Battery anchor and battery connector issues

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Update: I uploaded two pics, one of broken anchor here, and one of + post connector in the response.

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I have two battery issues on my 2012 Nissan Sentra:

  1. The battery anchor is broken and needs replaced. Is this something amateurs can do at home? How to do it? I can’t seem to find tutorial videos online.
  2. The battery positive post connector can’t be tightened enough to stay on the post. I guess it is partly caused by the first problem. The connector has been cleaned early this year and is not corrosive. Is this something amateurs can do at home? What auto parts do I need to replace? How to do it? Time commitment?

Once I put the connector in place, it starts and drives fine.

Any suggestion is appreciated.

2

Parts stores sell replacement battery hold downs.

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Just need to get the right one for your car.

It also sounds like battery cable needs to be replaced.

They sell those too.

Tester

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3

This is how you replace the battery…

Here is a replacement hold-down bracket that would work on your car…

And this should cover the battery cable itself…

As far as you being able to do this, we don’t know your tool set or skill set so only you can determine that.

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4

Before replacing the cables I’d loosen the nut, pry open the opening a bit, then push the connector down onto the battery post and tighten up the nut (all this after making sure the terminal and the post were clean). This is the tool I’ve used to loosen up the opening:

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Pic of the + post connector.

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6

This is the positive terminal you need.

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Tester

7

That terminal is not all the way down. The top should be flush with the battery post. See in the video.

Tester’s photo shows it is a super easy replacement.

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8

Thanks for the photo. I think my advice would work, the clamp is not broken or corroded, it’s just reached the limit of its adjustment. Loosen the clamping bolt and pry it open a bit, so it goes all the way down on the post, then tighten it.

Clean it up first, use one of these battery post cleaners, they’re cheap at the car parts store:
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9

@Tester @texases @Mustangman Thank you all for the tips and videos.

Sounds good on the battery hold-down. Seems doable at home.

As for the battery cable, after talking to my husband, we’re going to adjust the terminal, so that the clamp goes all the way down on the post this weekend. Hope this fixes the issue. I’ll post an update. Thank you all again.

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10

For safety, first remove the negative cable from the negative post of the battery. When you have finished your work on the + terminal, then reconnect the -.

On many cars your radio/infotainment will lose its station presets when the battery is disconnected and you’ll need to enter a numerical code on it before it will function. Be sure you have this code. I write it in my owners manual and on a post-it in the glove box.

11

Thanks for the safety reminder! We had a close call once. So it’s always important to remember that.

12

@Tester @texases @Mustangman Update: We have installed the battery hold-down. Pushing the clamp all the way down on the post seems to have fixed the problem. Thank you all again.

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