Hate to hear that! Things like this take a long time to heal and are
painful. I have a friend that has a permanent watch from doing the same
thing - but doesn't keep time very good. Thanks for passing along a good,
learned the hard way, safety tip. Hope you heal up OK.
Phil
-----Original Message-----
From: Taro Kusunose [SMTP:tkusunose@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2001 8:46 PM
To: datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net
Subject: (OT) Permanent wedding ring-or changing batteries
Learned the hard way why you should always ground the battery last
when
installing a battery into a car, especially one that is cramped
around the
battery. I was down in LA for the break visiting my wife's family.
The
battery post on my mother-in-law's 98 Cadi DeVille broke off (weird
huh?)
and spilled battery acid all over the place.... Time for a battery
swap.
One of those new fangled batteries with screw in posts on the side.
I
grounded the new battery first, and then when ratcheting down the
positive
terminal, my ring (which was touching the ratchet--which was
touching the
positive terminal) touched the some grounded part of the engine.
Yowza!
The new Cadillacs use a 14 volt high current battery because of all
of the
high load accessories the cars have... power EVERYTHING! Second
degree
burns where my ring used to be... the gold and platinum melted at
the two
points where it arced. When I pulled the ring off in a hurry, all
the skin,
and chunks of meat came off with it--all the way around. It was,
and
continues to be DISGUSTING. I will have a permanent wedding ring
scar.
What I learned: good idea to take jewelry off when working on car;
NEVER
ground the battery first!
Taro in Seattle
'67 1600
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