Dzzzzt - Cautionary tale

[Tony C]

I always disconnect the negative battery lead when working on the electrical system, but will now disconnect it whenever I'm fiddling about in the engine compartment with anything.

 

Doing the 6000 mile service today and happily check-tightening away. Unfortunately made contact with the uninsulated positive terminal on the rear face of the alternator and earth when I attempted to put an allen socket on the top left hand engine mounting bolt. Luckily the shower of sparks caused an intense reflex action which broke the electrical contact - DAMN

 

I have now put one of the SVA plastic nut protectors to a GOOD use and insulated the positive connection on the back of the alternator - I've used them on the connectors on the starter solenoid too.

 

I hope I've not fried the alternator gubbins thingy whotsit, whose name escapes me.

 

Hope this will prevent someone else making a similar boo-boo

 

BRG SV 😬 It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

[kenny.]

Tony you escaped lightly I'm pleased to say. I was not so lucky.....................A couple of years ago I just wanted to check levels on my old HPC before a sprint, I unclipped the four bonnet clips and lifted off bonnet from passenger side to avoid carbs.............like you do ☹️.

One almighy bang occured which made me jump through roof and there were bits of plastic bouncing off walls of garage.

THE bloody bonnet hat caught on the flap that protects the live terminal and lifted it up enabling bonnet to eart out on terminal. There was a hole the size of a cannon shell in battery with acid all over engine bay and scuttle, but the angle I was lifting the bonnet off saved me from an H2SO4 shower 😳. I now always make sure live is the inside post or tank tape the flap down.

 

Cheers,

 

Kenny SLR400

 

 

 

Edited by - kenny on 7 Jul 2003 07:52:17

[peterg]

I now always make sure live is the inside post or tank tape the flap down.

 

wouldn't have happened with a Westfield.....plastic rules OK ! 😬

[Myles]

Wouldn't happen on my ex-Academy 7 either I guess - the passenger footwell is shortened and the battery is mounted low down where the passengers feet would have been.

 

REgds,

Myles

[Tony C]

Diodes - remembered 😬

 

Blimey, it looks as though I was lucky. It also looks as though I got away with no permanent damage 😬

 

Drove 35 miles to work this morning with headlights ablaze and the car started normally this evening for the drive home, again with lights on. I assume that if the alternator was damaged and I was running on the battery all of this would not have been possible. Dug out my old digital multimeter and was getting 12.7 volts from the battery - engine off. With engine at idle I got 13.8 volts. With headlights on and cooling fan running with the engine just above idle was still getting 13.8 volts. Can't vouch for the accuracy of the meter - it is old, after all - but these readings seem to make sense, if I remember what Chris W was saying in a similar vein.

 

BRG SV 😬 It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)