fuse box separation

I sparked my battery by accident and blew the main power fuse and trying to replace it...trying to find some tips on getting the fuse box separated to get at the bolts holding the main fuse in box...ty

 

Ah, did you make the classic dummy mistake of either (A) removing the positive battery to remove power, instead of the negative or (B) reinstalling the positive cable last, instead of the ground? (Always remove negative first, always install negative last, only need to remove negative when working).

Which fuse are you trying to replace, specifically? One of the square fuses with the window on top? It just pulls out. They're stubborn, but it pulls out, if I'm not mistaken.

 

Why is that (remove negative first)?

 

So no boom boom

 

I had to google it, the one and only rational that holds water is your more at risk to bump an energized wrench off the positive terminal into a body panel if you do positive first.

Been there, done that, apply common sense and be aware of where the stored energy is at.

 

Sparks/arcs (surges). Positive battery terminals tend to arc on 1st contact, and fuses tend to blow with arc’s circuits. Trust the internet if you want, I learned this the hard way working at a car audio shop in my younger years, and watched others mess shit up just the same. ALWAYS remove the negative cable only, unless changing the battery, in which case you remove the negative cable first; and install the negative cable last. I’ve never seen issues with frying fuses or equipment when these basic rules are followed; I’ve seen plenty when not followed.

 

I'm gonna disagree (respectfully).

Been doing Industrial/commercial also design electrical since 2000, can pull out the resume but that's sort of childish, but you can't send more power into a fuse and device that uses power by causing a fault upstream of that. It would diminish voltage as opposed to causing an increase (surge) to the system.

Your welcome to elaborate as to how that's possible, I'm happy to be proven wrong and learn something.

You could potentially touch a wrench on the downstream side of a fuse at the battery causing a short, but you'd have to drop a wrench or do something rather silly to create that circumstance. We have to remember that the loads downstream of the fuse don't somehow change.

About the ark/spark thing you are correct, but I never took a side of debate on that. Low voltage but high capacity for amperage with rather low resistance from a metal wrench to metal body part.

For only the simple reason of "you could bump a live wrench into something" would I agree it to be a recommended method. I tend to use speed wrenches and don't have the issue with wide range of motion hitting things. Plastic dipped hold downs on plastic battery trays are a smart thing for the industry to move towards, (also decrease corrosion from venting cells)

 

You do you, then. I’ve seen it with my own eyes working on an industry where you pop off dozens of terminals a day. I’m not one to talk out of my ass. I may be wrong occasionally - this is one topic I’ve had enough direct experience with, that if you beg to differ, we will need to respectfully disagree.

 

No need to take offense, you can certainly choose to back up your views of the debate with first hand experience, as opposed to any sort of scientific evidence or rational.

Typically I find it easier to convince people with the latter though, and I'm still open to being proven wrong either way.


Respectfully disagreeing with you, does not equate to, not appreciating your opposing views. Often I learn more this way.

 

No offense taken. That’s why “respectful” precedes “disagree”.

 

#sameTeam

 

I've popped fuses after arcing a battery. Lol

 

Tell me more

 

I was putting on my positive end on my battery. Small arc occurred, and I hear my sub woofer make a sound. Had no sub when I turned on my stereo, fuse went pop. This was in my civic. Ever since, I put the positive on first then the negative.

 

My guess is you have a capacitor that's cooked on the sub causing this. It shouldn't be doing that. Each and every time you connect power you'd have the same issue and pop the same fuse, which the electronics should be designed to handle.

Your battery voltage itself is higher when the alternator is running than when you connect it for example.

Seen some issues kind of like this with inverters and lithium batteries where the inverter has too big of a capacitor in it, and the battery electronics (BMS) can't handle the capacitor surge, which comes down to crap design / compatibility.

 

probably crap design?


But it's a habit now and YOU'LL NEVER BREAK ME

 

In the situation with inverters and batteries (Sol-Ark Inverter/charge controller & Polarium LFP batteries), it was a crap design on Polariums end that cost thousands of dollars and many months order/lead time.

In the case of your amp/subwoofer, could be an undersized fuse or an internal component that gave up the ghost. (edit: could be something else that I'm wrong about too!)

 

I have followed the way @shifty` describes ever since I dropped a ratchet that arced the positive and negative terminals and gave one heck of a sparks show. It was terrifying - and only one fuse popped. Luckily I was right there and knocked it off right away.

That pales in comparison to when I was running outdoor speaker wire to set up patio speakers in our old house. The electrician told me to simply punch a hole through the caulk containing the main house power wire to the box outside. I put a screwdriver through and I guess hit the power line - the whole house flickered and the screwdriver sparked and melted halfway down the shaft. I stopped immediately and put my pants in the the washing machine……and got a wireless speaker setup for the patio

 

I've gotten a 347v tickle a couple times. Didn't like it. Also got 240V when working in New Zealand. I don't recommend it either.

Know people who have gotten severe electrical burns. Lucky they're still around.

12 volt battery, if your brave enough put a finger on either terminal. It's not enough to shock you. Check out youtube videos if you think this is a joke to get you to shock yourself.

Edit: also don't recommend stabbing screwdrivers into the main feeder cable of your house. Or running speaker cables there or near any AC cabling for induced noise on the cabling.

 

[QUOTE="cody c, post: 3531885, member: 107633”]
Edit: also don't recommend stabbing screwdrivers into the main feeder cable of your house. Or running speaker cables there or near any AC cabling for induced noise on the cabling.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I learned that lesson quickly…..won’t ever do that again

 

Ouch. I ventured into homeowner electrical wiring with the intent to not kill myself so I bought a stud finder that also detects electrical wiring for that very reason. Glad you're ok. Your pants not so much

 

Did you figure out how to separate it ? Im also trying to find out !

 

One hot summer day years ago I was working on my old bronco, dripping sweat trying to change the plugs it or some such. While shoehorning my hand and arm down the side of the motor, I placed my other arm atop the battery and a bit of a warm tickle on the underside of my forearm. Apparently I was touching both terminals and there was enough salt water slurry from my excessive sweating to conduct some current. I started laughing.

It felt akin to using a TEMS unit at low power, but it sure surprised me. Left two faint circle hickeys on my arm.

 

Covered in sweat you could just feel it a bit on the same arm. More resistance across your body left to right hand, but you have a sense of how voltage in this circumstance is not much of a risk.

In New Zealand I worked with an old fella who apparently had a strange, really high internal resistance. He would rub a live wire with his finger tips on a 240 volt wire to feel if there was power. It didn't bother him.

And that's a real 240v line there, not like the 240v residential power we have here which are 240v between two phases, out of phase to each other but both only 120v to ground.

 

P=I*E. US homes have single split phase 110-120V 60 Hz usually 10-15 amp circuits. US 240 for dryers and stoves is 30-40 amps. Aussie residential is single phase 230 volt 50 Hz 10 amp circuits.

 

Right. I'm more of a industrial electrical guy, but over the years you talk to people (other trades or homeowners - not electricians) who did some work on a range or stove plug and accidentally shocked themself from one of the two phases, and then tell people they got shocked with 240 volt as it was a 240 volt plug.

That's kind of what I was trying to explain.

 

That's not what he said. He asked the OP if he made the mistake of removing the negative first.

 

Opposite. Always remove the negative 1st, reinstall the negative last. I didn't realize it was such a controversial topic, but I know I'm not the only one with this practice. It was mandatory at the audio shop I worked at in my early years and, from what I saw, pretty common in the industry.

 

Whoops, I confused myself trying to interpret your post and his response. I totally agree with what you said. I always remove the negative first and connect it last. Sorry.