electrical and ignition DIN Versus SAE Battery Terminal Posts

[thehackmechanic]

For some writing I'm doing, I'm trying to clarify the standardization, or lack thereof, of battery posts. Traditional top posts are usually referred to as SAE posts. There's an SAE spec for this, published and apparently unambiguous, calling for a 1:9 taper, and a top post size of 17.5mm (positive) and 15.9mm (negative). But there are also occasional references to "DIN posts" that, depending on what you read, are either larger or smaller. Note that this is distinct from "JIS pencil posts" on certain Japanese cars, which are well-defined and definitely smaller.

 

I found the attached drawing in an Exide battery replacement catalog, which lists the top dimensions of SAE and DIN as being substantially different, but further investigation makes me believe that the DIN dimension is mistakenly labeled at the top, and should be at the bottom.

 

Does anyone have any direct experience with this -- with SAE terminals and DIN cables not fitting each other -- or are they close enough for government work?

 

--Rob

Edited April 20, 2015 by thehackmechanic

[PatAllen]

i once had issues with my toyota pick-up, it eventualy enlarged by itself (??)

 

i do have original cables on my 02 and they seems to fit the common available batteries without modifications.

 

Oh and my XR4TI came with the F*** fox type when i bought it in 1992 lol...