Shorted Battery

Hi everyone,

I dropped a multi tool in my engine bay and it happened to land on the positive battery terminal and the piece of metal they secures the battery. It sparked up as you would expect.

When I switched the truck one efi relay is buzzing loudly. I pulled it and plan on changing it.

anything else I should check? I have no idea how big of a deal this is but if I’m frying relays I imagine it’s fairly serious.

 

Did you break the connection by removing the tool or did a circuit open and cause it to stop?? Melted wire or cable.

Since it was a direct short to ground .

The surge went through the whole truck.

No telling just what might have been fried your going to need to go through circuit by circuit .

A spike like this Could fry the ECM lets hope not.

 

I removed the tool and they is no melting or damage that I can see.

I just switched the relay and it still buzzes. I’ll start going through things.

 

I doubt it hurt much.
I’m surprised it actually hurt the relay.

This happens a lot more than you’d think. I’ve seen it when people changed batteries, let the leads touch on jumper cables…ect.

Most of the current probably went through the multi tool. I’d replace the relay and start it up.

No need to worry yet. What’s done is done. I bet you’ll be ok.

 

Doesn’t the relay buzz with the key off?

 

My luck would never be this good!

Looking forward to how this plays out .

It is just how the voltage returned to the battery where things can get interesting .

 

Once you know better, you don’t get lucky anymore.

Isn’t it funny how how that works.

 

Any updates ??

In theory the battery spike should have traveled through the inner fender to the ground point on the fender bolt returning to the battery.

What path the battery spike took no way to tell unless circuits no longer work.

 

Nothing yet,

I went ahead and pulled everything apart to change the valve cover gaskets. I’m waiting on two spark plug tube seals that were missing from my order. I should have everything back together Monday.

 

Finished my valve cover job and it fired right up. No damage as far as I can tell .

 

Woot

 

Good things worked out in your favor!!