Negative Battery Terminal and Cable

[VanillaXT]

Hello!
I'm new to this forum. I bought my 2015 Xterra S in January of 2022.

My negative battery terminal is corroding fast. I cleaned and coated the terminal with dielectric grease a month ago and the pictures show what it looks like now (sorry one of the photos is blurry). Also, the negative battery cable has exposed copper and seems to be corroding fast as well in several places. I have a few questions.

1. The negative battery cable and terminal needs to be replaced, but it is complicated as it seems to connect to two places. Is there a better aftermarket cable with these connections? Could I make two cables myself to replace the one cable, so that one cable goes to each grounding point?

2. What is the size (gauge) of the original negative battery cable?

3. I have heard that corrosion on the negative terminal is caused by undercharging. Is it possible that I have an alternator issue, or is the corroded negative battery cable to blame?

4. I have a group 35 battery which I believe is stock and I think this size is fine for my use. The battery seems fine for now, but would I get less corrosion if I replaced it with an AGM battery?

It's warmed up since this morning here and is now -3°F (-19°C) and snowing. We'll probably see colder weather later this winter.

 

[outback97]

Welcome to the forum. I grew up in MN and briefly lived in Little Canada, not far from you. Moved to Utah in '97... I miss the lakes back there!

I don't know the answers to most of these questions, but re: #4 I have definitely seen less corrosion on my AGM batteries and longer life compared to standard ones. If and when you do end up getting a new battery, you can also go up in size to a 24F. You'll get more CA, more CCA, and more reserve capacity.

We have two Subarus and two Xterras... the Subarus have 2.5l engines and a Group 35 is their stock battery size like your 2015. The larger 24F was the stock Xterra battery size for the earlier 2nd Gens, then Nissan decided to cut some costs (I assume) and go with the smaller Group 35 battery. But, a 24F should drop right in to yours as well. If I lived somewhere as cold as MN I'd opt for more CCA.

 

[TerryD]

I cut my cable back and crimped on a ring terminal and use Marine terminals on my Xterra. They're common and easy to replace plus they make it easy to attach accessories.

 

[VanillaXT]

I found the original replacement cable (link below). The plastic thingy looks like it is just there to provide a plug for something. I wonder if I could wire it separately and simplify the entire setup.

2005-2019 Nissan Negative Cable 24080-EA200 | OEM Parts Online

2005-2019 Nissan Negative Cable 24080-EA200

nissan.oempartsonline.com

Also, I will consider the Group 24F battery, but RockAuto sells this Group 35 battery with similar specs to most Group 24F batteries, so I may go for that (see link). It does seem that an AGM battery would reduce the corrosion because it does not vent corrosive gasses.

More Information for FULLRIVER FT75035

 

[xyoverland]

Keep in mind that the Xterra alternator doesn’t put out enough voltage to fully charge an AGM battery. You’ll need a battery tender/trickle charger to supplement. I plug mine in usually at least once a month. Otherwise I think it stays about 80% charged.

 

[JeffPro4x]

FWIW, I've run a 24F agm for years and have never had battery issues. Granted, it doesn't get as cold here in PA as MN but I've never had to charge it.

 

[TerryD]

I put my AGM on a maintenance charger (NOCO Genius 10) during oil changes to top off the battery. Also if I do any amount of witching to keep it healthy.

 

[xyoverland]

FWIW, I've run a 24F agm for years and have never had battery issues. Granted, it doesn't get as cold here in PA as MN but I've never had to charge it.

You have X2 Power, right? How many years are you at on your current one? I have the exact same one as you so when yours eventually goes I’ll use that timeline as when I’ll start worrying about mine.

 

[JeffPro4x]

You have X2 Power, right? How many years are you at on your current one? I have the exact same one as you so when yours eventually goes I’ll use that timeline as when I’ll start worrying about mine.

Just over 2 years now

 

[outback97]

Keep in mind that the Xterra alternator doesn’t put out enough voltage to fully charge an AGM battery. You’ll need a battery tender/trickle charger to supplement. I plug mine in usually at least once a month. Otherwise I think it stays about 80% charged.

I had some similar concerns a couple years ago and posted about it here, though it was a fairly short thread that ended with a question that was never resolved and I still don't know the answer.

