Bus won't start, just clicks

[bigred]

Prevost has been using 4 group 31's for years now our 97 had 4 group 31's

Yep !!! Mine too!!! And if the voltage drops 1 volt there is a lady that hangs out some where in my bus that keeps saying "low vehicle battery voltage" LOL

[Jim Eh.]

these...(in the right size) are way mo betta  
as are crimps..hammered or die. 

For my money these are the only cable ends allowed to be used in my shop. They come in a wide variety of end styles and provide a positive contact without overheating the cooper strands during soldering. They are also beefy enough not to become loose from multiple heat cycles like the thinner crimp style ends. Starting in colder weather produces lots of heat in the cables on extended cranking sessions.
My vote for your starting problems is all in your connections.

*If you have poor connections your batteries will not charge properly to recover from a start voltage drop while driving/charging
*If you have poor connections it may be covered up by jump starting with booster cables (higher amperage supply temporarily heats the connections to make contact giving a false indication)
*Poor ground connections are one of the most difficult things to find - just remove the ground connections and clean them ... period.

[Oonrahnjay]

these...(in the right size) are way mo betta  
as are crimps..hammered or die. 

     What is the name of the manufacturer of these terminals?  I see "Fair Lawn, NJ" at the bottom but that's about all that's visible.  It seems that every terminal manufacturer (or importer) has a terminal BT-36B.  Many thanks,  Bruce H

[kyle4501]

*Poor ground connections are one of the most difficult things to find - just remove the ground connections and clean them ... period.

If I may add - Just because the first 3 ground studs you found were welded to the frame - it doesn't mean the 4th one was. . . . .That one cost me a starter !

[eagle19952]

    What is the name of the manufacturer of these terminals?  I see "Fair Lawn, NJ" at the bottom but that's about all that's visible.  It seems that every terminal manufacturer (or importer) has a terminal BT-36B.  Many thanks,  Bruce H

I FORGET...i BUY them from a DEKA wholesaler in Ft Myers, FL. let mr get back to you soon

i think they are proprietary..in that if you order enuff of them...u can put your name on them... Lawson doesn't make anything...but,they sell a lot of things.

https://www.lawsonproducts.com/Battery-Terminals-Lugs-Connectors/Fleet-Automotive/Electrical/EL450200.lpc

[Oonrahnjay]

I FORGET...i BUY them from a DEKA wholesaler in Ft Myers, FL. let mr get back to you soon ...

     Duhh!!  Shoulda tried DEKA first.  Thanks, Don.  My inverter supplier says that 4/0 cable is the minimum size necessary for my battery connections,  but othing that shows up on the Google search is 4/0.  Have you seen/used 4/0 versions of these?  (I'm gong to guess they're e$$$traordinarily spendy!)

[kyle4501]

Since I was relocating my house & start batteries, I needed to make new cables, I used the following stuff to do the job.

Adhesive lined heat shrink tubing,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-Ton-18-5-Hydraulic-Wire-Terminal-Crimping-Crimper-Tool-Pliers-Kit-w-11-Dies-/391827904759?hash=item5b3ac358f7:g:rfQAAOSwfpVZLTVo

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marine-Battery-Cable-Terminals-Tin-Plated-Heavy-Duty-FTZ-Power-Lugs-/171875197868?var=&hash=item28048f63ac

http://www.iboats.com/Ancor-Black-4-0-AWG-Battery-Cable-Sold-by-the-Foot/dm/cart_id.060994801--session_id.065451947--view_id.1437484



BTW, All of the factory crimped connections were still perfect after 30 years.   
Some of the the cables I replaced were the less than satisfactory results of a previous repair (hack job) - which is why I decided to relocate the batteries.

[gumpy]

     Duhh!!  Shoulda tried DEKA first.  Thanks, Don.  My inverter supplier says that 4/0 cable is the minimum size necessary for my battery connections,  but othing that shows up on the Google search is 4/0.  Have you seen/used 4/0 versions of these?  (I'm gong to guess they're e$$$traordinarily spendy!)

Here's what I did for my 4/0 cables.  They've been working great for 14 years now.  Absolutely no problems. I buffed the ends last year when I replaced my batteries.

http://www.gumpydog.com/Bus/MC9_WIP/Electrical/Batteries/batteries.htm

[Dave5Cs]

Yep me too Craig. Thanks got that off your site. Has worked for 6 years no problems either.

[luvrbus]

You can buy the compression nut type battery terminals from Del City I keep a few around for repairs but don't really care for that type and they are expensive 12 or 14 bucks for 4/0 the last time I purchased   

[Oonrahnjay]

...I used the following stuff to do the job.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-Ton-18-5-Hydraulic-Wire-Terminal-Crimping-Crimper-Tool-Pliers-Kit-w-11-Dies-/391827904759?hash=item5b3ac358f7:g:rfQAAOSwfpVZLTVo   ...   

    Wow, Kyle!!  I was expecting $300, not $33!  I'm gonna guess that this unit wouldn't live very lond in a shop doing 12 crimps a day, but for what an average bus owner needs, it looks like a great buy.  Thanks for that info.

[Jim Eh.]

     What is the name of the manufacturer of these terminals?  I see "Fair Lawn, NJ" at the bottom but that's about all that's visible.  It seems that every terminal manufacturer (or importer) has a terminal BT-36B.  Many thanks,  Bruce H

Up here I get them from Pico
https://picocanada.com/en/view_product/705

They are even listed on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Fastronix-Battery-Compression-Terminal-Positive/dp/B00X362H7W

[kyle4501]

    Wow, Kyle!!  I was expecting $300, not $33!  I'm gonna guess that this unit wouldn't live very lond in a shop doing 12 crimps a day, but for what an average bus owner needs, it looks like a great buy.  Thanks for that info.

It is a very stout crimper, I believe it will keep up with a $300 unit. I have made over 100 crimps with it & the last was the same as the first.

I cut a crimped fitting apart. The stranded wire was so tightly squeezed together that it was solid, the individual strands of the 4/0 wire were stuck together. I was satisfied that was good enough. 

I also use dielectric grease in the connection to help ensure moisture stays out. 

[dtcerrato]

We do ours the old fashion way, soft copper tubing over the given wire size (snug fit) push wire all the way into about a 2" piece of tube. Flatten half of the tube end then cut desired hole size into the flattened area.. Solder the wire into the tube or not, works just as well either way without heat generation or current loss. Real cheap, very effective. Dinosaur methodology. Kind of like antique vintage....

[eagle19952]

     Duhh!!  Shoulda tried DEKA first.  Thanks, Don.  My inverter supplier says that 4/0 cable is the minimum size necessary for my battery connections,  but nothing that shows up on the Google search is 4/0.  Have you seen/used 4/0 versions of these?  (I'm gong to guess they're e$$$traordinarily spendy!)

i bought a box of them a few years ago...i don't remember having heart failure.
having said that i know Lawson has 3/0... and i don't think snipping a few strands off of 4/0 hurts anything if one considers that the lug is pretty much (theoretically) a portion of the cross sectional area when compressed...