I have continuity between my positive and negative terminals with no battery in
When we connect the positive and negative terminals to a multimeter we have continuity should we have continuity when there is no battery hooked upAnd the alternator is not installed
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
It is certainly possible that you have continuity even with the alternator removed. Things like clocks, digital radios with memory, alarm system, and even some modules always pull power from the battery when the vehicle is turned off. That will be why you see continuity, they are essentially turned on all the time. If you need help have anything checked, a certified technician from YourMechanic can inspect your electrical and charging systems for you.
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For those interested, the answer to my original question is NO – there should not be any continuity between the positive and negative battery terminals when the battery is unplugged (as this would indicate a short circuit!).
Multiple cells can be connected to each other in two ways, series and parallel. In a series connection, the negative terminal of one cell is connected to the positive terminal of the next cell. In a parallel connection all the positive terminals and negative terminals are connected to each other respectively.
3. What Happens When Negative And Positive Terminals Touch? If a positive cable and a negative cable on a good battery touch each other, a strong electrical current will flow between them. This may cause sparks, damage the wires` insulation, and potentially start a fire.
External Electromechanical Voltage Regulator
The cutout relay connects the battery to the alternator while the regulator and current regulator switch regulate the voltage output by controlling the alternator`s field circuit.
There should be continuity between neutral and ground because it works as a safe path for an electrical circuit. In most electric circuits, there are three wires; they are hot wire (known as powered wire), neutral wire, and ground wire.
You should have continuity in one direction and if you switch leads you`ll have no continuity. This will tell you the diodes are good or shorted in the alternator. If you have continuity in both directions then the large post is grounded or the internal diodes are bad.
When the two terminals of a battery are connected directly with a wire there will be a low resistance path for the current to flow. The wire will get heated a little bit (depends on the diameter of the wire less the diameter more heat) and the battery will be quickly discharged.
Batteries correctly placed in series, positive to negative, will add their output voltages, producing a greater voltage. If two 1.5 volt batteries are connected head to tail, the total voltage is 3.0 volt.
Risks Of Using Jumper Cables In Reverse
Connecting the battery terminals in reverse can cause serious damage to the battery itself, the electrical components, and even to yourself. Each terminal of a car battery uses 12V of current with positive and negative orientation.
Quick Tips: Jumping a Battery
Never connect the black cable to the negative (–) terminal on your dead battery. This is very dangerous, as it could result in an explosion.
The alternator is normally connected to the engines crank pulley by a rubber belt. As the engine rotated, the belts turn the alternators rotor inside the stator. Both the stator and rotor are made from wound copper and electrical steel.
The starter, alternator and battery all work together to supply electrical power to a vehicle. The battery stores energy and supplies it to the starter. The alternator then supplies power to all of the electrical accessories, as well as back to the battery to keep it charged.
Electrical. Continuity is the presence of a complete path for current flow. A closed switch that is operational, for example, has continuity. A continuity test is a quick check to see if a circuit is open or closed.
Touch the casing of the alternator with the red probe and the negative post of the battery with the black probe. If there`s continuity, your multimeter will either beep, or a resistance value will appear on the screen. If the circuit is in an open loop, you`ll need to find the damaged wire and repair it.
An effective method to determine whether it`s your battery or alternator that`s gone bad is to connect jumper cables from a running vehicle`s battery to yours. After a few moments, try starting your vehicle. Once it`s started, remove the jumper cables — if your engine stalls, your alternator has probably gone bad.
Explanation: The connection of the bulb with the battery will not be proper if both terminals of the bulb will be connected to the same terminal (either positive or negative). In that case bulb will not glow. Also, bulb will not glow when it has been fused.
“Positive first, then negative. When disconnecting the cables from the old battery, disconnect the negative first, then the positive. Connect the new battery in the reverse order, positive then negative.”
Positive and Negative terminals
The electrode from which the electrons emerge is the negative terminal. It is also called the cathode. The electrode that receives electrons is the positive terminal. It is called the anode.
If two or more components are connected in parallel, they have the same difference of potential (voltage) across their ends. The potential differences across the components are the same in magnitude, and they also have identical polarities. The same voltage is applied to all circuit components connected in parallel.
To configure batteries with a series connection each battery must have the same voltage and capacity rating, or you can potentially damage the batteries. For example you can connect two 6Volt 10Ah batteries together in series but you cannot connect one 6V 10Ah battery with one 12V 20Ah battery.
A battery consists of two terminals. The positive terminal is called Cathode and the negative terminal. is called Anode. For the two cells connected in series the voltage developed is V = (ε1 + ε2) – I (r1+r2).