FWIW we have two Xterras with AGM batteries. On our '06 the previous owner installed Exide 24F lasted eight years before it started giving me problems. I replaced it with a Die Hard 24F AGM. On the '09 the previous owner installed Odyssey 34R is still going at now almost nine years. As far as I know, neither one had regular supplemental charging, except the '09 occasionally being topped up since it sits all winter.

IME the "need" to charge an AGM battery beyond what our alternator puts out may be overblown.

 

[Kira]

Use 'battery terminal protective spray'. It's not a luxury product. It works.

As far as optimal AGM charging goes.....systems vary.
Addressing a new AGM battery upon installation involves setting the charging ceiling....so you don't kill the AGM by overcharging.
Leaving an AGM battery on grandpa's old charger for 24 hours is bad, bad, bad.

 

[VanillaXT]

Hello!
I'm new to this forum. I bought my 2015 Xterra S in January of 2022.

My negative battery terminal is corroding fast. I cleaned and coated the terminal with dielectric grease a month ago and the pictures show what it looks like now (sorry one of the photos is blurry). Also, the negative battery cable has exposed copper and seems to be corroding fast as well in several places. I have a few questions.

1. The negative battery cable and terminal needs to be replaced, but it is complicated as it seems to connect to two places. Is there a better aftermarket cable with these connections? Could I make two cables myself to replace the one cable, so that one cable goes to each grounding point?

2. What is the size (gauge) of the original negative battery cable?

3. I have heard that corrosion on the negative terminal is caused by undercharging. Is it possible that I have an alternator issue, or is the corroded negative battery cable to blame?

4. I have a group 35 battery which I believe is stock and I think this size is fine for my use. The battery seems fine for now, but would I get less corrosion if I replaced it with an AGM battery?

It's warmed up since this morning here and is now -3°F (-19°C) and snowing. We'll probably see colder weather later this winter.

It's been a while since I posted this, and life got in the way for a while. Here are answers to my questions:

1. I replaced the battery cable with two 2-gauge cables from batterycablesusa.com
Here is the order in case you wanted to duplicate what I did:

If you are trying to duplicate the order, make sure to add the additional information so that the bend terminals are in the correct orientation.

I bought a new OEM Nissan battery cable as listed my other post above, and cut it apart to get the new sensor. I really had to ream out the plastic hole in the sensor with a round file to get the large cable to fit. I probably should have gone with 4-gauge cables, as this would still be larger than stock. Only the cable going to the engine ground goes through the sensor on my setup. The other cable is independent and goes to the chassis ground. I haven't had any ill effects from only part of the current go through the sensor.

You could order cables such that one cable would go through the sensor to the chassis ground, and then another cable to go from that chassis ground to the engine ground like the OEM cable. You could even solder the two terminals together in the middle to make it more OEM-like. I didn't think that was necessary. I got this idea from a post somewhere, I think on another forum, but I don't have the link at the moment.

Could you send battercablesusa.com the sensor and have them build you an OEM like cable? Perhaps, but I didn't try this.

2. The original OEM cable seems to be equivalent to an 8-gauge cable. I think the dimensions are actually metric, but it seems pretty close to the size of an 8-gauge cable.

3. Don't know. I think having a much more robust ground has helped. I also added brass terminals, and replaced the bolts, nuts and washers with stainless steel parts. Finally, I have been using Amsoil MP Metal protector to further reduce the chance of corrosion. This product leaves a drier film that does not attract dirt as much as the oil based sprays. This setup lasted 1.5 years with no corrosion.

Brass Battery Terminals

4. I think I will be using an AGM battery when I need a replacement. Could the lack of charging of AGM batteries that has been reported by some be due to that small gauge of the OEM ground? I don't know but this is an interesting question.

I made a video with some more details on the topic:

 

[Kira]

Everyone who makes videos always says, "Leave comments in the comment section below".
Where is that? I see no comments section.

 

[VanillaXT]

Everyone who makes videos always says, "Leave comments in the comment section below".
Where is that? I see no comments section.

Are you on a phone? Tap the screen. See the video here for instructions.

Edit: Oops! Perhaps I answered the wrong question. To comment on an embedded video, you need to click the button that says "Watch on YouTube." Then you will be able to access the video comment section. If you are on a phone, you can watch the video below for instructions. If you are on a computer, you can just scroll down below the video to add a comment on YouTube.