I'm having a real hard time finding any unpainted metal that the cable can reach. We used to just connect both cables to the battery.......
2007-03-21 07:51:31 · 7 answers · asked by kldt7 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
In theory, you can connect to the negative terminal of the battery.
The reason that it is not advised is because during the battery charging process, Hydrogen gas is released.
Hydrogen gas is very flammable, and typically when you connect/remove the connectors to the battery, you will get a spark. This can ignite the hydrogen gases that have accumulated during the charging process.
If you do the charging of the battery in a well ventilated area, then theoretically you should be alright connecting your charger to the negative terminal. It doesn't take a lot of time to accumulate the hydrogen gas though.
2007-03-21 07:57:24 · answer #1 · answered by hsueh010 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I know what you mean - finding a part that's not painted or plastic isn't always easy. Even the engines are usually painted these days. Your best bet some times is to look for a bolt near the exhaust pipe, since the heat prevents paint from sticking very well.
Wet-cell batteries charge using electrolysis to reverse the chemical reaction that usually gives off electricity. This process also gives off hydrogen, since battery acid (sulphuric acid) contains lots of hydrogen. Since the act of connecting the charger cables often results on a spark, and hydrogen is highly flammable...you get the idea. Clipping the last cable onto a different part of the engine moves the spark away from the battery, since the highest concentration of hydrogen will be close to the battery.
Good luck.
2007-03-21 15:45:37 · answer #2 · answered by Me 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not a hard and fast rule, its just usually easier to get a good connection to a part of the frame. All you really need to do is kind of rub the jaws of the connector on the metal and you should be able to get a connection. There is really nothing saying that you can't use the negative terminal. One point is you really shouldn't jump start at all anymore, there is chance you could damage the computer systems of the cars when you do that. Try to use a booster or charger instead.
2007-03-21 14:57:44 · answer #3 · answered by smoothie 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
ur question is why cant you connect it to the negative terminal?? I dont see why you shouldnt be able to connect it to it! Pull the battery out of the car ( after unhooking the cables) thennn put it on the charger!
2007-03-21 14:57:20 · answer #4 · answered by Unknown16 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The chances of an explosion are minimal, but do you want to be the one in ten or a hundred thousand?
The whole engine is unpainted metal. Clip the last lead to anything on the engine.
2007-03-21 15:08:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
when someone is jumping you,they do that,incase something is wrong with your battery,then it wont feed back into their battery or alternator,but you still can use the neg.post.
2007-03-21 16:37:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
you still can use the terminal
2007-03-21 15:01:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