Hi, our 2005 3.0 X-type has started to periodically illuminate its battery light after finally getting the AC repaired and thus running higher loads than before.... I've read all the posts I could find and determined that yes, the positive cable to the battery from the starter is very hot, i.e. too hot to touch. Battery itself doesn't seem abnormally hot.

Laying a cheap Harbor Freight multimeter across the terminals revealed the following from the 2018 date code battery (so five years old)
12.46 DCV with engine off
10.7 when cranking to start (starts quick, no issue)
14.18 once running
13.5-ish when idling with all kinds of load - AC, fan high, lights on, radio on

I see the responses to swap out the starter to battery cable, what I am unclear about is do you HAVE to replace the portion from the alternator to the starter also as the original seems to be a combo cable? In old posts Thermo says to remove the old one and take it to the parts store and get one that matches or is slightly longer which indicates to replace only the one section from starter to battery (the way I read it) but it isn't emphatically described one way or the other. Can the cable be pulled apart at the starter so that you only replace the starter to battery portion? Or do you need to find one that has both the batter to starter and starter to alternator portion, whose install seems far more difficult.

 

There are 2 cables connected to the starter. ONe comes from the alternator, the other from the battery . So, yes, you only need to replace the cable from the battery to the starter. As for why this is, it is a manufacturing "defect" in the cable. It is subject to more movement and more bending. this leads to the cable failing. if you need more info, let me know.

 

I have a 2007, 2.1L sedan and understandAll Cattle No Hat's concern. The positive lead from my battery to the starter motor is well taped to another lead, which I am yet to identify. Asked a friend what he did in his similar case and he said he chopped off each end of the positive cable, taped the cable up, and fitted a new lead directly between the battery and the started motor. I haven't gotten around to doing mine, but may be the way top go.

 

Hi,

I'm afraid I do need more info if you have a moment....Could it be they changed it by 2005? I went in there today to take it apart and found that at the starter there is a soft rubber "boot" cover that covers the end of the starter (or the solenoid I guess) where the wiring/cable terminates. Pulling the boot away reveals one terminal with a large lug on it. The lug connects to one thick cable. On the other side of the boot where it seals around the cable (i.e. closer to the battery) there are two cables coming out of the boot. Moving the boot around seems to reveal that the larger cable connected to the starter lug splits (forks) into two wires, one going to the positive terminal of the battery and the other presumably to the alternator.

This seems to match the OEM cable that is pictured in various places that has one end at the starter and then splits into two. (Part C2S22082)

Thermo, could it be that your car at one point had the factory cable and someone replaced it with two singles, i.e. one for the alt and the other for the battery with both connected to the lug on the starter? I'm not doubting that you do in fact have two cables, it's just not at all what I'm seeing in my car for some reason and it all appears to be factory, i.e. nobody every did much maintenance and now i'm fixing everything ;-) It seems the only way to make it work with a short dedicated single starter to battery cable would be to cut the old one off (cut off the portion between the fork and the battery terminal) and somehow safely terminate that cut end (seems like a bad idea) and then piggyback the new single cable onto the starter lug and use it to go to the positive terminal.

I think I need to either get the factory part that forks from one end at the starter into two at the other end(s), OR get two single cables, one for starter to alt and one for alt to battery and then piggyback them on the same starter lug.

Does that make sense? Thanks...

 

Yes, that's exactly what I'm seeing, sort of. It doesn't seem "taped", but more "covered" with a rubber sheathing or similar, If the cable is strands of a wire it seems like it starts as (using a random number here) 20 strands at the starter end all connected to one lug, and then it's split into two sections of 10 strands each with one section going to the alternator and the other to the battery.
Cutting and capping that is what concerns me but if that's kosher to do what do you do, just cut it after the "fork" and wrap the heck out of the cut and now exposed end with electrical tape?

 

I guess so, but haven't had the nerve to try it (yet). Maybe someone will offer a better suggestion.

 

All Cattle,what I would tell you to do is to cut off the lug at the starter and put on 2 cables. In additon, I would tell you to find some stuff called "Raychem WCSF-200". The Raychem is heat shrink on steroids and what you will do is slide a 3" piece of it over the place where you crimp the lug and then down over the insulation of the wiring. This will prevent water from gettingi into the wiring, leading to a corrosion issue in the future.. As for crimping the lug, I would tell you to use a set of channel locks and use those to crimp the lugs. If you are still worried about not having a good crimp, you can either find a friend thta is a professional electrician and he should have the crimper you need or you can use a propane toTh solder the lug on to the wire