E-430 Blown Fuse Becaue put in the battery the wrong way
#1
12-31-2006, 01:39 PM
E-430 Blown Fuse Becaue put in the battery the wrong way
So I put in my battery the wrong way and connected the + terminal to the - and the - terminal to the + and started the car... White smoke started coming from the engine bay and I talked to a mechanic who said I blew a fuse thats charecteristcs is that it starts smoking. Does anyone know the exact fuse that I blew so I can replace it ?
#2
01-01-2007, 05:21 AM
RE: E-430 Blown Fuse Becaue put in the battery the wrong way
Oh dear! Just goes to show how easy it is to accidentally do damage whilst working on something that you are not familiar with.
Presumably your battery must have had lugs with bolts rather than tapered posts which are polarised (different sizes) to prevent this situation.
Good battery installation design policy requires that incorrect fitment of the battery is prevented by e.g. Connections that don't fit, wires that don't reach and possibly a fuse "just in case" but this is not always the case. There is no legislation to my knowledge covering this. Just good practice.
Don't know exactly which fuse your mechanic refers to (why not ask him?) but if there is a fuse it will likely be in one or other of the big black boxes at the back of the engine bay. Need to remove tops which are screwed down on earlier cars. Plastic slide locks on more recent.
If there was "white smoke" from the fuse
1. Didn't you see roughly where it came from?
2. Likely a large value fuse since the majority of fuses "blow" without any external visible signal (i.e. smoke). There are usually 3 or 4 "large' value fuses in these boxes.
If you are going to DIY investigate I suggest you disconnect the battery while you go looking ....just in case!
The fuses are usually blade type with say 40 (40 amp) written on the top. When you unplug it it will be obvious it has blown if smoke was ommitted!
My concern is that "white smoke" is usually associated with the insulation of the wires in the harness melting.
Lets hope not.
As a precaution you need to be able to disconnect the battery quickly if anything goes wrong until you are happy that the problem has been located and satisfactorily repaired.
Please note a fully charged battery has an immense amount of stored power in it and the potential for a short whilst investigating a problem like this is significant if damage has occurred to the wiring. Such a short can easily cause the vehicle to catch FIRE!
If something goes wrong think about where the car is parked etc.
BE AWARE!!
Presumably your battery must have had lugs with bolts rather than tapered posts which are polarised (different sizes) to prevent this situation.
Good battery installation design policy requires that incorrect fitment of the battery is prevented by e.g. Connections that don't fit, wires that don't reach and possibly a fuse "just in case" but this is not always the case. There is no legislation to my knowledge covering this. Just good practice.
Don't know exactly which fuse your mechanic refers to (why not ask him?) but if there is a fuse it will likely be in one or other of the big black boxes at the back of the engine bay. Need to remove tops which are screwed down on earlier cars. Plastic slide locks on more recent.
If there was "white smoke" from the fuse
1. Didn't you see roughly where it came from?
2. Likely a large value fuse since the majority of fuses "blow" without any external visible signal (i.e. smoke). There are usually 3 or 4 "large' value fuses in these boxes.
If you are going to DIY investigate I suggest you disconnect the battery while you go looking ....just in case!
The fuses are usually blade type with say 40 (40 amp) written on the top. When you unplug it it will be obvious it has blown if smoke was ommitted!
My concern is that "white smoke" is usually associated with the insulation of the wires in the harness melting.
Lets hope not.
As a precaution you need to be able to disconnect the battery quickly if anything goes wrong until you are happy that the problem has been located and satisfactorily repaired.
Please note a fully charged battery has an immense amount of stored power in it and the potential for a short whilst investigating a problem like this is significant if damage has occurred to the wiring. Such a short can easily cause the vehicle to catch FIRE!
If something goes wrong think about where the car is parked etc.
BE AWARE!!
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