Help!! Stop me from cutting a battery post. Give me better ideas! '97 328ic

[cbnsingram]

Seriously! I went to replace my battery and found that the guy I bought it from last year apparently pounded on the top of the positive battery post. I have no idea why someone would do that, but it is now mushroomed over the top edge of the terminal, effectively locking it in place. On top of this the post is of course loose from the previous abuse.

I cannot spread the terminal enough to get past the spread with any tool I have tried, and using a terminal pulling tool was a joke.

On this car it appears like the positive wire is a single length of wire running all the way to the front of the car from the trunk. It looks like a major undertaking to get it out, removing seats, carpet and I don't know what else yet.

There is not any slack, so I cannot simply replace the terminal (which seems molded on.) Is there a method (adapter, whatever) to allow one to safely splice more length and a new terminal to the existing wire? If not, can I safely cut the battery post beneath the terminal? This will likely allow the terminal to be pulled off.

Any other ideas? Help! Mike

[Manolito]

My first thought was a battery terminal puller, but I can imagine that it is tough to get a bite on the clamp to pull it.

I see no reason why you could not take a hack saw blade and cut off the terminal below the clamp, or take a dremel tool to the top of the post to grind away the mushroom.

[shaundolphin]

As above, Surely there is a way of grinding the mushroom part away so you can release the clamp as it's only made of soft lead. Small dremmel tool as described above is surely the way forward.