Need Help with Battery Post Connections, Does this look right to you..? Options

[Nozzle]

I'm having non-starting issues (used to be only hot but now it's both cold and hot) with my 1973 2.0 and Scotty B suggested the electrical connections to the positive battery post may be part of the problem. So I thought I'd start by cleaning up these connections or at least replacing the battery cable with something more stock to begin trouble-shooting. The problem is I'm not sure what these connections are supposed to look like. So does anyone have any good pictures of how these connections are supposed to be arranged?

Here's what mine currently look like:



Many thanks,

John

[Tom]

Yes, Montoya is right. I used all 4 wires. Just put one large and one small in each ring terminal and then lightly soldered the ring terminal at the end of the wires to ensure a good connection. I used a 10-12 gage ring connector that both wires fit in kind of tight. Since that picture I also used a nylon tie to tie the 4 wires in the heat shrink to the large battery cable. This ensures there is little to no strain on the electrical connection, which is why your wire has only one small strand of wire left making a poor electrical connection. This type of connection is the bane of electrical trouble shooting as it will give you OK voltage readings when not under load, but will not allow sufficient current to operate the load.
If I understand you correctly, the hot start issue has plagued you for some time. If so, you probably have a defective key switch due to arcing of the contacts. With no hot start relay installed, the initial solenoid current is 35 amps. As soon as the Bendix throws the starter gear out and makes the electrical contacts inside the solenoid, that current drops to about 10 amps. When you release the key switch, a back EMF causes an arc across the key switch contacts. Someone here once posted some numbers they had had someone take with an O-scope. The back EMF was in the 350 volt range and this was for a properly operating system. If your starter solenoid is not closing, then the back EMF is going to be about 3 times that voltage, so more of an arc, which will accelerate the deterioration of the key switch contacts. That is probably why you are now having the no start issue even when cold. I put a hot start relay on mine even though I was not having any starter issues just to save the key switch contacts.
Hope this has been helpful,
Tom