Open sided grommets

[Retroanaconda]

I would like to seal up the holes at the bottom of my battery box where the battery cables enter. The cables are probably 13mm or so in diameter and so a normal cable gland would work fine, except that the large terminal connectors on the end won’t pass through them. As such I need a grommet/gland solution that can be fitted in situ as it were, i.e. around the side and then sealed up afterwards.

Does such a thing exist? At the moment I’m looking at the sort of thing shown below, and cutting a slot in it to fit over the cable and slide into place. If sized correctly and with the addition of a little sealant if necessary I think this should be fairly watertight. there is an existing hole the cables are going through but the size is not critical as I can plate and re-drill a new hole if necessary.

I’m not looking for IP67 here, just enough to stop the battery box from getting a later of silt in it every time you go through a muddy puddle.

[Anderzander]

How large is the OD needing to be ? And what do your battery cables terminate to James?   

[Retroanaconda]

OD doesn’t really matter as I can make a new hole if needed, the current hole is probably about 30mm.

Its the two main battery cables - one to the starter and one to the block/earth.

[sgnas]

Superglue sticks rubber really well. 
Cut one and glue it back together. 

[smallfry]

What about one of the grommets that was used on the front to rear wiring harness on 90/110 where it was run inside the chassis ? Dont know the size offhand, but that would be about the size you need. Would need a part number though.

Also have a look at the TLC electrical website. They do large OD grommets to pass incoming mains to fusebox/consumer unit. Wiska Sprint Grommets. I think they come closed and you make your own hole.

[Superpants]

Index marine do a range of glands for larger connectors- useful on boats for aerial connections etc- I used them on miltary vehicles in the past succesfully.

Index marine

[landroversforever]

Step up a size of cable gland? Then if needed you can put an extra bit of rubber hose or similar for it to close down onto if it doesn’t go small enough. 

[Retroanaconda]

They’d need to be pretty huge to go over the battery terminal clamps!

I think as usually I’m overthinking this - as suggested I can just use a normal soft rubber grommet and cut and glue it. This will be more than good enough for my application.

Thanks folks - will update how I get on.

[Gazzar]

Remove the terminal, install and refit?

[landroversforever]

Depending on ease of access… could you feed the other end back through? Thinking ring terminal going to the starter for example. 

[cackshifter]

Are there not also holes in the bottom of the battery box where the clamp attaches? Have you sealed them up? I have replaced the battery box on my 110 and wondered whether there should be some trunking or something leading up to the engine bay/outside as ventilation.

[TSD]

Not my kind of pricing, but split cable glands are available e.g. https://www.automation24.co.uk/splittable-cable-gland-pflitsch-uni-split-gland-usg-22554-pc

Overkill for something as leaky as a Land Rover I think. I'd aim for a nice snug fitting grommet, cut and glued, and either self amalgalmating tape or butyl body tape if I wanted to beef up the splashproofing.

 

 

[Retroanaconda]

I’m not digging the cables off the starter and block as the access is a pain in the backside! 

Removal of the battery clamp terminals is an option but I’d rather not as they are original and I don’t want to disturb them lest I introduce more electrical weaknesses.

The battery box is a YRM one so there are no holes in the bottom. I plan to seal it up and add a vent tube which I can route into the engine bay to ensure any fumes can escape. The top cover is also unsealed and I don’t intend to seal that up as if the water is they deep I have bigger problems!

[Anderzander]

I think I’d go with a normal grommet, re-terminate the cables into some nice heatshrinked lugs fitting onto a new set of terminal clamps. 

[Mo Murphy]

If you drill some holes on the bottom to let the water out then you wouldn't have to worry about sealing holes further up the battery box that let the water in.

Mo

[Retroanaconda]

Doesn’t stop the tide mark of silt/mud though Mo, which is what I am trying to avoid.

[Bowie69]

Have you considered one of those duck-bill arrangements, like many airboxes have fitted to them?

[Retroanaconda]

Do you mean for the cables to pass through or as a drain in the bottom of the box?

I do intend to fit a removable bung in the bottom so that it can be drained out if I did end up too deep for some reason.

[Bowie69]

Yep, as a drain, they close up when immersed in water, but allow it to flow out if any got in.

[Stellaghost]

7 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Have you considered one of those duck-bill arrangements

They look like small mancuna valves, they let stuff out and nothing in regards Stephen

[Bowie69]

13 minutes ago, Stellaghost said:

They look like small mancuna valves, they let stuff out and nothing in regards Stephen

Here's one option, nice small hole, 15mm:

https://sjtrials.com/products/scorpa-sherco-air-box-drain-valve

[cackshifter]

1 hour ago, Stellaghost said:

They look like small mancuna valves, they let stuff out and nothing in regards Stephen

Slightly OT, but when I worked for Leyland they tried fitting them to the buses' pneumatic gear change exhaust. Think horse after curry night in the stables when gears were changed.

[Retroanaconda]

Just to close this off, I ended up with a less elegant solution than originally intended. I took a blind grommet and cut it to fit around the cables, and just slotted that in. It’s probably about as watertight as it needs to be and is certainly a lot better than the gaping hole there was before.

That, plus a little butyl sealer stuff should keep the worst out 

[elbekko]

Didn't see this thread before. When I sealed up a hole with a small wire in my bulkhead I cut open a grommet, slid it over, then cut open a piece of ducttape, and put that over the grommet with the slit 180° out. Seemed to do the trick fairly well.