Do you disconnect the positive terminal first or the negative terminal?

Do you disconnect the positive terminal first or the negative terminal?

When you remove a battery from a car you should ALWAYS disconnect the negative terminal first and then the positive. The reason for this is because as soon as you disconnect the negative terminal there is no way you can accidentally short the battery when removing the positive terminal.

Which is battery terminal to disconnect when working on car?

Taking care not to touch the other terminal whilst detaching, take off the positive terminal and stow similarly to the negative cable in a different place. Once you connect a new battery, be prepared for about 10 bad ignitions when you start your car. You will also need to inspect any electronics to ensure they are up to date.

How do you remove a negative battery connector?

If the cable is seized to the battery post, a special battery cable removal tool may be needed to remove the negative connector. Ask your local auto parts store or mechanic. Follow the same procedure to disconnect the positive terminal. After removing it from the terminal, don’t let the positive connector touch any metal part of the car.

What happens if you disconnect the positive battery?

The common perception of disconnecting a battery wrong is that you will either burst into flames or fall to the ground in an electrocuted mush. The fact of the matter is if you disconnect the positive terminal first you don’t need to be too worried about safety.

Do you disconnect positive or negative battery terminals?

If, however, you have both terminals connected and your wrench is on the positive terminal and you contact ground….PREPARE FOR SPARKS/FIRE/WELDING. Be safe: always disconnect negative first. Disconnected either terminal will prevent drain, as stated already. A battery tender is another safe way to maintain the battery.

Taking care not to touch the other terminal whilst detaching, take off the positive terminal and stow similarly to the negative cable in a different place. Once you connect a new battery, be prepared for about 10 bad ignitions when you start your car. You will also need to inspect any electronics to ensure they are up to date.

Can a car battery drain with the negative cable disconnected?

Leaving the battery hooked up will drain it at 20% or more per week! In this article I’ll dive into how a car battery will still lose some of its charge despite disconnecting the negative cable and best practices for keeping your battery ready to go when you returned to your vehicle.

What happens if you touch both battery terminals?

Due to the voltage of a car battery, you can hold onto both of the cables without any major danger of electrocution. But if you happen to touch both negative and positive together in some way you risk sparks shooting off the battery terminals.