During a routine inspection of your Saturn Ion, you should check the battery cables for wear or corrosion. Your Ion will have trouble starting if your cables are going bad. If the jaws of the cable ends are touching, you should change them out. Turn the car off and engage the parking brake before you switch out the battery cables.
Instructions
- 1
Reach the battery behind the headlight on the driver's side on the Saturn Ion.
2Loosen the bolt on the black negative battery cable first with a box wrench or cable clamp pliers. Wriggle the cable end off the post. Repeat the process on the red positive cable. Remove both cables from the battery, even if you're replacing only one of them, to avoid a short in the electrical system.
3Follow the negative cable to where it's grounded on the front of the frame beside the driver side headlight assembly. Use a wrench to remove the end of the cable. Track the positive cable to its connection on the starter solenoid on the driver's side of the engine and remove it with the wrench.
4Clean the posts with a small wire brush or cable cleaner. Wipe off residual dust or cleaner with a clean, dry cloth.
5Attach the new positive cable first, reversing the process in Step 3. Put the negative cable on last and start the car to ensure the connections are working on your Saturn Ion.
