mustangGT90210

I believe that's how Gary meant it.. We'll see.

2k7gtcs

I was the exact same way at your age. I had to learn the hard way too. When you start working with bigger wires and larger fuses you can really mess something up if you don't disconnect the battery. You don't have to take it out. Just take the negative terminal off. You don't even have to remove the positive one. With one undone its good. But if you had done that with a 4 gauge wire running straight to the battery with no fuse you would have arced if you hit the car and that would not be fun at all.

You did good. But just think about this next time. It might save you some trouble.

If I'm working electrical on the car, no matter the size of the wire or fuse, I just undo that battery terminal. It's quick and easy.

2k7gtcs

Well I meant the receiver but it depends on the situation. On a '91 Ford I would run it back to the battery. Or to the positive post next to the battery. You have to have an inline fuse on it though. Even if its just 5 amps. Whatever the receiver requires. Match the fuse thats on the back of your receiver in size. Older cars are notorious for bad wiring. Wires where the insulation is deteriorating and such. I try to run a new wire to anything I'm adding. Plus like the problem he had with the dome light, you never know what someone before you has done to the wires. What they had hooked up to it. What wires they spliced together from different circuits.

So a nice 14 gauge wire with one of those inline bus fuses going to the positive post terminal with a ring on the fender next to the battery (in most cases) will ensure that your radio never suffers from something someone else did 20 years ago.


**************


I'm not trying to say you did wrong Sean. You should be proud. You did great. I'm just trying to help you a little with all the years of trial and error I suffered through the years.

mustangGT90210

Arc... That sounds so cool for something that could f*ck me up so bad... I'm taking your word on this!

mustangGT90210

I understand completely what you're trying do, and I appreciate it. I know basically nothing about all this stuff, anything I can learn that's gonna keep my stereo and truck safe and working right, I wanna hear

BoogieNights

Gary is right. When you are dealing with the huge wires I would even unhook a battery cable. I alays unhook the positive but to each his own.

2k7gtcs

Yeah. It's fun. It's like welding with wires and car parts.

In fact I did this just the other night myself I'm ashamed to admit.

My battery terminals are tightened down with allen bolts. Well I had a ratchet wrench with the proper allen head socket ratcheting down one of the bolts on the negative terminal when I slipped and my wrench hit the top of the positive terminal. That **** will wake you up real fast. The arc that occured popped a small piece of the plated cover off the positive terminal. Not to mention almost making me crap my pants.


Mostly though it would be me trying to swtich an amp or something back in the day and being too lazy to undo the battery.

This is also the reason why when you add an amp you should keep the fuse as close to the battery as possible. Because if the fuse blows the rest of the wire is dead. But if that fuses blows under your seat because of a short or something, the wire that feeds that fuse is still HOT!

Mostly I used to just hear popping sounds from spliced power wires of even 12v remote turn on wires touching grounded body parts. It was laziness that caused me most of my work.

2k7gtcs

Yeah. I've heard both ways and to be honest yours is probably right. Honestly I don't think it matters as its a send and return thing anyway. Without the loop there is no power. Period.

Edit: Actually I've done it both ways even frequently. I know right now I have the positive one removed. But I had read an article a few weeks ago where the installer said to do the negative instead of the positive. Yet I think most my life I have done it the way you have Dirk.

BoogieNights

Yeah it doesnt matter which one you pull off. Now if you wanted to check to see if your alternator was working still you would pull off the positive wire.

Blue Notch

I thought I heard once that it could be dangerous to take the positive one off without taking the negative off first.

mustangGT90210

That could explain why my wires were never hot. I had the fuse on the fusebox blow, so there was never any heat at the end of it. I've learned something tonight!

mustangGT90210

What I've heard is always make the negative the first on and last off for anything, because it's got the ground and such

2k7gtcs

True. And starter too I think.

I'm just thankul there's no capacitors in cars. I hate those things. You think the power is off and then boom. The **** things got a capacitor. Happened to me working on a TV once.

Not that I have ever been aware of.

This would only apply to jumping a car or hooking it up to a chargers or something.

But to simply disconnect the terminals of a car that is not running you can walk up and disconnect either one without any problems at all.

2k7gtcs

It's hot for only a millisecond. Only long enough to pop the fuse. Then its dead.

If you replaced the fuse before fixing the problem, the fuse would pop just as soon as you put it in.

mustangGT90210

Luckily my fuse problem was just stupidity on my part. I didnt get the wire nuts on the 2 power wires, so when the red and yellow ones touched when the nuts came off, they made a popping sound, puff of smoke and then nothing

2k7gtcs

Nope. Positive first if we are talking about jump starting or a charger. When it comes to cars...positive first. Positive to positive, then negative to engine or ground. Then reverse order.

2k7gtcs

Yup. Just a little bit of ozone. :Poof:

2k7gtcs

I know it sounds strange but the positive is the one to worry about. The negative can touch the car all its wants. You can lick it and the car at the same time. But let that positive hit the car while its connected to a battery and sparks will fly.

Irony is that back in the 50's and before the car was not grounded to the negative side of the battery. It was grounded to the positive side. The polarity was reversed.

BoogieNights

I always put the negative cable on the hood latch when I am jumpsarting a newer vehicle.

Blue Notch

Wow, that made my brain hurt.