OT: Car battery question

[aww_419]

sparks from the "ground" means not enough contact. The problem with grounding to the frame is there is usually paint or corrosion in the way of getting good contact. Unless you have a ground problem in the car you should always place the cables on the battery terminals. take the negative off of the frame and put it on the negative terminal. Like i said before the battery may need to be slow leaked. If so the battery WILL die again and very easily. I would still get a new battery and avoid another mishap. Also contact the company of the old battery for the warranty replacement. Thing is you need the receipt for them to honor the warranty so i hope you still have that. I work with cars all day long and my house mate is a certified auto tech mechanic. If you need advice just gimme a call ill pm you my number. If I can hear the noise i can tell you whats wrong. Good luck either way i know how frustrating it can get.

 

[jaybfresh]

I bet if I said I put hooked the ground to the negative terminal of my battery there would be just as many people telling me to hook it to the frame instead

I'm just gonna haul it into Auto Zone and let them run their tests. Supposedly they will even charge it for free.

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

The battery HAS to be completely charged to know if it is good or bad. It would be hard to jump to the posts on my battery; my chevy truck has a dedicated remote hot and ground. This summer I had a similar problem, and I found corrosion like I've never seen before not really at the post, but in the large terminal connection where all the hots connect together.

 

[sg1838]

I bet if I said I put hooked the ground to the negative terminal of my battery there would be just as many people telling me to hook it to the frame instead

Well, those people would be wrong, and this is what I would do to them:
:fun2: or :blown:

I'm not saying that one doesn't exist, but I've never seen an automotive battery that I couldn't get jumper cables on the positive and negative terminals. Though, depending upon the type of battery posts (side or top) and the battery location, some are more difficult than others.

Just make sure when you put the battery back in, you connect the positive side first, and then the negative side. If you do it the opposite way, you could be in for a fireworks show (which is not only bad for the battery, but dangerous too because it is possible for automotive batteries to explode).

 

[alphaferret]

How did ya end up?

And thanks for the sps-still in place this am.

 

[alphaferret]

http://www.dmvclinic.com/fw_11.html


I have heard of both ways and often have done both but this is from dmv website

 

[jaybfresh]

Well just spent an hour or so tinkering. It was a bad ground connection. The Screw/washer that held the ground onto the metal was rusted out and it wasnt making a connection.

All is good and the truck is purring like the '98 ram that it is haha

 

[alphaferret]

good to hear bro!!

 

[Gravesj1s]

Why does Dodge make a heated tailgate?

 

[Gravesj1s]

Keeps your hands warm when your pushing it down the street J/k

 

[jaybfresh]

Haha it is a beater. One small screw rusted and killed the whole truck

 

[superkat]

good thing you figured that out on your own...some slimebucket at a car shop could have made a killing on that.

 

[sg1838]

http://www.dmvclinic.com/fw_11.html

I have heard of both ways and often have done both but this is from dmv website

They're stating this for safety reasons only:

"You want to avoid sparks in the vicinity of the explosive hydrogen gas that emits from the battery. Do not connect it to the ground terminal (negative)."

The problem with this is that if you don't have a good ground loop between what you're connecting to and the battery (very likely on an older car that's somewhat rusty), you won't charge the battery.

They also recommend connecting to both the positive and negative of the good battery after the positive is connected to the bad battery. This is a bad idea IMHO, as once you connect that ground to the good battery, the current is going to want to flow. By connecting to the ground on the good battery last, you limit the damage that you can do because the current that you can draw is from a dead battery, not a fully charged one.

If anybody doubts the electrical power of an automotive battery, try shorting a small wire directly from the positive terminal to a ground (I don't actually recommend this - this is VERY dangerous). If the wire is thin enough, it will vaporize. If it's a heavier gauge wire, you can arc weld with it. On my race car, I had an 8 AWG wire for my alternator short against the motor plate at the front of the car. The wire got so hot after no more than 5 seconds in this state that the outer jacket was melted up to about 15 feet away. Within the first few feet, the copper conductors were welded together.

Oh, and just as a note, that link is NOT to a DMV website. That link is to a repair shop called "DMV Clinic Car Care Center" in Santa Cruz, CA. Not that it makes them any less knowledgeable, but they aren't affiliated with the DMV.

 

[aww_419]

http://www.dmvclinic.com/fw_11.html


I have heard of both ways and often have done both but this is from dmv website

Not only is this for safety reason but is also referring to cold weather and older lead acid batteries. Older lead acid batteries had refillable cells. This means you could replace the ionic liquid that causes the chemical reaction between the plates that produces electricity. New batteries are not refillable or should not be refilled ( Not by any normal person anyway). Old batteries when they would run low on liquid the plates would come in contact with oxygen and carbon dioxide and become in operable and overcharge or under charge causing a production of hydrogen gas. This is hardly the case with new batteries. Especially if it was purchased only a year ago.

Well just spent an hour or so tinkering. It was a bad ground connection. The Screw/washer that held the ground onto the metal was rusted out and it wasnt making a connection.

All is good and the truck is purring like the '98 ram that it is haha

Glad to hear it J. Kinda funny but my buddy just had the same problem with his sunfire last week. The ground that was screwed into the battery tray rusted and broke off. had to tap a new hole and screw it back in. His car would start though but all of his dash lights would flicker and the radio would turn on and off. Good sign of a bad ground. Yours was way trickier glad you figured it out.