I agree. Also most modern vehicles are using switched grounds in circuits. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Since either side might work I started another post with a POLL to see which side is the most popular. Bob http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=789577
This has really turned into beating the dead horse. Some understand the flow of electricity and some don't. And I can see that those in the two groups won't change. Neal
The problem is, everybody thinks they're in the "I understand electricity" group. Final suggestion: Buy a cutoff switch from a reliable purveyor-Ron Francis,Painless etc, and ask them where to put it.
The pole is at 36+ 25- as I type this, it is a lot like Religion IMO everyone believes they belong to the "Right" one. Bob
Okay guys - try this one which happened to me. Engine overheated going up a pass. Pulled into gas station, switched off ignition and removed key - engine still running. Flipped HD kill switch to off - engine continues to run and ran for ten minutes even after I pulled HT lead off coil and pulled all plug wires. The only way I managed to kill the engine was to pull off the blowthrough supercharger hat to car and stuff rags down it, by which time the engine was toast - literally. Yes the engine was dieseling but that is not the answer to what happened. Only synthetic oil saved it. While you ponder this one and try figure out what went on and why the HD shutoff did nothing, I'll post the answer later....
Luckily your screen name is drunk man, so overly sharp responses are expected Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Since the positive post could contact sheetmetal in an accident, I do like the idea of it on the neg side. Though my 53 Dodge has it on the positive side, so that's where I left it. & for the record, disconnecting the (main) neutral at a house panel can make very bad things happen, since you have two 'hots'. (everything left plugged in becomes part of one big, unintended series/parallel 220v circuit with no neutral to carry the unbalanced load)
i learned years ago to disconect the ground side . on my drag bike with computers & selonoids is was best to drop the ground side because of no chance of arcing . i have my hot rod the same way . never a problem .......
I wired my car like this when I moved the battery to the trunk, and installed a Flaming River cut-off switch (the one with the push-rod assembly). My car will stop running when the T-handle is pushed in. The "fuse" in the diagram is a 200-Amp "ANL fuse/fuse holder", available from car audio shops. I located this fuse on my firewall; under the hood. My car is grounded at the rear frame (close to the battery) and is also grounded from the engine block to the frame. I had posted this same question (how to wire a disconnect) three yrs ago on another site; and while there was some debate as to + or -; there were several VERY experienced drag racers on that site who steered me towards this wiring diagram.
in the drawing the alternator stays powered even with the switch off. are you sure this is the way you did it?
That's a nice setup. In addition to your cutoff switch, you may want to add a Ford starter relay near your relocated battery. This will de-energize the "always hot" 15' main battery cable going to the starter. It will only be powered when you crank over the engine (see example below) BTW, I've never seen a 2 gauge alternator charge wire. I thought my 8 gauge was overkill. That's freakin huge!!
I did it just like in the drawing. It blew my mind when I first saw it myself. A simple battery relocation and a disconnect switch morphed into a much bigger deal than I originally expected.
A couple comments from the other message board I was referencing above: The fuse is there to blow if something goes wrong with the charging system. You want the fuse to blow instead of the wire heating up and possibly causing a fire. And another: You think #2 wire is big I run 00 welding cable. Yes NHRA specifies the shut off is in the + side, and yes having it in the neg side would be simpler, more efficient and probably safer... go figure. There are several ways to wire the alternator any of which are ok as long as the switch shuts the car off when it is running. I wanted to run my car at the track every now and then, and didnt want to get turned away because of some sort of NHRA rule I didnt know about.
its funny how when theres a problem with a starter or someones car wont start, or the radio wont work. Whats the first most simplest thing to check? Does it have ground? Bad ground?
That has everything to do with how the ground circuit is run in a car, and nothing to do with the ground circuit itself. If you ran ground wires from every component to the battery, and used short wires bolted to pieces of steel over a long span for the positive circuit and then back to the battery positive, you'd have problems with it too. Those ground problems are usually caused by improper assembly or usage of parts/pieces. It would be like not tightening your bumper bolts, then blaming the bumper for falling off. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
These electrical discussions never cease to amaze me. That's all. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad