Chevy & GMC Vans

Who was the Thimble-brained Nitwit that invented the side-terminal battery? It is all but impossible to see corrosion on the terminals without disconnecting the battery.

not to mention how stupid it is having the negitive post tucked way back in the fender so that you will touch the positive wire when trying to take the negitive off. it the posts were the other way around it would be alot simpler to disconect the battery when working on the van.

CaptSquid wrote:Who was the Thimble-brained Nitwit that invented the side-terminal battery? It is all but impossible to see corrosion on the terminals without disconnecting the battery.

I hadn't really thought about it, but you are right. I once had a no-start on my van and the problem was a corroded terminal. A quick visual inspection didn't reveal it....

If they are still alive, send your hate to:

Inventors:
Miller, James H. (Minneapolis, MN)
Hakarine, Duane D. (Minneapolis, MN)
Application Number:
05/210079
Publication Date:
10/23/1973
Filing Date:
12/20/1971

Hmmm i better check if they are still alive and send them a nasty letter

Decided to go to princess auto today(even tho i knew i shouldn't) got maybe 5 minutes up the street and notice my voltage it well below the norm but battery light isn't on. I pulled off the road into a parking lot and the votage came back up to normal....?!?!?!? decide to check under the hood before i move again pop the hood don't hear any noise from the alt go look at voltage still normal....? start revving engine seems fine last revv let off gas voltage goes down below 12 volts still no battery light tho back under the hood i go remembering this tread i grabbed the neg wire and gave it a tug then grabbed the pos and gave it a tug it turned on the post.
the stupid wire had vibrated loose so it wasn't maintaining a connection tightened it up and off i went.I need to remember to get a vise grip to keep in the truck would have worked better then the needle nose.

The only part of the side post that is a real pain in the butt is that stupid little cable end bolt. I replace it with a 5/16 threaded stud. You can make it any length you need and it has a nut that you can use a real wrench on it instead of a toy. Or worse......a pair of vise grips.

I might just do that. A pair of 5/16 set screws and a couple of nuts (besides the loose one behind the wheel) might be the ticket.

forget that i'm switching to top posts as soon as i can(all my batt's have both anyways) for some reason i have a feeling there is another loose connection somewhere i don't know why tho...

Just don't go with those after-market clamp-on terminals. Blow a few more shekels and buy the entire cable.

I guess I am a thinble brained nitwit since I used to manufacture & run
a retail store that sells OEM replacement batteries.
Thru years of R&D,believe this or not,The sidepost application
corrodes much less than the typical top post connection.
The only downfall to sidepost application is instant visual inspections,
& in real time it does not take any longer to remove a sidepost than a top post battery(using
the correct tools).
Like any battery terminal/connections,twice a year battery removal,terminal,post
clean will keep you out of trouble.

reaper wrote:I guess I am a thinble brained nitwit since I used to manufacture & run
a retail store that sells OEM replacement batteries.
Thru years of R&D,believe this or not,The sidepost application
corrodes much less than the typical top post connection.
The only downfall to sidepost application is instant visual inspections,
& in real time it does not take any longer to remove a sidepost than a top post battery(using
the correct tools).
Like any battery terminal/connections,twice a year battery removal,terminal,post
clean will keep you out of trouble.

now that you mention it, that has been my personal experience. The side terminals on my astro's battery never corrode, while the top posts on my jeeps corrode something terrible.