Installing a car battery

[SC Cy]

Is it possible to blow yourself to pieces? I'm only half kidding...

I know little about cars. My wife's battery died and we got a new one. I was in the process of tightening the connectors and a 4th of July celebration ensued! Scared the living crap out of me! I swear I'm doing it correctly, what the hell went wrong? I'm paranoid to touch anything close to it!

:shocked::wideeyed::embarrassed::unsure:

 

[brianhos]

Just do not touch any other metal while you are tightening the connectors. You are talking about sparks from it right?

 

[Bader]

Make sure you fill a kiddie pool and stand in it while working

 

[egami]

Fireworks are normal, just be sure to finalize your will prior.

Oh, and watch out for the windshield wiper fluid...it's flammable.

 

[SC Cy]

Just do not touch any other metal while you are tightening the connectors. You are talking about sparks from it right?

Yeah, just sparks. I tell you what, I wasn't prepared for sparklers like that!

 

[CloneFan96]

Just don't touch the positive post with a wrench and let the wrench touch any other metal part (ground) of the car or you will get sparks!! Shouldn't kill you but it's not good for the battery.

 

[CyPride]

Just don't touch the positive post with a wrench and let the wrench touch any other metal part (ground) of the car or you will get sparks!! Shouldn't kill you but it's not good for the battery.

yeah, sounds like you possibly touched the cables together, or touched metal.

black negative, red positive.

there are stories out there of batteries causing damage to people's faces - hooking stuff up wrong, i'm assuming.

 

[jumbopackage]

It's not that big of a deal. The only way you get zapped is if you touch both the terminals at the same time or if you touch the red terminal while grounded to the car AND the black cable is connected (i.e. don't lean against the engine block with one hand while playing around with the red terminal with the other while the black cable is still connected or vice-versa).

Disconnect the black cable first, then the red one. Attach the red cable first, and then the black one.

You'll probably see some sparks when you attach the second cable. Don't be alarmed. This is very normal.

How to Replace a Car Battery | eHow.com

 

[TxCycloneFan]

2 questions:

Do you have life insurance?
Is your wife good looking?

 

[SC Cy]

You guys rock. Thanks for the advice! I just took my life insurance policies out of the safe and put them on the counter just in case. Wish me luck...

 

[SC Cy]

2 questions:

Do you have life insurance?
Is your wife good looking?

 

[BKLYNCyclone]

watch out for the hydrogen gas that accumulates near the battery... it could be ignited by the sparks...

 

[clones_jer]

Shouldn't kill you ...

there it is!

are you sure the battery is still good? Test it as you would a 9-volt - you may need to use cables.

 

[zumbro clones]

NAPA and other auto stores sell a brush-on compound to improve the connection between the battery and the connectors and reduce corrosion. I'd recommend putting that goop on when you put in the new battery.

 

[egami]

NAPA and other auto stores sell a brush-on compound to improve the connection between the battery and the connectors and reduce corrosion. I'd recommend putting that goop on when you put in the new battery.

Dude, are you TRYING to get him killed?

 

[HOTDON]

Attach the red cable first, and then the black one.

This step can be very important depending on the electrical system in the car. You run the risk of blowing some fuses if it's done backward. If you replace the battery and find out two days later in a rainstorm that your wiper fuse blew, you'll be kicking yourself.

 

[roscoedog]

Theres also fusable links that can blow so you dont fry the computer. You will know if you did because it wont start.

 

[Phaedrus]

This step can be very important depending on the electrical system in the car. You run the risk of blowing some fuses if it's done backward. If you replace the battery and find out two days later in a rainstorm that your wiper fuse blew, you'll be kicking yourself.

To break it down for you, the electrical potential is greatest at the red or positive terminal. So if you disconnect the red end first, you risk a surge of electricity. For connecting, it's the opposite.

Basically, just remember that if you have one cable disconnected, it needs to be the black, or ground end.

We could break it down to electron flow, or "hole theory", but it is a bigger topic than we want to get into here....:wink:

 

[kingcy]

Is it possible to blow yourself to pieces? I'm only half kidding...

I know little about cars.

So you are "That Guy" :wink:

 

[CYdTracked]

YouTube has all kinds of videos on how to do this. For example:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrAEooB3p6s]YouTube - How to Change a Car Battery : How to Install a Car Battery[/ame]