Don't Be That Guy

[DanAR]

You’re right that recommendations are to connect positive first but I’ve always had fewer (none actually) instances of sparking at the terminal when connecting the negative first so the battery ground is good before connecting the positive (have to be sure positive is isolated). But, yes you’re correct that most or all instruct to connect positive first.

 

[mikeru]

The reason for connecting positive first that I was taught is that you don’t want to cause a spark at the battery. Lead acid batteries can produce hydrogen gas, and can actually explode if there is an ignition source (spark). The proper sequence is to make the positive connection at the good battery first, then connect to the positive terminal of the dead battery, then connect the ground of the good battery, and finally connect the ground on the dead vehicle at a well grounded spot in the engine bay away from the battery. I try to find a grounding spot at least 12 inches away from the battery. Just don’t make the final connection at the battery terminal. It’s rare for a battery to explode, especially with modern sealed batteries, but it can happen.

 

[RamDiver]

You’re right that recommendations are to connect positive first but I’ve always had fewer (none actually) instances of sparking at the terminal when connecting the negative first so the battery ground is good before connecting the positive (have to be sure positive is isolated). But, yes you’re correct that most or all instruct to connect positive first.

OK, Dan. Now you've opened a can of worms.





For those who aren't familiar, the SOP for jumper cable connections is shown below.




Mike was faster to post than me.

This procedure is to avoid potentially creating an explosion caused by the ignition of the residual hydrogen off-gassing from a battery.

I must admit, I've chosen to slightly alter the order of connections when I'm working alone.

I connect both jumper cables to the donor battery while holding the other end of the cables by the positive clip.

Then connect the positive clip I was holding to the dead battery (+) terminal, and finally, the negative clip to a metal surface a distance from the battery.

.

 

[turkeybird56]

OK, Dan. Now you've opened a can of worms.


View attachment 576376


For those who aren't familiar, the SOP for jumper cable connections is shown below.

View attachment 576377


Mike was faster to post than me.

This procedure is to avoid potentially creating an explosion caused by the ignition of the residual hydrogen off-gassing from a battery.

I must admit, I've chosen to slightly alter the order of connections when I'm working alone.

I connect both jumper cables to the donor battery while holding the other end of the cables by the positive clip.

Then connect the positive clip I was holding to the dead battery (+) terminal, and finally, the negative clip to a metal surface a distance from the battery.

.

Guilty too, roflmao.

 

[Marshall]

I had a guy with a dead battery yrs ago in town, and I had the service truck with 2 ? ga. welding cable jumper cables I had built for machinery.
Before all the electronics , I handed him his end, and he hooked the blk on the battery and the red to ground .
And he was a farm boy???????
That's the stuff that would kill a newer truck, car.
Jump boxes have cck's in them so you can't do stupid stuff.

I had a booster box, but the old battery would not keep a charge.
and it was never with me, bought a new jump box and it fits in the car just fine, I check it every few months and seldom needs a top up ( off the lap top)

But while it was fine for the car, when my Ram battery died after hitting it with a load tester at 10 yrs, the little jump box would not fire up the truck, It is a 1200amp it says, $180.oo .I did not try too hard, Just put the charger on the battery for a few hours. It was sitting in the garage.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Just don't drop a wrench across the battery terminals.

(I know an old mechanic that did)

 

[Wild one]

Just don't drop a wrench across the battery terminals.

(I know an old mechanic that did)

Not saying a word,but i might have been a bit clumsy with a ratchet once

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

Especially in the wrong hands. My wife and I were leaving a movie one day and came across a young kid in the parking lot with a van with a dead battery and he seemed to not have a clue as to what to do. So I told him I could try to jump it off my old Explorer since I had cables in it. I pulled it up nose to nose and handed him the cable ends for his vehicle and told him to hold them while I connected mine. I turned to my truck and put my neg clamp on and then the pos clamp and behind me I could hear all this snapping, buzzing and crackling going on. I turned around and the kid was holding both cable ends together with both hands, staring blankly and didn’t have the sense to separate them or drop them. I grabbed them from him and probably remarked something to him about his intelligence. But I managed to get his van started and the old Explorer seemed none the worse for wear.

You should always put the positive cable on first. Then the negative.
Plus,I always put the cables on both vehicles. I don’t trust someone to hook them up to the vehicle being jumped.
Always jump with my vehicle not running.

 

[Marshall]

The old Dodge/ Fargo trucks use to have the battery under the floor at your feet with a nice steel cover.
Dad put a new larger 6 volt in and closed the cover on the posts that just touched , big 6 volts carry a lot current

 

[Curmudgeon]

The old Dodge/ Fargo trucks use to have the battery under the floor at your feet with a nice steel cover.
Dad put a new larger 6 volt in and closed the cover on the posts that just touched , big 6 volts carry a lot current

Just a foot warmer.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Just don't drop a wrench across the battery terminals.

(I know an old mechanic that did)

I think all of us have done that a time or two.