Negative to positive mistake

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jojo.w, Sep 2, 10:56pm
Hi I made a big mistake this morning when trying to charge my car, for some stupid reason there is a big negative sign on the positive side, it started to smoke so I realised then charged correctly. Car is charged but accelerator does nothing, if I put it in drive it will move very slowly, waiting for mechanic, does anyone have any idea what damage I may have done?

melonhead1, Sep 2, 11:01pm
The mechanic just needs to put some new smoke back into the car's wiring.

budgel, Sep 2, 11:03pm
You dont say what car it is, but you have run the risk of damaging the car's electronics. You could try disconnecting the battery and touching the car's battery leads together for 15 seconds or so, then properly reconnect the car, but it is a longshot as to whether that will help.

Let us know what the mechanic says.

Good Luck!

serf407, Sep 2, 11:19pm
Easy mistake to make with some of the batteries, some have the terminals orientated differently. I paint red around the positive terminal, to reduce the error rate.

kazbanz, Sep 2, 11:23pm
With your 1945 ford pop most likely not a lot of damage.
With my Veyron its a major issue

jojo.w, Sep 2, 11:26pm
Will definitely be doing this!

jojo.w, Sep 2, 11:27pm
Toyota Ipsum. Mechanic just fixed it, think it was a fuse, whew!

petal_91, Sep 3, 1:13am
Buy yourself a new smart charger, these have circuitry that prevents that sort of thing. You were lucky no real damage was done.

kazbanz, Sep 3, 1:20am
Most jap car batteries have different sized battery posts. Small post is negative.
That said -on a wet n wild day its easy to get distracted. Ive got a spray can from supersheep in bright red and spray the positive terminal with red.
Doesn't suit showcars but it makes life easier./

poppy62, Sep 3, 1:58am
Dream car Kaz? knew deep down you were a Europhile. Good one mate, have I got a deal for you. VW Golf (now, now, VW own Veyron) just think of it as a small Veyron. 1 lady owner (old) only driven on Sundays .

intrade, Sep 3, 2:19am
your lucky you know some fry up most computers if you do that sort of thing
even jump starting can spike damage the computer on modern cars

tony9, Sep 3, 2:41am
If it is a 1945 Ford pop then it sounds like nothing has changed.

tgray, Sep 4, 10:48pm
I hear a certain well known boxer has 3 of them.

kazbanz, Sep 4, 11:02pm
nope--its the stuff of worst nightmares.
One car Ive always wanted to have a good play with is the MX5
Strip it out and loose all the extra weight.sound deadening ac gear etc. Fit decent suspension. and have it as a track car.

bwg11, Sep 4, 11:24pm
Brilliant idea. They really are great little car, I've owned MR2's, Levin's, Celica's and Corolla GT's. The MX5 may not be the quickest, but for driver satisfaction they are just tops.

I thought of adding to the "Muppet Alert" thread with "Those who call MX5's hair dresser's cars".

cjdnzl, Sep 4, 11:51pm
I was taught to always connect the positive (i.e the non-earth side) first, then the black wire to the donor battery, then -importantly - do not clamp the black wire to the receiving battery, but just wipe the battery post with the cable clamp. If you get a shower of sparks then you have the connections wrong - but if you had clamped the cable first the clamp would in seconds become red-hot and the next few seconds would destroy both batteries. Always splash the cable first.

apollo11, Sep 5, 1:41am
Bad enough getting your wires crossed with a battery, if you want a real disaster, wire your flux capacitor up back to front.

hamhonda, Sep 5, 2:07am
will that way take you to the future first and then back to the past?

apollo11, Sep 5, 2:37am
It turns your Delorean into a dugout canoe. Minus paddles.

mm12345, Sep 5, 3:06am
TBH, I'm not sure that there's a hell of a lot that could be easily stripped out to lose weight - apart from the soft-top. What sound-deadening is there could probably be weighed in grams not kilos, very lightweight linings in the boot, lightweight carpets, alloy bonnet. Mazda did a very good job of making them as light as they could for the price, so to get them significantly lighter, then some serious $$$ might be needed (carbon fibre panels, alloy suspension components if you can get them etc) Kind of similar with the engines, as relatively low-tech as they are, they're well optimised, there are cam/exhaust/intake modifications possible for small gains, but forced induction is about the only option if you want to make a big difference. If you want faster but still lightweight 2 seater in that style of car, an S2000 might be a better starting point.

tintop, Sep 5, 4:10am
Chuck out the engine and gearbox, It will fit in my MGA ( I always wanted a Twin Cam :) )
The seats with speakers will fit my daughters Midget.

How much weight did you want to loose ?

mm12345, Sep 5, 6:32am
I didn't think they were, so bought one as a toy a few years ago.
SWMBO has stolen it - she won't part with it. I've suggested that we get her a nice new car - but it's been made very clear to me that's not going to happen until the one she's commandeered expires, then it'll be a new MX5.
She's not a hairdresser - but cuts my hair.
I rest my case. They are hairdresser's cars.

marte, Sep 5, 11:28am
I use the grease impregnated Felt washers that you can buy, normally right beside the battery stand in the shop.
Ones Red, the others Green. You slide them onto the terminal, then put the connection on.

gammelvind, Sep 5, 6:48pm
Isn't that just a standard Delorean?

mainlander05, Sep 6, 10:38pm
And then there's my mechanicly minded friend who connects my boat up as I'm checking the engine.poof,oh dear,lots of fried goodies.was gong to ask him to make sure he got terminals right.