I totally ****ed up the big 3

[Buffalohed 10+ year member]

This is pretty crazy so I thought I would share it with you guys.

First thing I should say is before this install I knew nothing about cars, electronics, or anything like that. So about a month ago I did the big 3 with 1/0 gauge along with installing the rest of my system. Followed the directions from the FAQ here exactly, and also checked with another one I found somewhere.

Anyway, I never noticed a difference in performance or anything, though I don't really think there should have been anything to notice. Well today I got my oil changed and I was talking to the guy about one of my belts making noise, and he points to a belt and says something like "would have to remove the alternator to get to this one", and then points at the alternator.

Well, it turns out I connected my battery positive to..... something that was not the alternator, haha. I don't really know what it is, but I traced the old pos connection and it also goes to the thing I connected. PS - this is a 96 Toyota Camry. I thought for sure that was the alternator and it never occured to me that I was wrong.

The strange thing though is that nothing blew up. No new problems with the car or anything, and my battery is connected to some unknown part. So for now I have left it the way it is but I'm going to actually connect the alternator soon to see if that actually does anything.

Moral of the story: Make sure you know exactly wtf you are doing before you try to install something. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

That is all, and sorry that I type so much, can't help it. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Click to read more...

 

[Odd-io 10+ year member]

Wow. Lucky your car hasn't burned up yet.

 

[Death By Bass 10+ year member]

probably the starter motor...

 

[Decipha 10+ year member]

pics??

 

[blackbonnie 5,000+ posts]

yeah get pics up i wanna see this masterpiece. lol, funny story.

 

[60ndown 10+ year member]

This is pretty crazy so I thought I would share it with you guys.
First thing I should say is before this install I knew nothing about cars, electronics, or anything like that. So about a month ago I did the big 3 with 1/0 gauge along with installing the rest of my system. Followed the directions from the FAQ here exactly, and also checked with another one I found somewhere.

Anyway, I never noticed a difference in performance or anything, though I don't really think there should have been anything to notice. Well today I got my oil changed and I was talking to the guy about one of my belts making noise, and he points to a belt and says something like "would have to remove the alternator to get to this one", and then points at the alternator.

Well, it turns out I connected my battery positive to..... something that was not the alternator, haha. I don't really know what it is, but I traced the old pos connection and it also goes to the thing I connected. PS - this is a 96 Toyota Camry. I thought for sure that was the alternator and it never occured to me that I was wrong.

The strange thing though is that nothing blew up. No new problems with the car or anything, and my battery is connected to some unknown part. So for now I have left it the way it is but I'm going to actually connect the alternator soon to see if that actually does anything.

Moral of the story: Make sure you know exactly wtf you are doing before you try to install something. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

That is all, and sorry that I type so much, can't help it. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/veryhappy.gif.fec4fed33b4a1279cf10bdd45a039dae.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

fyi, it goes in the front hole typically, but sometimes the back hole is where its @.

 

[skadude016 5,000+ posts]

wow... did you not know what an alt. looked like?

 

[dumple 5,000+ posts]

ac compressor?!?!?1

 

[95volvosx 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/needpics.gif.edd6d28e76618c28c46f343991bcced5.gif jk but get some pics of this up

 

[Z71999 10+ year member]

did the positive terminal bond itself to the part you hooked it up to?

 

[Buffalohed 10+ year member]

Haha, I'll see what I can do guys. Promise.

And yes, I knew nothing (and apparently still know nothing) about cars. I'm a biochemistry major and have a passing interest in physics but I don't know what an alternator looks like. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/hide.gif.2d479cfd917eedfe201353b91522ceab.gif

 

[Buffalohed 10+ year member]

did the positive terminal bond itself to the part you hooked it up to?

I hope not, I haven't tried to disconnect it yet.

 

[Buffalohed 10+ year member]

Here are some pics:

The Battery:

The alternator (notice no wire to it...):

The "thing" hooked up to the battery +, it is the cylinder with the green sticker to the left of the oil dipper in the pic:

This (kind of) shows where the pos is hooked up on the whatever it is, you can faintly see the blue in there:

 

[Buffalohed 10+ year member]

Apparently I can't edit the thread title to say PICS? Lame.

 

[corto 10+ year member]

wish my alt was that easssssssssssy to get at geesh avenger ftmfl