proper charging hook-up sequence

[mjoekingz28]

Ok, will all of this hooplah going on at BITOG with batteries, I have decided to get a Battery Tender. After much searching I have found the one I wish to purchase. I went to the store and read the back of the piece and it confuses me.


I should have written it verbatim, but I will post it how I remember then go search the web for word-for-word instructions.

The issue was how to hook a charger to a battery that is in the vehicle. It said something along the lines of clamping one of the charger's output leads to one terminal of the battery that is not connected to ground, then connect the other lead of opposite polarity to somewhere on the chassis that is away from the battery.


I figured you would either leave the connections alone on the vehicle OR disconnect the ground as we do with classics that sit or over winter storage, but disconnecting the positive???? Do you just wrap it in a towel and be careful not to touch any metal with it. I did that once on a Dodge Intrepid...I hooked the negative first then accidentally touched the positive to metal and from then on out it had an engine tick.




OK NEVERMIND.......MODERATOR please delete


they were trying to cover both positive ground and negative ground type electrical systems with the same verbiage, I suspect.

Anyway, I try to avoid even slight confusion with things like electrical...

 

[JeepWJ19]

Sounds way too confusing.

When hooking up:

Positive terminal first, then negative terminal -> or in some cases -> Positive Terminal first then the other clamp on a good ground

When hooking off:
Negative terminal first (or ground) then the positive terminal

 

[mjoekingz28]

see edit JeepWJ19

 

[Quattro Pete]

Which charger?

 

[mjoekingz28]

I was looking on the reverse side of the Battery Tender 021-0128.


I had to do a few double takes reading it. Because, you know sometimes there is something you know then you read of a different way or hear it differently and then you dont know if you know or if it bad information or maybe just a different way of saying the same thing?

 

[RooflessVW]

Both of my cars have leads permanently installed. Makes it simple.

 

[y_p_w]

Should be the same with any type of charger, jumper cables, or portable jump starter. The thing they really prefer anyone do is complete the connection away from the battery since it may spark and possibly ignite any outgassing from the battery. Since most ground is connected to negative, that's where most make the connection. I usually make the connection away from the battery, and I have seen it spark.

Still, I've charged an uninstalled battery and nothing blew up when I connected it.

I guess if you really had to, one could have some getup to clamp to the battery to an unconnected cable, then connect that away from the terminal. A few times I couldn't get a jump starter to work connected to chassis ground and just put it to the negative terminal. Some of my chargers have a quick connect for clamps or terminals.