Re: [MV] Hooking up batteries

From: 52m37@charter.net
Date: Tue Sep 14 2004 - 20:00:23 PDT


Good points!
Also consider a battery disconnect switch on the ground side so even hooking
up the ground cable to battery does not complete the circuit until the
switch is thrown. Even then if there is a disaster you can throw the switch
and interrupt ground.
 Another thought for folks who have rings they just cant get off is wearing
a pair of those mechanic gloves.
Hal

> From: "everette" <194cbteng@bellsouth.net>
> Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2004 04:10:34 -0500
> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
> Subject: Re: [MV] Hooking up batteries
>
> Mike this is an excellent posting, like Mike I have been working on and
> around vehicles for many years. I do not know if it really makes much
> difference but I have always make it my practice to leave hooking ground
> cable last, and unhooking ground cable first. What happened to Mike would
> have happened anyway, but leaving ground cable to last will stop the
> disaster that happens when a wrench on positive cable touches frame while
> securing it. We have all heard the stories of people getting rings caught
> between wrench and ground resulting in terrible burns. I am a bit over
> cautious I suppose but do not wear a ring just because of the danger in this
> and I also take my watch off.
>
> Everette
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <michael@tsixroads.com>
> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 9:15 PM
> Subject: [MV] Hooking up batteries
>
>
> 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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