Opposite charges attract each other (negative to positive). Like charges repel each other (positive to positive or negative to negative). Most of the time positive and negative charges are balanced in an object, which makes that object neutral.
The reason for connecting the negative cable to ground rather than to the negative terminal of the dead battery is to minimize the chances of a spark near the battery, where there may be potentially explosive gasses.
During the discharge of a battery, the current in the circuit flows from the positive to the negative electrode. According to Ohm`s law, this means that the current is proportional to the electric field, which says that current flows from a positive to negative electric potential.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
I have continuity between my positive and negative terminals with no battery in
ANSWER : It is certainly possible that you have continuity even with the alternator removed. Things like clocks, digital radios with memory, alarm system, and even some modules always pull power from the battery when the vehicle is turned off. That will be why you see continuity, they are essentially turned on all the time. If you need help have anything checked, a certified technician from YourMechanic can inspect your electrical and charging systems for you.
My negative battery cable start smoking when the car is running.
ANSWER : There is a faulty, high resistance (often due to corrosion, wire defect or break or loose mechanical connection) connection at the battery post and/or at the vehicle ground(s) at the frame. The recommended and safest practice is to replace the cable (cables can corrode within and cable crimps at the cable ends can’t be serviced without shortening the cable). When replacing, particular attention should be paid to the cleanliness and quality of the vehicle ground connection. This is a safety issue and consequently the repair is recommended at your earliest convenience. If you desire mobile service on this repair, the service to request is battery cable replacement and the responding certified mechanic will deal with it promptly.
Solving electrical problem resulting from reversed battery terminals
ANSWER : Reverse polarity, at the battery, in a 12 volt electrical system on a car can cause a variety of effects including damaging the alternator, diodes and the numerous microprocessors on a vehicle like those in the powertrain control module (PCM). If you have successfully started and run the car, all accessories work, and charging system output is normal, that’s a good sign and you are lucky. As far as the sparking, there is always current draw from a car battery to some circuits in the vehicle’s electrical system, even when the vehicle is off, so when you re-attach a battery there can be some sparks. To determine if the current draw when the vehicle is off is excessive, a Mechanic would use an ammeter and measure the current flow from the battery to the vehicle’s electrical system. Typically, you will find perhaps 20 to 50 milliamps of flow. If the current flow exceeds that, you simply test each major branch circuit to see where the "excess" is and then troubleshoot the individual circuits and devices on individual circuits until you find the fault. If you want these steps performed by a certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, please request an electrical diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Electrical – car battery positive temporarily touched negative – where is the problem?
ANSWER : Reverse polarity, at the battery, in a 12 volt electrical system on a car can cause a variety of effects including damaging the alternator, diodes and the numerous microprocessors on a vehicle such as those in the powertrain control module (PCM). As far as other fuses, they are numerous not to mention fusible links, circuit breakers, and all of the individual electronic components themselves in many circuits that could have failed due to to reverse polarity. Inasmuch as the vehicle does not start, the simplest thing to do is diagnose the starting circuit first as, in the course of that, other fundamental failures (for example if the PCM was fried) will come into view. If you want these steps performed by a certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, please request an electrical diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Battery shot?
ANSWER : I would not recommend using jumper cables as a means to connect your battery for a couple of reasons. First of all, it can be dangerous as it can create additional risk of sparks that would not otherwise happen when connected properly. Secondly, the jumper cables are not designed to be connected for extended periods of time and do not connect as well as terminals do that are bolted down, which may result in poor connection issues anyway. If the second battery did produce power but not enough to crank the engine over, there is a good chance it is simply too weak to turn the motor over. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to install the correct battery and terminals on your vehicle.
Alternator not charging battery
ANSWER : Hi there. To be honest, when the alternator tests as good and the battery terminals are good, this issue is typically very difficult to diagnose. In most cases however, this is either an electrical relay fault to the charging system or the wiring harness from the alternator to the battery has a short. It might be helpful to have a professional mechanic come to your location to complete a battery will not hold a charge inspection.
Battery Terminal
ANSWER : Hi there. The best way to resolve this issue is to have us replace your battery cables with new cables. We will also inspect other electrical charging components to see if they are causing the car to not start. This should resolve your issue. To provide you with a quote for this service, please click this link and click the blue button to request a quote.
I cleaned the battery terminals of my car from the white corrosion build up recently. Does this mean my battery is going?
ANSWER : Hello – corrosion at the battery terminals is the result of a chemical reaction from the release of hydrogen gas from charging/dis-charging of the battery in normal operation. This is not a failure indicator. The corrosion can be minimized by coating the terminal post and cable connector area with dielectric grease or an aerosol spray designed for this purpose. Clean the batter post and cable instructions here.
