It's not that I'm worried, you just don't instruct someone to do something in an unsafe manner. Would you tell someone to change a light fixture with out disconnecting a fuse, just be careful to not let the wires touch?...sure people do it but it doesn't make it good advice, you know what I mean. Telling someone to take the negative cable off first would be the correct advice.

How your body responds depends on the amperage of the battery. I support a production line that builds backhoe loader tractors and during my time there I've seen two incidents of a guy who connected the positive 2nd that actually sent him back a couple of feet. The second time his body was litteraly paralized from shock for about 30 secs after it kicked him away.

I would expect you as a mod to step in and correct misguided direction rather than roll ones eyes at it

 

I don't recall ever instructing someone to disconnect the positive first, I did mention at the start of my post negative first is the correct way. I wrote the post both as encouragement since he was worried about doing it and a bit of friendly jesting at the same time. Myself, I'll do it either way, I just avoid grounding myself on anything and I naturally handle cables by the insulation not the bare metal. I did spend 3 summers working as an electrician but I would hope touching the rubber and not the metal would be common sense to anyone. As for undoing the nut, for extra safety watch out for contacting the opposite terminal with the wrench on accident and put your other hand in your back pocket (keeps you out of trouble, if both contact points are your hands the current goes through your arms and your heart, which is obviously bad).

 

<trying to take a lighter tone>I didn't mean "you" instructed, I was just generally speaking. But you were criticizing correct advice with a nonchalant attitude.

Common sense should be to remove the ground, period. As it doesn't just involve avoid touching the other post, it involves avoid touching anything metal that hasn't been insulated from ground. A buddy of mine was disconnecting his positive cable on his jeep in front of me and grounded out on the firewall. Sparks went everywhere and about welded the wrench to the firewall.

All I'm trying to say is don't pass it on as just be careful. Sorry for singling you out earlier I just didn't agree with "be careful."

 

To be honest with you guys, I was waiting for someone to ask me why remove and ground the POSITIVE cable. Yet no one asked????

I guess I will tell you anyway....

The reason you do this to the positive is that it does something that removing the negative cable won't. It will discharge the capacitors in the ECU which would otherwise allow it to still retain some memory.

If you are worried about taking the positive cable off first, then go ahead and remove the negative first. Then go ahead and do the grounding of the positive after it.

This is nothing new, and is done to Vipers all the time. Check the VCA board and you will see it recommended by one of the very best Viper Techs in the world. Chrysler teaches this procedure.

I do this on a regular basis also, with never any problems. But who am anyway? Just someone who recently renewed my status in the field. I am once again an ASE Cert, Master Tech.

 

Ok, now I know what ya meant, in some of my electrical engineering classes I have taken, the exact same procedures are done on the capacitors we used for differenct circuitries. Good advice I must say, I wasnt sure though if it could be done on this level but I guess it can be. Never put the waiting time and discharging like you said together. The waiting and turning the key does the same thing just in a longer time frame... Good clarification!

 

It is not easy being a newb and coming on here with advise.

People look at you like you are crazy, when infact, I am just a little loony.

This is one reason I don't post much, just don't feel like getting into a "he said" 'she said" match with anyone.

Here, this may make some feel better about what I stated about a field dump.

http://forums.viperclub.org/2540054-post2.html

http://forums.viperclub.org/2540154-post4.html

 

Good post...

Hey everyones entitled to a say something No worries man!

 

sorry i forgot to ask....the repeat 2 x's, is that for just depressing the throttle, or the entire process above it?? and for turn key on, you mean engine on and running right?

 

Yes, the 2 times just for the throttle. Sorry

As for key on, just that, key in the "on" position. Not started.

Here is the very short version

http://forums.viperclub.org/2540154-post4.html

"To do a field dump of memory, leave the PCM hooked up and disconnect the + terminal and then ground it for ten seconds."