Has anybody replaced the positive battery terminal before? Mine was so corroded that when I tried to loosen it by removing the bolt the entire bolt and the metal that it clamps on to almost tore off of the rest of the terminal. It is now attached by about a 1/8" of metal. I want to replace it but the wires seem heavy duty and very inflexible. My main concern is that if I lop off some of the wiring in order to remove the existing terminal there will not be enough wire left for the new terminal to reach the battery. Am I going about this the wrong way? Do the wires need to be cut at all, or can the terminal just be "freed" from the wiring without any cutting? Will the standard cheepy terminal replacement at the auto parts store suffice? This seems like such a simple job but if I mess it up I'll be left stranded in the driveway.

 

Several options:

1) Buy an exact replacement (Honda) or aftermarket replacement autoparts.

2) Cut of old (shortern by 1" or more depending on corrosion), and resolder a new end fitting to the wire. Rosin core solder and propane torch. See youtube videos for guidance. Most battery cables have 1-2" to spare, but some short cables may not.

good luck

 

This may be a bear of a job.

The way the positive cable(s) are on the 8th gen Accord, if you were to go with a full replacement, it would most likely have to be from Honda. I don't believe there would be a full aftermarket cable available for the positive side. Expensive and looks to be quite a bear of a job to replace. Too bad it is not the negative side which is like a 1 minute job.

Replacing with a new end connector has it difficulties. The positive cable at the battery forks offs in two different directions. Depending on whether there is corrosion inside the cable or not, you may only have to strip a little wiring off for the new fitting or cut a more. It doesn't look like there is much slack for the positive cable due how the harness is held on at various points with plastic clips and how it forks into separate directions. Soldering a new end connector probably makes the best connection. However, even with the battery removed, you need to be careful with the use of a torch, etc. to heat the connector while adding solder and inserting the cable(s) in the connector. The crimp type requires a larger crimp tool (some are not worth purchasing for a diy'er due to limited use), maybe available for rent? Then there is this other screw-type battery connector:

"http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TAY-21412"

If a cable is too short, there is always the option of using butt connector, they are essentially a huge version of the small ones, then you add heat shrink tubing to insulate and protect the butt connector. It might be worthwhile to check with a shop on pricing, etc. for them to do that.