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simple question about disconnecting car batteries
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,803
Likes: 17
From: Walnut Creek, CA
simple question about disconnecting car batteries
So I've been working on cars (bolt ons, mainly) for nearly a decade now, and whenver it comes to disconnecting batteries, I simply remove the wire and when ready, reattach it...I don't use any safety equipment, and it often occurs to me that I'm messing with something potentially dangerous, and that maybe I should be more careful...
so, how do you all disconnect your batteries??
so, how do you all disconnect your batteries??
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 9,289
Likes: 16
From: Skippack PA
St Jude Donor '13
So I've been working on cars (bolt ons, mainly) for nearly a decade now, and whenver it comes to disconnecting batteries, I simply remove the wire and when ready, reattach it...I don't use any safety equipment, and it often occurs to me that I'm messing with something potentially dangerous, and that maybe I should be more careful...
so, how do you all disconnect your batteries??
so, how do you all disconnect your batteries??
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,347
Likes: 25
From: Apache Junction AZ
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 35,769
Likes: 148
From: Northern NYs Adirondack Mountains,http://www.visitsacandaga.com.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,924
Likes: 854
From: Daytona Beach FL
I had a guy that worked for me that called in one Monday morning that he had injured himself working on his car over the weekend and was going to take the day off.
When he came in the next day I saw his arm and it looked like his hand was just about amputated at the wrist!!!
The battery was hooked up and he got his metal watch band between the positive battery terminal and some metal part of the car and burned an imprint of the watch about 1/4 inch deep into his wrist. He was lucky he didn't have any nerve or muscle damage, but it took months for it to heal up and he still had a scar that looks like a watch.
So.....like StoplightWarrior says, a good idea is to take the negative terminal loose and secure it away from the battery post.
With all the electronic stuff on the C6, about the only thing that you need to do when you hook the battery back up is to index the windows. All the computers seem to pretty well remember everything else, and I recall.
Another thing you might notice is that the DIC might not display the tire pressures properly until you drive the car faster than 20 mph for a couple minutes, then the TPMS will pick up the transmissions from the sensors and all will be well.
Bob
When he came in the next day I saw his arm and it looked like his hand was just about amputated at the wrist!!!
The battery was hooked up and he got his metal watch band between the positive battery terminal and some metal part of the car and burned an imprint of the watch about 1/4 inch deep into his wrist. He was lucky he didn't have any nerve or muscle damage, but it took months for it to heal up and he still had a scar that looks like a watch.
So.....like StoplightWarrior says, a good idea is to take the negative terminal loose and secure it away from the battery post.
With all the electronic stuff on the C6, about the only thing that you need to do when you hook the battery back up is to index the windows. All the computers seem to pretty well remember everything else, and I recall.
Another thing you might notice is that the DIC might not display the tire pressures properly until you drive the car faster than 20 mph for a couple minutes, then the TPMS will pick up the transmissions from the sensors and all will be well.
Bob
Last edited by BEZ06; May 12, 2008 at 03:44 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 110
Likes: 0
From: Medina TN
Neg. (-) Terminal is removed first. To keep the arching to a minimum try to keep the wire in contact with batteries terminal while loosening the bolt. Once the neg. cable is off I usually wrap a towel around the cable end to prevent accidental grounding.
In my teens I worked at a car audio shop and have been "bitten" by regular 12volts a few times...only once by a large capacitor.
Battery 12volts isn't that bad but those capacitors can light you up pretty good. I remember a loud pop, bright sparks and the wrench I was using went flying across the shop.
My dd is a Toyota Prius(yahhh I know:o ) and you have to have special gloves, tools, etc. to work on the Hi-voltage/current battery packs...one hit from a hybrids pack can be fatal. They have all the hi current stuff wrapped in blaze orange as a warning.
In my teens I worked at a car audio shop and have been "bitten" by regular 12volts a few times...only once by a large capacitor.
Battery 12volts isn't that bad but those capacitors can light you up pretty good. I remember a loud pop, bright sparks and the wrench I was using went flying across the shop. My dd is a Toyota Prius(yahhh I know:o ) and you have to have special gloves, tools, etc. to work on the Hi-voltage/current battery packs...one hit from a hybrids pack can be fatal. They have all the hi current stuff wrapped in blaze orange as a warning.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 3,570
Likes: 3
From: Austin, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Houston, Dallas, Hong Kong, Elgin, etc.. Texas
I had a guy that worked for me that called in one Monday morning that he had injured himself working on his car over the weekend and was going to take the day off.
When he came in the next day I saw his arm and it looked like his hand was just about amputated at the wrist!!!
The battery was hooked up and he got his metal watch band between the positive battery terminal and some metal part of the car and burned an imprint of the watch about 1/4 inch deep into his wrist. He was lucky he didn't have any nerve or muscle damage, but it took months for it to heal up and he still had a scar that looks like a watch.
So.....like StoplightWarrior says, a good idea is to take the negative terminal loose and secure it away from the battery post.
With all the electronic stuff on the C6, about the only thing that you need to do when you hook the battery back up is to index the windows. All the computers seem to pretty well remember everything else, and I recall.
Another thing you might notice is that the DIC might not display the tire pressures properly until you drive the car faster than 20 mph for a couple minutes, then the TPMS will pick up the transmissions from the sensors and all will be well.
Bob
When he came in the next day I saw his arm and it looked like his hand was just about amputated at the wrist!!!
The battery was hooked up and he got his metal watch band between the positive battery terminal and some metal part of the car and burned an imprint of the watch about 1/4 inch deep into his wrist. He was lucky he didn't have any nerve or muscle damage, but it took months for it to heal up and he still had a scar that looks like a watch.
So.....like StoplightWarrior says, a good idea is to take the negative terminal loose and secure it away from the battery post.
With all the electronic stuff on the C6, about the only thing that you need to do when you hook the battery back up is to index the windows. All the computers seem to pretty well remember everything else, and I recall.
Another thing you might notice is that the DIC might not display the tire pressures properly until you drive the car faster than 20 mph for a couple minutes, then the TPMS will pick up the transmissions from the sensors and all will be well.
Bob
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