Changing Battery

It's not the disconnect it's the reconnect when the alt. is at max charge because there is no battery voltage and the alt is trying to charging full tilt. 50 volts is not out of the question.

 

Just FYI, from my understanding your entire electrical system basically uses the battery to regulate the voltage coming off the alternator. So taking the battery out of the truck while a vehicle is running can be a very bad idea. Just because you won Russian Roulette shouldn't make you proud.

 

The voltage regulator does that.

 

Is this a site for intelligent mature people? or what?
I want to know just in case outsiders are browsing around in our site and I don't want
to be labeled otherwise.

 

I don't know what the risk is but I'll tell you this much. When my Dad's brand new Diehard battery blew up in my face I was covered in battery acid and couldn't hear anything for a while. My parents had a built in pool so I jumped in it, took off my clothes and pitched them on the deck. They basically melted after a few hours. About half of the battery was left on the workbench. Pure luck that I didn't get seriously injured!

 

It's been 45 years and I still think about it every time I work on a car battery.

 

Shit. That sucks. There's a reason why some places make people wear face shields when they remove a battery. I'm sure using one of those things you plug into the OBD2 to save the memory or jumpers to the cigarette lighter as you described will be safer than leaving the engine to run. Everytime I've changed a battery I just take it out and put the new one in. It only takes me a few seconds to reprogram the radio and ECU's all learn pretty quick.

I've had a good mechanic from on here tell me that without the battery the voltage regulator may not function correctly. It makes sense that the battery, which has a dependable voltage range when operable, would be involved in regulating the voltage of your electrical system.

 

I guess I am lucky, but in all reality that's how we all do it where I work. And how I was taught to do it when I first got there. Except on hybrids, I leave it off. But to each there own. I was just saying it's the quickest way to swap a battery while retaining ecu memory.

 

This is why I'm glad mechanics in Canada have to have there tickets before working on vehicles or running a shop. No good shop foreman would allow that process to be used on customer vehicles when there are so many other safer solutions available to both the vehicle and there employee.

I bet you could change hundreds of batteries the wrong way and not have a problem. That being said, I wouldn't want to be that one guy though that creates an electrical issue for a customer. Electrical problems in vehicles are the sort of gremlins that never get completely fixed.

 

What are tickets?

I never realized it was the wrong way, it's just how I was shown. I was surprised at first too. It's not like the car is running for that long, maybe 30 sec max, really quick swap. I was just saying it's an option.

 

By tickets he means qualifications as a certified mechanic

by there I think he means their

 

Lol thanks Oz

 

It's his thing. Let him follow my iPhone grammar. I enjoy it.

It's common to call trades and safety certifications tickets in my area. Actually, you rarely hear the words journeyman or master around here unless you specifically need one to perform a task. Most employers just ask what tickets someone has before deciding on whether or not to hire someone.

 

The alt. regulator reads battery voltage it does not make the decisions it's self it has to have a reference. You are 100% correct it is a bad ideal to remove a battery from a running truck.

 

Would you like to share the name of the shop so we can avoid it?

 

How long does a lighting strike last? It is the spike that does the damage. It should not be an option do it right. One of the better ways is through the OBDII because it is all ways live and a 9 volt battery is all that is needed to retain memory.

 

There's a small chance of a voltage spike that will fry delicate sensitive (expensive!) electronics.

The battery acts as a capacitor to neutralize voltage spikes while the engine's running.

When you're changing the battery - the opposite.

 

Because the charging system without a battery to filter the polyphase sine wave it produces can easily damage the electronics such as the ECU, radio, etc.

 

LJ, if you were not wearing glasses, you were extremely lucky that you did not damage or lose your eyesight. Do you recall the battery exploding because of an external spark like connecting/disconnecting from a battery charger or an internal explosion?

 

ok I think the OP knows not to take my advice. It was just my way of doing it. He did ask for options and like I said, I've never had an issue with it. Granted it's only been toyotas, so I can't speak for other manufacturers.