Odyssey says no clamp to (-) post during charging

alpinelakespilot2000 · #1 04-06-2012, 07:42 PM

This was news to me, but perhaps not for all the rest of you who understand electricity..

I have been trying to figure out if my Odyssey battery is going to be up to the task of first start after having been abused during the 4 years I have had it in the build phase. I read the Odyssey charging instructions and they are very clear that the charger is NOT to connect directly to the negative terminal of the battery, whether the battery is in or out of the vehicle. Instead, if out of the vehicle, you must use a 24" piece of 6AWG attached to the battery and connect to that, or, if in the vehicle, the charger (-) clip is to be attached to engine block or other non-battery terminal ground. Although I never connect (-) clip to the weak battery when jump starting a car (using the frame of the car instead), this was news to me for battery charging purposes. Is this just an Odyssey thing, just an extra conservative precautionary thing, or are people who charge the Odyssey battery by connecting red alligator clip to (+) on the battery and black alligator clip to (-) on the battery doing damage to their batteries and/or their health? I've seen many charge their Odyssey this way, so I'm just curious.

Here's the manual...
http://www.odysseybattery.com/docume...2_0107_000.PDF
Excerpt: "5. Connecting to a negative-grounded system: Connect the red (POSITIVE) output clamp to the POSITIVE post of the battery. Rock and twist the clamp back and forth to be sure a solid electrical connection is made. Then connect the black (NEGATIVE) output clamp to a heavy, unpainted metal part of the chassis or engine block, away from the battery (see figure left). DO NOT connect clamp to negative battery post, carburetor, and fuel line or sheet metal part."

turbo · #2 04-06-2012, 07:52 PM

must be a lawyer thing. u s of a.

Larry DeCamp · #3 04-06-2012, 07:55 PM

My read on the instructions you posted is "explosion potential" does exist from battery gases since they equate carburetor and fuel lines in the same context. It appears they feel 24" is a safe distance, assuming it is not curled back to the side of the battery !!

alpinelakespilot2000 · #4 04-06-2012, 08:02 PM

What's also kind of strange about their instructions is that, earlier in the same manual, they indicate that you can use the ring terminal pigtail adapter that gets attached permanently to both posts of the battery. How is connecting the charger to that any different than just hooking up the alligator clamps to both battery terminals?

DanH · #5 04-06-2012, 09:21 PM

They want you to make the last connection (the one that can spark) at some physical distance from the battery in order to reduce the chance of explosion.

Bevan · #6 04-06-2012, 10:28 PM

I've often heard this and maybe it's a good suggestion for a battery that's just been seriously charged up in a closed compartment (hydrogen and oxygen gas), but would 24 inches really make a difference? Has anyone actually heard of battery exploding when connected to another assuming it wasn't connect wrong such as in series loop?

When I have had to jump another vehicle, I have never had good enough contact at anything other than both battery terminals.

Bevan

flyeyes · #7 04-06-2012, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bevan

I've often heard this and maybe it's a good suggestion for a battery that's just been seriously charged up in a closed compartment (hydrogen and oxygen gas), but would 24 inches really make a difference? Has anyone actually heard of battery exploding when connected to another assuming it wasn't connect wrong such as in series loop?

When I have had to jump another vehicle, I have never had good enough contact at anything other than both battery terminals.

Bevan

Yes, it is enough to make a difference. I have jumped cars and boats this way for years, and haven't found it necessary to go directly to the terminals.

I have a degree of paranoia about this, because I see blinding and disfiguring injuries roughly once a year from this, most commonly in the winter when cars are having a hard time, or spring when people take their boats to the lake for the first time after winter hibernation.

Please learn to do this properly, make the last connection to a good ground remote from the battery (and break the circuit first away from the battery afterwards). Wear safety glasses anytime you are futzing around with a battery. Seriously.

DanH · #8 04-07-2012, 05:12 AM

Back when all cars had open cell batteries we would see plenty of underhood acid splatter evidence in the used car fleet.....more than enough to convince me batteries really do blow up. Don't see it so often today, I assume because of better (or total) battery sealing. Regardless, jumper cables are banned from my store just because I can't depend on employees to always follow the last-connection training.

Speaking of battery training.......when installing a battery how many of you always connect the negative last, or when removing a battery disconnect the negative before the positive?

pierre smith · #9 04-07-2012, 05:21 AM

I'm with Dan on this one.

I saw the results of a battery explosion outside my wife's restaurant.

One of the cables was loose and when the owner turned the ignition key to "start", it arked and we heard the explosion from inside the restaurant....what a mess it made!

Best,

ArVeeNiner · #10 04-07-2012, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanH

Speaking of battery training.......when installing a battery how many of you always connect the negative last, or when removing a battery disconnect the negative before the positive?

I do, I do! Back during the build, I had a brain fart and put a wrench on the positive without disconnecting the negative. You wouldn't believe the size of the zap that occurred when the wrench touched the firewall! I now have a screw in the hole that was created when this happened!

So, don't forget to disconnect the negative ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS when messing around with the battery terminals!