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simple addition for electrical safety

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twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
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A buddy is helping with our collection of projects - and didn't realize that mature British Automobiles may be positive ground.
I've just bought a few terminal covers in red & black and will install them on the fleet - just to provide that quick visual reminder for the experienced and an introduction to neophytes.
Doug
 
Yes--in my opinion, this is more important than most people realize. Since all modern cars, and most older ones, are negative ground, your average young mechanic may never have seen a positive ground car, and doesn't know they exist. It's natural for such a person, when he jumps a car, simply to hook the positive lead to the "hot" side of the battery and the negative to ground. But doing that with a positive ground car will result in a really big surprise.

I've seen positive-ground cars with the red cable connected to the negative (hot) terminal, and that's really asking for trouble. At least, put the red lead to ground and the black to the solenoid or whatever. Then add a label near the battery pointing out that it's a positive ground car. (I've seen these occasionally, but I'm not sure where you get them. Could just print one up on the computer, I guess.)
 
British Wiring has those stickers. They are printed on very heavy duty metal tape. I had the opposite worry--that someone knowledgeable with early Spridgets would assume the Bugeye was still positive ground.

Best
CL
 
Yes, you have quite a few mentally programmed who try and automatically disconnect the negative lead on the battery before doing any work. Most can't use their brain and figure out why they need to disconnect the negative and so a positive ground MG or VW or something is beyond their comprehension.
You don't always disconnect the negative lead before any work, you need to look at what you are working on and act accordingly. You need to disconnect the ground so you don't arc something, but that could be either. That is why they are mechanics and not electricians :wink:
 
This is not just a british car thing. There are all sorts of vintage cars that had positive grounds.
 
Vintage tractors may also be positive ground, should any of you ever be called upon to work on one. A tell is the presence of a generator as opposed to an alternator. :blush:
 
Switching over to negative ground is so easy there is no reason not to do it and end all the confusion and possible problems.
 
Heck - some of us are easily confused at the best of times!
One problem with life and everything is that we develop certain reflexes and they cut in before the brain does - try driving in England on a single lane country road and come around a corner in your non-UK steering wheel vehicle, and see which way you automatically go to avoid the oncoming Land Rover or sheep or what have you....
CL - thanks for the British Wiring reference - I hadn't heard of them. For the rest of us: stickers are here: https://www.britishwiring.com/CAT30_33.PDF
 
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