{"id":15375,"date":"2023-04-28T11:22:49","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T01:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batterytools.net\/?p=15375"},"modified":"2023-05-18T13:06:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T03:06:43","slug":"why-do-battery-cables-get-hot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/batterytools.net\/why-do-battery-cables-get-hot\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Battery Cables Get Hot?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Why is my positive battery cable hot? When the car is on, power goes to all of its electric components through a set of wires. One wire, in particular, carries the power for the starter motor, which is needed to start your vehicle. The current that flows through these wires heat up all metal conductors. This causes heat build-up in batteries and wiring systems throughout your engine bay, most notably at battery terminals where large currents are flowing out of them.<\/p>\n
The battery cables in your car are responsible for powering the entire electrical system, not just the engine. The power from the alternator is transferred to the battery through these cables. When this happens, heat is created, which can cause a build-up of energy within the cable.<\/p>\n
When a car<\/a> is running, the engine turns electrical components on and off. This process generates heat which can cause the battery terminals to become warm or even very hot if left unattended for long periods of time.<\/p>\n This is because the terminals are carrying a lot of extra charges. It must be frustrating to cut your day short because you need to recharge that dead battery.<\/p>\n One might say that the terminals are “on fire” in a sense. When metal, such as steel, is heated up, it won’t come back down until it’s been cooled off again. The battery terminal will stay at a higher temperature for a while after delivering electricity and dumping charges from their surface area. And while this may not be high enough for an inefficient system design, it’s plenty hot enough to get scared about.<\/p>\n If your battery cable getting hot and you don\u2019t know why it may be time to clean your battery terminals. Over time, they can become corroded and cause all sorts of problems. Hot battery cables can cause all sorts of problems, from a loss of power to your car not starting.<\/p>\n