Loose battery clamp on our 2015 Vista 27N

[wyocamper]

Had a no-start situation while at a gas pump last week on our way home. I checked the battery post clamps to make sure they were tight, but didn't really look at the cable clamp. Then I lost all chassis power, no steps etc. I was about to unload the car and drive 20 miles to the nearest part store to get a new battery, but first I checked the clamps one more time and found the nut for the cables was a little loose. I wiggled it a bit and the steps shot out and caught me in the shins, so I had my wife try the ignition and it fired right up. I tightened the nut and no more issues, then today I found the correct size nut and added it as a locking nut.

Anyway, just one more thing to add to my check list. I don't know if anyone else has had one of these work loose, it wasn't something I expected. Lesson learned.

[bigb]

Good reminder.

It's a nasty job and nobody likes to do it but keeping your connection points and your batteries clean and tight on a regular basis will help. Once you get everything clean it's not too hard to keep up on it, and when they are clean you're more likely to keep up on it since it's not so nasty. I like to clean everything really good then apply a thin film of dielectric grease to everything, it keeps the oxygen out of the contact points and without oxygen there will be no corrosion.

(oops I missed those water spots on my battery!)

[Ray,IN]

Those aftermarket clamps are weak points in the cable wiring. That bolt/stud is long enough, I suggest removing the cable, cleaning everything then adding a flat and lock washer under the nut, to maintain constant pressure on the connection

[wyocamper]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Those aftermarket clamps are weak points in the cable wiring. That bolt/stud is long enough, I suggest removing the cable, cleaning everything then adding a flat and lock washer under the nut, to maintain constant pressure on the connection

That clamp was on there when I bought it, so I have no idea if it was OEM or after market. I'm going to replace it, probably with another military spec style like this one, and will do a better job of keeping it clean and coated with dielectric grease. I'll also install it with flat and lock washers. But like I said I added a second nut as a lock nut on the current one.

I replaced this battery last May and just loosened the clamp to pull it off then tightened it on the new battery post. My guess is that just moving the clamp off and on loosened the nut on the cables a tiny bit, and then a few freeze/thaw cycles worked on it too.

[Ray,IN]

There are several brands of aerosol sprays to coat battery electrical connections to prevent corrosion, while neutralizing battery acid.
(changes color when it contacts acid) I recommend one instead of grease, which quickly collects dirt.

[wyocamper]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

There are several brands of aerosol sprays to coat battery electrical connections to prevent corrosion, while neutralizing battery acid.
(changes color when it contacts acid) I recommend one instead of grease, which quickly collects dirt.

I actually had a can each of CRC battery terminal cleaner and protector in the garage, I thought about that this morning when I got up. I cleaned off all the acid from both sets of batteries, replaced the positive clamp on the chassis battery and sprayed it with CRC protector to coat it. NAPA had a good marine/military style clamp in stock, I added a flat and lock washer and I don't expect to have this problem again.

Some different problem next time? Absolutely