Hooking up batteries

From: michael@tsixroads.com
Date: Mon Sep 13 2004 - 19:15:37 PDT


I finally did it. After fixing my own stuff for 30 + years and working on MV's for 10+ I blew up a battery Sat. Really got my attention to. It happened on my M35A2 which I don't use too often. The batteries had gotten too low to start the truck so I pulled them off and took them to the house to charge them. They had some charge left and took a charge OK so I didn't think too much about it. I hooked up the pos and neg first and then dropped the inter battery cable onto the battery post. It was loose enough to drop all the way on. That is when the fireworks began. Sparks all around the post. I picked up the other battery and broke the connection but before I did the battery blew up (I had enough sense to not touch the wire for I am sure it was hot). I didn't get much on me but I went to the house and took a bath and changed cloths before I did anything else.

Apparently, the act of pulling the batteries out to unhook them had worn the insulation off the small wire that runs through a hole in the frame resulting in a dead short. There was a rubber coated gorment that most of the rubber had come off on the wires but it was no longer still in the frame. I guess I haven't been reading my TM and doing my PM's like I should. I would recommend that everyone check the insulation around their wires, esp the main ones that run through metal holes in the frame.

Mike
Tishomingo, MS



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