Charging 2005 Corsa Battery

RealGem

Hi ,

I have a 2005 Vauxhall Corsa with a dead battery. bought a Phaze 4 in 1 battery booster from Halfords, and the instructions say to attach the Red connector to the Positive and for the Black connector to NOT be connected to the Negative on the battery, but on a plain bit of metal on the car.

But in one of the reviews for the device someone wrote:

"Have used on a 1.6 car and a 2.0 car and both started easily.
Both cars were 2005 and therefore the negative lead was able to be attached to the battery."

So can I connect the black part to my battery (negative side)?

Is there an advantage to having the Black lead connected to the Negative part of the battery, as opposed to a plain bit of metal on the car?

Thank you

stator

Personally I disconnect the battery and connect the charger straight to it.
I think the theory with using the frame is that if the battery is leaking the spark will be further from the battery and so not catch fire.

bertiewhite

I'd do what Stator says - I often don't remove the battery completely from the car but I always disconnect both battery connectors and charge straight onto the terminals.

facade

It is best to always connect the negative lead to the engine block, (especially with jump leads- connect both engine blocks together first) as some manufacturers (vauxhall are one) think it is funny to colour the positive lead black. (and the negative lead brown)

If you connect jump leads backwards you can just empty your bank account onto the nearest dealers counter, pretty much everything will break just before the fuse blows.
If you connect the negative to the engine block, and then mistakenly connect the positive to the brown (IIRC) battery negative lead, you will get a huge spark, but not much will break.
Your battery charger will simply not work, or might put on a "connected wrong!!" light.

Rover_Driver

stator wrote: »

I think the theory with using the frame is that if the battery is leaking the spark will be further from the battery and so not catch fire.

That is the reason, a lead acid battery can emit hydrogen which a stray spark can ignite causing the battery to explode.
Which is why the advice is to connect the positive to the battery first, and then the negative to the metal framework to keep any spark away from the battery.

RealGem

Thanks guys

Yes, I understand why the black goes on the plain metal. It says in the instructions; it's to do with explosions!

I just wanted to know if it is better to connect the black to the negative side of the battery, because the people in the review above seemed to think it was ok for a car as old as 2005.

Were batteries different then or something?

Also yes Facade, my Vauxhall is negative brown and positive black! Luckily I looked at the Plus and Minus sign. I didn't trust the colours!

thanks

Strider590

It's purely about them covering their own backsides on the safety side of things. The reasoning is that batteries produce hydrogen gas when charging, hydrogen is highly explosive, having the neg lead away from the battery means no chance of a spark igniting the hydrogen gas when you remove the charger.

This actually comes from the use of jump cables, where the final lead to be connected CAN spark quite violently, as long as a charger is turned off before connecting/disconnecting then nothing should happen.

That said, i've had a car battery explode, so the threat is very real. A truly old/dead battery will gas a lot more than a new one and the risk in that case just isn't worth it.

Rover_Driver

RealGem wrote: »

I just wanted to know if it is better to connect the black to the negative side of the battery, because the people in the review above seemed to think it was ok for a car as old as 2005.

Were batteries different then or something?

The chances of an explosion are slim - but it can (and has) happen to batteries of any age.
People are more safety aware now, which is why the latest advice is to connect the positive to the battery terminal and then the negative to the metalwork, not the battery.

RealGem

Thanks,

Although the unit has been charged indoors and says it is fully charged, I don't think my battery booster is working properly. There is nothing on the unit to indicate it is charging the car battery.

I did attach the black to plain metal, as my battery is old.

I made sure the booster was fully charged in the house but there is no dial on it, and no LED light comes on when I connect it to the car and switch it on.

It's a Phaze 4 in 1. So I plan to take it back to Halfords for a refund.

I plan to buy one with a dial, so you can tell if it is charging from what position the needle is at.

Anyone know if the Phaze unit is supposed to light up when charging the car battery?

And shouldn't it make a quiet noise? I believe there is a compressor inside it. I'm sure I remember the AA man's battery booster made a noise! (Yes I know they have much better ones than this!)

But mine doesn't make a sound at all. And I definitely switched it on!

thanks

facade

It is a jumpstarter battery, it won't charge up the car battery, you are supposed to start the engine, the pack provides an extra "boost" current to get the engine started.

The 4 in 1 bit, I don't know, it has a lamp, a 12V socket and a USB socket, maybe they are 3 and the jumpstarter is 4, from the 4 in 1.

You then run the engine for an hour or so to charge the car's battery, or you will need to jumpstart it again.
If the car battery won't charge, and the alternator is working, time for a new battery.

AdrianC

The age thing is a red herring. The -ve terminal and the metal of the car should be connected very well, electrically, so it makes no functional difference at all. If they aren't, charging your battery is not going to solve your problems...