lug detachment defect, wait no longer.

There is no reason to sit on the fence, the inspection/repair was not that bad. I was just piddling around looking at the area and getting some ideas on how to approach and repair the lug. Before i knew it i had torn apart the fuse box, disconnected the battery cables, and was on my way to inspect.

Heck i was on it that deep that i asked myself, why dont i just finish the job? So before i knew it, i was slicing the insulation on the cable, with intentions of repairing the solder joint/connection.
This is the back one towards the firewall.

View attachment 66396

So to get to the back battery cable you have to dissconnect 12v battery under seat with 10mm socket, remove the negative cable. Now under hood check 12v connection to ensure its not hot. Next remove 12v battery cable from fuse box, 13mm deep socket.

View attachment 66398

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[Mach 1]

I found it easier to remove fuse box completely to give me as much room as possible, owners manual has details on this, you dont have to remove 2 main cables, just unclip top and pull forward out of way, then i removed the bottom of the fuse box takes a 8mm socket and 2 push pins on right side of box.

Remove the back cable with 13mm socket, pull off stud. Now move the bottom of the fuse box
Here again just pull box to left(tongue by right push pin)out of the way, trying to give you as much room as possible.

 

[Mach 1]

Theres a clip on the battery cable that will give you a little more room, about 3 inches farther up cable, now i used a heavy duty razor knife because the insulation is at least 4 layers thick and adhesive to boot, it took longer to do this then the whole job.

I got a good surprise on mine when i finally got it uncovered, mine was tightly SOLDERED, i pulled and yanked, and moved it a whole lot. No wiggle here, no falling off lug, it was attached to the aluminum wire very well.

When you reinstall the cable lugs on stud, they dont have to be super tight, dont want to break/strip studs, or you will be in a world of hurt!

 

[Mach 1]

I just retaped up the cable lug very well and tight.
Reassembled, be very anal about the way everything goes so you dont have any surprises later.

The fuse box is a trip, mounted upside down and plugs in(which means it can be removed and in your hands in no time).

Be prepared to remount cable lug if its loose.
This inspection process will insure that you will be free from fear of the dead battery syndrome.
We will all be able to sleep better at night.

Now i dont have any qualms about driving my hybrid across the USA, and i can answer to the call of negativity from the ECOBOOSTS crowd.

Hope this helps someone, its not bad, .5hr total, takes longer to cut insulation off of cable, then to do whole job, next one i do will be 15-20mins.

 

[Mach 1]

Dad, you could have done this, and it would have saved you, dang a day late, sorry, i have been meaning to do this a month ago.

If you were a little closer to me, i would have fixed it for ya, while you wait.

 

[Dad]

I just retaped up the cable lug very well and tight.
Reassembled, be very anal about the way everything goes so you dont have any surprises later.

The fuse box is a trip, mounted upside down and plugs in(which means it can be removed and in your hands in no time).

Be prepared to remount cable lug if its loose.
This inspection process will insure that you will be free from fear of the dead battery syndrome.
We will all be able to sleep better at night.

Now i dont have any qualms about driving my hybrid across the USA, and i can answer to the call of negativity from the ECOBOOSTS crowd.

Hope this helps someone, its not bad, .5hr total, takes longer to cut insulation off of cable, then to do whole job, next one i do will be 15-20mins.

Thanks for the detailed post. Just to be clear, did you do any actual repairing on your cable or was this merely an inspection? Also, some talk of the ignorance on Ford's part to use aluminum and copper cabling together which is pretty much a no-no in Electrical 101 and Ford should replace the entire harness.

 

[Dad]

Dad, you could have done this, and it would have saved you, dang a day late, sorry, i have been meaning to do this a month ago.

If you were a little closer to me, i would have fixed it for ya, while you wait.

Thanks, Randy. Very generous of you. Hope we can meet up sometime over a brew.

 

[Timothyd]

Theres a clip on the battery cable that will give you a little more room, about 3 inches farther up cable, now i used a heavy duty razor knife because the insulation is at least 4 layers thick and adhesive to boot, it took longer to do this then the whole job.

I got a good surprise on mine when i finally got it uncovered, mine was tightly SOLDERED, i pulled and yanked, and moved it a whole lot. No wiggle here, no falling off lug, it was attached to the aluminum wire very well.

When you reinstall the cable lugs on stud, they dont have to be super tight, dont want to break/strip studs, or you will be in a world of hurt!

