Disconnecting my battery

[ArkiStan]

I'm leaving on a long trip soon. I've put in the gas stabilizer, but I've never actually disconnected the battery before. Do I need to literally disconnect the positive/negative connections on the battery? Anything I should do with the spark plug? Anything I should be cautious of? Thanks for your help guys.




[Edited by ucbstan on 05-22-2001 at 11:44 AM]

[OC]

Disconnect both cables from the battery, clean the cable ends and battery terminals thoroughly, and coat the battery terminals and cable ends with petroleum jelly to prevent corrosion. Some people also recommend giving the engine a fresh oil change before going into storage AND immediately after storage.

-OC

[Blu]

You might want to increase the tire pressure to the max, it'll help to keep your tires from developing that hard spot from sitting. You'll still have it, and it'll go away, it just won't be as severe.

[ArkiStan]

darn...I already left. Thanks for the advice though TheBluGuy. Thanks to overclocked too. But I was in a rush to catch my plain and didn't have the time to treat the cable ends with petroleum jelly. Hopefully the dry California summers will keep them from rusting for a while. I'll be back in mid-august. We'll see.

[hapoo]

i was about to start bitching... Haven't you left yet!!! your still posting!!!!

[ArkiStan]

Welcome to the WORLD wide web!!! Though I'm 5000 miles away now, when I come to gotapex, I feel like I've never left Cali.

[hapoo]

Originally posted by ucbstan
Welcome to the WORLD wide web!!! Though I'm 5000 miles away now, when I come to gotapex, I feel like I've never left Cali.


god this is pathetic :disa:
Exactly where are you anyway?

[ArkiStan]

Actually visiting my folks in Korea for summer break. Damn, it is pathetic huh? I can run, fly, swim...anything, but I can't hide from gotapex. Now I know what you feel like. :P

[hapoo]

Originally posted by ucbstan
Now I know what you feel like. :P


Like i said... How pathetic :heh:

[ArkiStan]

I didn't have time to clean the battery wire connections when I left, but I noticed they were pretty dirty when I was disconnecting. So I guess I'll try to do that when I get back. Can anybody recommend a safe, effective way to clean the metal connections? They seemed a bit rusty and dirty with the usual white crusty shit around the positive (or negative??).....anything I should be cautious of?

[OC]

Sprinkle some baking soda on the battery terminals, then spray them with vinegar. This creates a (safe) chemical reaction that scrubs the terminals clean. Let it work for a minute, rinse with water, then repeat if needed.

-OC

[ArkiStan]

Is it safe to get the battery conenctions wet (water, vinegar) and then handle them?? I don't know anything about electronics and such, but just intuitively, it seems like a scary thing to do....Does the battery have enough electricity to harm me?

[tupacboy]

umm... what can happen?!?! they aren't connected to the battery...

[ArkiStan]

Well, I was talking about also cleaning the actual connections on the battery, since there was all the crusty white stuff... So is that out of the question?? What I be killed if I poured vinegar and water on the actual battery and then started rubbing it with a cloth??

[rum]

Are you talking bout cleaning the actual parts of the battery, or the wires that connect to the positive and negative ends? If you're talking bout cleaning the wires, just disconnect them first, and you should be fine. If you're cleaning the battery, just make sure you don't touch the positive and negative at the same time. And you should disconnect the negative wire, cuz that's hooked up to the frame of your car.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure that battery can hurt you. I've been electrocuted by stuff with a lot less power. :banghead: (Don't ask)

[Ice-9]

Hell yeah, a car battery puts out easily enough juice to fry you. You can safely clean the terminals, though, as long as you're careful.

The ground (-) terminal isn't a problem, so long as you don't touch the positive terminal at the same time. The positive terminal won't hurt you as long as you don't ground yourself. Don't touch the car chassis (or anything else metal, to be safe) while cleaning the positive battery terminal. The easiest way to do this is to take the battery out of your car, place it on the ground (ehh, as in dirt, not as in electrical :)), and clean it there. No chance of touching the car that way.

You can clean the terminals with the vinegar/baking soda stuff, but that tends to leave some unreacted gunk on your battery. I prefer to just use fine-grit sandpaper - not harsh enough to scrape up the terminals, but enough to clean them. Good luck, and drop me an e-mail when you get back to Berzerkeley.

[ArkiStan]

Hey
thanks for all the info everyone. I'll do this as soon as I get back. And Ice-9, good to hear from you again. How was your trip? Are you back in Berkeley? I got your e-mail. Thanks so much dude. I really appreciate it. You saved me a lot of money. I'll be back in mid August so I'll meet up with you then and give you the check. all right then, enjoy the rest of the break and I'll e-mail you when I get back... peace!!

Stan




[Edited by ucbstan on 05-31-2001 at 05:46 PM]

[theHNIC]

Just pour some soda on the battery terminal, coke or pepsi, usually does the trick.