So I purchased a Top Post Kill Switch for the battery which only fits on the negative terminal. However, after upgrading my battery to a brand new GOLD AutoCraft battery, the darn thing drained 100% and no ignition/crank just after 2 weeks…nothing! It is recharging as we speak at CarQuest, but he stated to me at the shop that it really should be on the Positive terminal, not negative, as the alternator can drain it. True?
Thoughts on this one> My research shows a lot of back and forth here. All together, I am thinking about skipping the kill switch and just removing the battery fully from the engine bay over Winter…
Not true (unless it has that wire with a fuse that still connects the broken connection), a true disconnect of either positive or negative will prevent any drain on the battery through it’s terminals.
A kill switch should always go on the negative post, as the negative post is the first one you should disconnect, and last to connect, this is to prevent sparks from happening when disconnecting and connecting the battery.
If it drains when the negative post is disconnected, then there must be a small wire still connected to the negative post
Not quite true for the reason for removing the negative post first. The real reason is that if you are using a wrench and it slips, any shorts that may occur will most likely be to chassis ground. If the wrench slips on the positive post and contacts the chassis, you’ll have some nice welding going on.
Sparks will occur whenever you are connecting the negative connector to the post AND there is a current draw (e.g. a lamp is on, door is open, etc.).
Thanks all…like I said, a lot of different opinions here and I am considering just removing the kill switch and simply disconnecting the battery when needed.
What also works really well for long term storage is the Battery Tender Jr., a small low current float charger. you can get them at AutoZone and other places for $40.00. Yes, they’re made in China like the Harbor Freight pieces @$10.00 each or so but I guess B.T. Jr. has a better factory. I have 4 B.T. Jrs. and they work great. And they will charge a dead A.G.M. battery back to life although it takes a really long time.
Scott,
Lot’s of good info here. If your battery died after two weeks something is draining it. That being said , even the factory clock shouldn’t kill it in two weeks. Here’s what to do:
Disconnect the positive cable and put a 12v test light in line. Tape the door jamb switch . Pull power to the clock. If the light is lit, pull each fuse one at a time until you find the affected circuit. from there, you’ll have to individually disconnect each item on that circuit (fuse) until you identify the culprit. Of course if after pulling the fuses the light remains lit, you’d have to do the same test series to non fused circuits but that is highly unlikely.
Good luck and of course for extended periods of non use, disconnecting both cables is the preferred method, negative first as was stated.
If you’re running a wet cell battery, I’d remove it from the car during winter storage.
You can also get a battery tender to keep the battery charged and stirred during long storage periods. Been using those on motorcycles and bikes for a long time.
Otherwise, it sounds like you have a short somewhere.
I have several vehicles. What I finally settled on was to install a disconnect switch in a somewhat hidden place in the positive lead from the battery. Any fusible link of small wire from the battery connector needs to be put on the disconnectable side of the switch. When the switch is open, all power is cut off the vehicle. This is great for working on the vehicle as I don’t have to worry about getting shocked or accidentally grounding something and blowing a fuse or damaging something. This can also be used as a theft deterrent if parking in a questionable location. I don’t use a battery tender as I have read about a number of problems with them and failing batteries over the years.
With a disconnect switch, I can let vehicles sit for months and then have them start right up with a fully charged battery.