From barrie at look.ca  Wed Mar 30 09:37:36 2011
From: barrie at look.ca (Barrie Robinson)
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:37:36 -0400
Subject: [Mgb-v8] Electrical question
Message-ID: <E1Q4yP0-0001Av-VS@gamma.look.ca>

Hello folks at world,

A sort of friend of mine found his battery was flat in his.......now 
wait for it......Saab!  But this is an electrical question not a 
Saab/MG/Brit car question.

He charged the battery and replaced with a resultant huge cloud of 
smoke and burning smell.  The lead between the alternator and chassis 
was toast (it may have been the starter - he is not too 
observant!).   Someone said it was because he reversed the polarity 
(hmmmm!) but the shop said the battery plates had collapsed and 
shorted out.   To me neither sounds right.  Anybody got an insightful 
suggestion

Regards

Barrie
barrie at look.ca
(705) 721-9060 

From keith.grider at gmail.com  Wed Mar 30 13:46:40 2011
From: keith.grider at gmail.com (Keith Grider)
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:46:40 -0500
Subject: [Mgb-v8] Electrical question
In-Reply-To: <E1Q4yP0-0001Av-VS@gamma.look.ca>
References: <E1Q4yP0-0001Av-VS@gamma.look.ca>
Message-ID: <AANLkTikgvu1we=QdW7D+bvW1KDbFHPqoRnDoVFYyJDrn@mail.gmail.com>

It may well have been put in reversed. The alternator on older saabs (c900)
is grounded to the block by a small 10GA wire. If you put the battery in
reversed, you may fry this short cable. A n internally shorted battery
should do nothing good or bad, I would think.

KeithG

On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 11:37 AM, Barrie Robinson <barrie at look.ca> wrote:

> Hello folks at world,
>
> A sort of friend of mine found his battery was flat in his.......now wait
> for it......Saab!  But this is an electrical question not a Saab/MG/Brit car
> question.
>
> He charged the battery and replaced with a resultant huge cloud of smoke
> and burning smell.  The lead between the alternator and chassis was toast
> (it may have been the starter - he is not too observant!).   Someone said it
> was because he reversed the polarity (hmmmm!) but the shop said the battery
> plates had collapsed and shorted out.   To me neither sounds right.  Anybody
> got an insightful suggestion
>
> Regards
>
> Barrie
> barrie at look.ca
> (705) 721-9060 _______________________________________________
>
> Mgb-v8 at autox.team.net
> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
> Suggested annual donation  $11.47
> Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
> Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
> Unsubscribe/Manage:
> http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mgb-v8/keith.grider at gmail.com

From dkern at napanet.net  Thu Mar 31 18:11:15 2011
From: dkern at napanet.net (David Kernberger)
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:11:15 -0700
Subject: [Mgb-v8] Electrical question
Message-ID: <f05210604c9bad68da0a5@[209.148.104.254]>

	I agree with Keith---internal battery shorts of any kind 
would not fry any external wiring.  Such shorts would just reduce the 
capacity of the battery---a shorted cell is a dead cell.

	However, such shorting could very well be the RESULT of an 
external short circuit, if it was bad enough and if it lasted long 
enough.  Excessive current through a battery can buckle and damage 
plates to a degree consistent with the severity and duration of the 
problem.

	I do not know Saab wiring firsthand so am not qualified to 
comment on just what actually did happen.  But I did notice Barrie 
talked about a ground wire from chassis to alternator and you (Keith) 
talk about a ground wire between block and alternator.  I wonder 
which, if either, it actually is.  Or if it is perhaps a heavy cable 
running to the starter from wherever.  To fry and smoke a heavy cable 
could require several hundred amps of current and this could easily 
be enough to damage plates in a battery if it persisted for more than 
a few seconds.

	Just my 2 cents worth.  Sorry I cannot be more specific.

Regards,
David Kernberger

--------------------------------------------------------------------

>It may well have been put in reversed. The alternator on older saabs (c900)
>is grounded to the block by a small 10GA wire. If you put the battery in
>reversed, you may fry this short cable. A n internally shorted battery
>should do nothing good or bad, I would think.
>
>KeithG
>
>On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 11:37 AM, Barrie Robinson <barrie at look.ca> wrote:
>
>>  Hello folks at world,
>>
>>  A sort of friend of mine found his battery was flat in his.......now wait
>>  for it......Saab!  But this is an electrical question not a Saab/MG/Brit car
>>  question.
>>
>>  He charged the battery and replaced with a resultant huge cloud of smoke
>>  and burning smell.  The lead between the alternator and chassis was toast
>>  (it may have been the starter - he is not too observant!).   Someone said it
>>  was because he reversed the polarity (hmmmm!) but the shop said the battery
>>  plates had collapsed and shorted out.   To me neither sounds right.  Anybody
>>  got an insightful suggestion
>>
>>  Regards
>>
>>  Barrie
>>  barrie at look.ca
>>  (705) 721-9060 _______________________________________________
>>
>>  Mgb-v8 at autox.team.net
>>  Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
>>  Suggested annual donation  $11.47
>>  Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
>>  Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
>>  Unsubscribe/Manage:
>>  http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mgb-v8/keith.grider at gmail.com
>_______________________________________________
>
>Mgb-v8 at autox.team.net
>Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
>Suggested annual donation  $11.47
>Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
>Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
>Unsubscribe/Manage: 
>http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mgb-v8/dkern at napanet.net