BIG 3+ Battery Cable Upgrade Installation Guide

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the installation process for your Quadstar Tuning LLC Battery Cable Upgrade Kit. This upgrade significantly improves electrical system performance and reliability by replacing factory cables with higher quality, larger gauge cables.

Your battery cable upgrade kit includes:

1. Red Crossover Cable (+) - The longest cable in the kit, connects the two battery (+) posts across the top of the fan shroud

2. Red Starter Feed Cable (+) - Connects the starter to the passenger side battery (+) terminal

3. Black Driver Side Ground Cable (-) - Connects driver side battery (-) post to an engine lower intake manifold stud

4. Black Passenger Side Ground Cable (-) - Connects passenger side battery (-) post to an engine intake manifold or thermostat housing stud AND includes a 10ga jumper wire for the passenger side fender ground point

5. Red Alternator Feed Cable (+) - Includes silicone terminal cover; connects the alternator to the appropriate battery (+) post based on vehicle year

6. Side Post Battery Hardware - Stainless bolts and nuts for more reliable connections

   • 1-¼" bolts for positive connections

   • 1" bolts for negative connections

Year-Specific Components:

• 1995 & Later Kits: Additional red under hood fuse box feed cable

• 1994 Kits: Includes an eyelet to crimp onto the firewall distribution block feed wire

IMPORTANT: Always disconnect ground cables FIRST and connect them LAST to prevent electrical shorts.

1. Disconnect Battery Grounds

   • Detach factory battery ground cables at the battery side post connections FIRST to deactivate the electrical system

2. Remove Engine Ground Connections

   • Detach factory ground cables from the engine by removing the 15mm nuts from the lower intake manifold or thermostat housing studs

   • Note: If studs spin, you may need to cut factory cables or use a specialized wrench

3. Remove Fender Ground

   • Detach the factory passenger side ground cable on the inner fender

   • Save the bolt/screw for re-installation

4. Remove All Factory Ground Cables

5. Disconnect Alternator Charge Cable

   • Detach from the back of the alternator

   • Save the nut for re-use

6. Remove Positive Battery Cables

   • Detach driver side positive battery cable

   • Detach passenger side positive connection

   • Remove the starter feed cable from the starter

   • Note: You may need to remove the starter to access connections

IMPORTANT: Install all RED positive (+) cables FIRST. BLACK ground (-) cables should be installed LAST to safely complete the circuit.

Step 1: Install Positive Cables

1. Alternator Feed Cable

   • Attach the red 1/0 alternator feed cable to the alternator

   • Smaller loop connector goes to alternator, larger one to battery

   • Leave the battery end free for now

2. Starter Power Feed Cable

   • Snake the cable through factory adel clamps along passenger side frame rail

   • Connect to the starter

   • Consider bending the loop connector slightly for clearance from exhaust manifold

3. Fuse Box Connection (1995+ Models)

   • Install positive cable from driver's side battery + terminal to fuse box

   • Small end goes to fuse block, large end to battery

4. Battery Terminal Connections

   • 1996+ Trucks: Attach 3 cables to passenger side + battery:

     • Alternator charge cable

     • Starter power feed cable

     • Crossover cable

   • 1995 Trucks: Attach 2 cables to passenger side + battery:

     • Starter power feed cable

     • Crossover cable

   • 1994 & Older: Attach 2 cables plus 1 wire:

     • Starter power feed cable

     • Crossover cable

     • 10ga power distribution block feed wire (reused from factory wiring)

⚠️ STOP AND VERIFY: Ensure all RED positive cables are properly attached before proceeding to ground cable installation

Step 2: Install Ground Cables

1. Engine Ground Connections

   • Attach both black ground cables to available studs on the engine intake manifold or coolant thermostat housing

   • The ground cable with the 10ga wire is for the passenger side

2. Battery Ground Connections

   • Attach ground cables to the batteries using supplied hardware

   • Note: This will complete the circuit and power up the truck

3. Fender Ground Connection

   • Attach the 10ga ground wire from the passenger side ground cable to the factory point on the inner fender

   • Reuse the factory bolt/screw

4. Final Check

   • Ensure all connections are tight

   • Secure the crossover cable to the fan shroud with zip ties

• These models have a power distribution block on the passenger side firewall

• A power feed wire with a fusible link runs down past the engine bellhousing and up the frame rail to the passenger side battery

• This 10ga wire needs to be cut near the passenger side battery (+) connection when removing the factory battery feed cable

• The included eyelet should be crimped onto this wire

• 1994 models have a driver side alternator and do NOT have an under hood fuse block

• Feature a driver side alternator and under hood fuse block

• Both the alternator and under hood fuse box connect to the driver side (+) battery post

• Feature a passenger side alternator and driver side under hood fuse block

For reliable side post battery connections:

1. Screw the bolt until it bottoms out

2. Tighten the nut to secure cables

3. This distributes load across all threads rather than just a few

4. When done correctly, this resolves 99% of side post connection issues

If you have any questions about installation or encounter any issues, please contact our support team at support@quadstartuning.com or call us at.

Thank you for choosing Quadstar Tuning LLC for your battery cable upgrade!