Thanks, I'm going to take a peek at these when I pick my Maverick up. I always crimp and solder my high voltage connections at work. Are all these harness issues just bad connections/ insulation?

 

[Mach 1]

Dad, good points on the aluminum cable. The formed lug appears to be steel, which is resistance welded to the aluminum cable. I didnt check for sure. I will check and get back with answer.
The inspection was such, i recomend it to all, even if no problem, save a break down, and to increase reliability. I had prepped and was going to fully repair it if needed. I have a different theory on repair.
If you can get a harness thats about the best repair, however they have to tear apart so much to get it done, that was my concern.

Tim, good ideas, i wanted to solder it however, you would have to remove the harness/cable to solder. Theres no room were its located to work. Its aluminum cable which is very difficult without specialized equipment, materials, and chemicals.

I have done alot of research(but still didnt scratch the knowledge bubble). There is so much about the repair.

I have learned that its imperative that a copper lug SHOULD NOT be in contact with an aluminum cable, heat will be created and it will fail fairly quickly. Joining copper with aluminum is a direct code violation of the IEEE code. I know we are not wiring houses here, however its basic metallurgy 101 vs. Electrical conductivity.

 

[skinnyboy]

Super appreciate all the work and posting this information Mach1!

Curious, did the cable lug soldered joint look like it could fail in future? Obviously the failed cables were good for a while, I can't imagine that it was just heat shrink holding them together initially.

Like yourself, would be reluctant to have the cable changed with the amount of work and parts removal involved.

Cheers.

 

[Dad]

Dad, good points on the aluminum cable. The formed lug appears to be steel, which is resistance welded to the aluminum cable. I didnt check for sure. I will check and get back with answer.
The inspection was such, i recomend it to all, even if no problem, save a break down, and to increase reliability. I had prepped and was going to fully repair it if needed. I have a different theory on repair.
If you can get a harness thats about the best repair, however they have to tear apart so much to get it done, that was my concern.

Tim, good ideas, i wanted to solder it however, you would have to remove the harness/cable to solder. Theres no room were its located to work. Its aluminum cable which is very difficult without specialized equipment, materials, and chemicals.

I have done alot of research(but still didnt scratch the knowledge bubble). There is so much about the repair.

I have learned that its imperative that a copper lug SHOULD NOT be in contact with an aluminum cable, heat will be created and it will fail fairly quickly. Joining copper with aluminum is a direct code violation of the IEEE code. I know we are not wiring houses here, however its basic metallurgy 101 vs. Electrical conductivity.

Great information. And, yes, you are correct . . . more of a metallurgy issue than just electrical.

Here's the thing that irks me . . . we're not the ones designing, engineering, and building automobiles. Nor do we have 120 years of experience doing so. While few automobiles are perfect, why so many basic flaws?

 

[Chris_G]

Great information. And, yes, you are correct . . . more of a metallurgy issue than just electrical.

Here's the thing that irks me . . . we're not the ones designing, engineering, and building automobiles. Nor do we have 120 years of experience doing so. While few automobiles are perfect, why so many basic flaws?

Welcome to the new world order.

 

[Larrythelunatic]

Welcome to the new world order.

I’m not going to bang out a whole mess of “likes”.
Let me just say “How to go, guys”.
Ford……..YOU PAYING ATTENTION?

 

[Timothyd]

Dad, good points on the aluminum cable. The formed lug appears to be steel, which is resistance welded to the aluminum cable. I didnt check for sure. I will check and get back with answer.
The inspection was such, i recomend it to all, even if no problem, save a break down, and to increase reliability. I had prepped and was going to fully repair it if needed. I have a different theory on repair.
If you can get a harness thats about the best repair, however they have to tear apart so much to get it done, that was my concern.

Tim, good ideas, i wanted to solder it however, you would have to remove the harness/cable to solder. Theres no room were its located to work. Its aluminum cable which is very difficult without specialized equipment, materials, and chemicals.

I have done alot of research(but still didnt scratch the knowledge bubble). There is so much about the repair.

I have learned that its imperative that a copper lug SHOULD NOT be in contact with an aluminum cable, heat will be created and it will fail fairly quickly. Joining copper with aluminum is a direct code violation of the IEEE code. I know we are not wiring houses here, however its basic metallurgy 101 vs. Electrical conductivity.

Aluminum cables?! Yuck!

 

[raymaines]

I'm just thrilled to be joining the Ford research and development team, and I only had to pay $35,000 to be accepted.

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