Positive battery cable

[Turbotom09]

Ok, so the wife's car randomly shut off this morning. Checked the battery and the positive side was just a big pile of corrosion. Took everything apart and cleaned the terminals, vacuumed the mess.
The inside of the positive terminal was actually corroded away, so much that you cant tighten it back on.
What's the deal with the explosive device? Can i just get a generic terminal and put on amd leave the two black wires unhooked?

[williamx5]

Originally Posted by Turbotom09

Ok, so the wife's car randomly shut off this morning. Checked the battery and the positive side was just a big pile of corrosion. Took everything apart and cleaned the terminals, vacuumed the mess.
The inside of the positive terminal was actually corroded away, so much that you cant tighten it back on.
What's the deal with the explosive device? Can i just get a generic terminal and put on amd leave the two black wires unhooked?

Good day!!

Well, I can't positively say an aftermarket terminal would work... However, I would find a real replacement part... I think the used trucks would have what you need if it wasn't already involved in an accident... I'll see if there is one at the pull-it-yard the next time I'm there... At over $300 from the dealer, I would go with used...

Cheers!!!

[jsoto]

IF memory recalls when I was looking at something similar, they also make a retro-fit - I believe the splice is a compression of some sorts....IF my memory recalls

[Turbotom09]

Thanks guys.
I am searching some local bmw groups on fb right now looking for a part out, i know my local pick n pull doesnt have an e53

[spadge]

Did this some months ago: the repair cable is really expensive, was about 450€ here in germany. The whole cable is >100€ cheaper than the repair cable - no one knows why
I just repaired using a used cable (from an 4.4i pre facelift - part number didn't match but was the same diameter, length, aso) and tore apart the left side interieur (driver seat, backseat, B column trim, ...) took about 3-4 hours but I wasn't in a hurry and vaccuumed and stuff.

I've seen a video later where someone repaired it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-XO98LOa3Q
Don't know if this will help...

[Qsilver7]

Regarding the corrosion...may I ask if the vent tube was hooked up properly on the positive post side of the battery (especially if you're using a wet cell lead/acid battery)? If not, that may be the reason for the excessive corrosion.

You can see the vehicle's gray vent tube attached to the left side of the battery in the pic below:

I'm not sure if or how to go around the BST (battery safety terminal) because it keeps the high amp and regular fuses attached to the battery and powered but disconnects the engine bay from the battery to help prevent fires in an accident. If (God forbid) you are in an accident...the BST disconnects power to the engine bay...but leaves power for the doors to unlock, interior lights to come on, and emergency flashers to operate:

[dkl]

You may want to look into the cause of the corrosion. My close to 13 year old have terminals as clean as the picture shown.

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Regarding the corrosion...may I ask if the vent tube was hooked up properly on the positive post side of the battery (especially if you're using a wet cell lead/acid battery)? If not, that may be the reason for the excessive corrosion.

You can see the vehicle's gray vent tube attached to the left side of the battery in the pic below:

I'm not sure if or how to go around the BST (battery safety terminal) because it keeps the high amp and regular fuses attached to the battery and powered but disconnects the engine bay from the battery to help prevent fires in an accident. If (God forbid) you are in an accident...the BST disconnects power to the engine bay...but leaves power for the doors to unlock, interior lights to come on, and emergency flashers to operate:

[spadge]

Maybe the battery is broken and the positive terminal leaks some acid/gas? Suppose that this was the case on my car (in combination with a broken alternator / rectifier causing the charging voltage to be to high and therefore frying the battery).

[Turbotom09]

The vent tube is hooked up properly. Could the corrosion have been caused from the terminal being loose? The bst was extremely corroded and not making a clnnection hardly at all.
I ended up using a new terminal from the parts store, and i ran a 2ohm resistor between the two black wires going to the bst, works fine, and INPA is showing no errors.
I'll keep an eye out for corrosion, and if any keeps forming ill replace the battery.

[Blademan007]

Just confirming the positive battery cable is run along the left side of the X5. I'm running new audio cables from the trunk to dash, and want to run on the opposite side from the positive cable.