quick battery question - sparks

[BrandonYates]

So I just finished installing a 300W amp. This is my first install.

I connected the positive terminal of the battery to the power wire for the amp.

Then I went to reconnect the negative terminal of the battery to ground, and as soon as they made contact a giant spark came out. I quickly removed the connection.

Is this normal? Should I just go ahead and connect the battery to ground? If not, why is it sparking like this?

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[lincolntc690 10+ year member]

yse its normal youre completing the circuit. connect it and enjoy

 

[bad_trip 10+ year member]

i don't remember who's avatar it is or sig or something. but yes.

"Sparks means it's working!" Congratulations.

 

[BrandonYates]

cool, thanks.

 

[shizzzon 10+ year member]

a small spark is normal. a Giant spark means power is being grounded.

A giant spark is also a constant spark as well.

If you hook it up anyway, hold the power and ground wire in your hand. IF they start getting hotter, remove IMMEDIATELY. it should only take about 5 seconds to notice a temp difference.

If you have fuse on power which you should have, you should be fine.

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

Sparking is completely normal. There are items in your car that constantly draw power from the battery, even though the ignition is off. This will cause a spark as the connection is reconnected (Arcing)

You did the best thing you could do when working on a car: Disconnect the battery. Most people that fry things could have avoided screwing up by disconnecting the battery.

 

[FurbiesAndBeans 10+ year member]

I once put my battery in backwards and i tried connecting it. It made a huge spark and some smoke came out //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif everything was fine though.

 

[BrandonYates]

I got the battery hooked up and everthing is fine. My Amp isn't getting enough power though. The power indicating light on the amp is very dim, not constant, and there is nothing coming out of the sub.

I'm pretty sure it is because I didn't ground the amp good enough. I have to find a better spot to ground it.