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Can you explain what this yellow thing is?

enter image description here

musicwithoutpaper
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2 Answers2

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When you buy a replacement battery cable they come with additional wires with crimp connectors on them for applications that require it. That way the aftermarket supplier can make one part number fit several vehicles. Take the picture below it fits vehicles that have a side post battery and need a 45 inch length. The extra wire may or may not be required depending on the application.

enter image description here

Since some vehicles come from the factory with additional wire(s) attached to the battery cables this gives you a place to hook up the additional wire

In your particular case it may have been intended to hook to the wire that goes to the alternator but with the rewiring it may not have been used that way.

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  • @KeeganMcCarthy In your picture above is hooked to the positive post on the battery, not the ground. The extra wire is often on the negative as well and connected to the sheet metal near the battery. The large conductor is connected directly to the engine in most cases. This gives an additional ground connection to the sheet metal in the event the ground strap from the engine to the frame is broken. – Move More Comments Link To Top Jan 07 '13 at 01:29
  • Oh, sorry - I just looked at the photo and thought it was connected to the negative terminal because it is a black wire (even the larger portion is black). It does make sense - I guess I just feel like a smaller awg wire from negative to the car's frame will be just as good as an extra larger awg wire would be. – Sponge Bob Jan 07 '13 at 03:20
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I now only own new 2006+ or old 1970's chevys. But on my old ones there is a terminal block in front of the battery mounted to the radiator support. In some cases I have seen them also mounted to the inside of the fender. That wire in question has a stake-on/crimp connector that attaches a wire from the terminal block to the battery. This wire is how the alternator charged the battery and how the vehicle got electrical power. Since there is an age difference I can't say that yours has the same purpose. It is also possible that the cable was replaced with a generic one that includes this wire but it is not used on your vehicle.

mikes
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