I tried channel locks, they are no good, so whats another method for getting a bolt off of a side post battery, i already got the positive line off, but the negiative seems like its seized up!

 

Use a socket and ratchet. Channel locks are just going to strip the bolt. Never use them on battery terminals.


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And always take the negative cable off first. Don't even go near the positive cable bolt until then. Short that positive bolt to the chassis with the negative cable still connected and a lot of bad things will happen.

RBob.

 

I just checked my battery. Its an 8mm socket. it should come right out.


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Take off the ground first, always do that. Rbob is dead on with that!

It's a 8 mm like he said but if she don't come off and is already stripped pretty bad then vice grips are the last alternative. Try a little wd 40 before it comes to the vice grip point if you can.

 

...

 

Vice grips are not makng the grade here, Already WD-40'd it, tried taking the neg off first, the bolt is stripped!

So where on the 3.1 liter engine is the negative connected too?...I may have to just pull the cable from the other end to swap everything out?

 

First, the bolt is a 5/16" hex... They make wrenches specifically for GM side post terminals.

Second, the negative cable goes to the engine block to the power steering pump side of the crank pulley. 15mm bolt, IIRC.

 

5/16" and 8mm are the same size, a couple thousands of an inch difference if you want to get real technical.

The "Specific" wrenches are just because MAC and Snap-On can, and mechanics will "have to have them".

 

Um, if they're different sizes, they're different sizes. Couple thousandths or not. And I believe an 8mm was loose on my batt terminal bolts the last time I tried...

And the specific wrenches are just that... I have one for a reason, because it's pretty tight where the battery is. And it's not MAC or CrapOn.

 

Mine is 5/16" and its a specialty Craftsman ratchet made for battery bolts but it sounds like you're way past that. Now are you just trying to take a bad battery out of the car or are you saving it or what? To get the bolt out get a set of vice grips with flat not curved jaws and get the on as tight as you possibly can. If they slip they are not tight enough. Tap the bolt head lightly a few times and try to remove it. Make sure that you are turning it in the right direction (i.e Lefty- Loosey) and it should come out. It sounds like it may have been cross threaded in and the battery may not be able to be tapped and re-used. Good Luck!

 

If battery is trash, die grinder and a cutting wheel just be careful of the cable.

 

The Battery is a goner, but it is under Warranty, so I'll wait until day light to see if I can get it out?

 

8mm and 5/16th are so close that Ive always used 8mm on the bat cable along with my hose clamps on the car. Since almost everything else on the car is metric..lol

The neg wire on the car is mounted right to the front drivers side of the engine block. I believe that is the main wire. Then there are multiple wires that go off the rear of the heads(both of them) to ground electonics such as the ecm....exc.

 

If the battery is under warranty then take it to where you got it and have them do it lol


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If you already use dvicegrips on the bolt, and they didnt work it may be time to cut off the old crappy terminal and replace it with a new one... I've had to do this a hundred times...

 

So fill us in...what happened?

 

I got the battery out, the bolt was 19mm, I just unbolted the ground from the engine & frame and it all come out easy then we took the old battery down and one of the guys was able to Turbo wrench off the negative cable so that saved me a few bucks, we got our warranty honored and off we went to Autozone to quickly grab a new EGR valve controller, and some fresh motor oil, we returned to home, then in 45 minutes later the cable was reconnected and the EGR was replaced and the runs smoother than ever, I still have to get new front brake calipers on Sunday and waiut for the weather to give us a break from the rain to get the car road ready!

 

Congratulations! What's a Turbo wrench?

 

Probably an air ratchet lol


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That's the only reference I could find for "Turbo wrench". But if so, how did they get a grip on the battery bolt? Sounds like somebody didn't eat their Wheaties.