ground wire question

[bigbfarm]

I'm having trouble with my ground wire causing intermittent starts. I'm pulling wire off now and my question is should I clean corrosion and use as is or should I spend the money on a new one? New wire shouldn't be that expensive but I need to save my cash where I can. By the way, all connections are tight. Thanks. 96 sl2 230k

[OldNuc]

It would be much easier to answer the question if you explained which ground wire you are talking about.

But beyond that, usually cleaning is adequate. Use a simple green scotch brite that is slightly damp and just remove the obvious oxidation/rust. Try to not scour off the "tin" coating down to the bare copper on connectors.

[saturncrzy]

keep in mind there are several ground wires under the hood. You could clean it like oldnuc said. i have tried cleaning them before and always ended up having to by a new one....

[bigbfarm]

Sorry oldnuc, I was in a hurry, no excuse, anyhow Battery ground is the issue, in paticular side that mounts to engine not by uhjb. Car went dead on wife last night, when I arrived head lights and everything was dead. I wiggled ground wire and car started. I've pulled wire off and will replace it as it looks to be a lot of work to try and repair with no guarantee it will work. Thanks for your interest and comments.

[OldNuc]

Yes, if the corrosion is inside the crimped connector then its a replace item. That is the main battery negative/ground cable and the entire thing should be replaced. Most of the auto parts stores have a direct replacement. The ground connection over by the UHJB is a bit difficult to remove without snapping the bolt off.

[audiomodder]

The next question would be, how is the condition of the wire? It might be worth it to just replace the whole wire. It shouldn't be much more expensive than just replacing the lug, and while it might take a little longer (because you'll be dealing with a broken bolt in all probability), it might save you some time later.

[bigbfarm]

thanks guys, problem solved. I purchased two ground wires and replaced entire battery ground. $17 spent. probably could have been done cheaper but I was in a hurry. Should be good for another 230k. thanks.

[OldNuc]

Replacement is the best plan after the corrosion gets into the cable.