onecal Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 Thanks for your reply Derek, Again I just put this up out of interest as it's far from well documented regarding the suggestion that ignition on , when reconnecting the earth on some new vehicles Could this be to prevent damage to sensitive modules? Over the years quite a few Guys come on and off here that may be electronic gurus in the trade and may have just come on this without just relying on Google. Things are a changing so fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 On 24 January (purely out of interest) I asked about this idea on the Quora website on the basis that (if it were widely known about) the website's international coverage and regular discussions about vehicle electronics and batteries might elicit useful information - and I specifically sought comments from 'specialists'. So far - although my posting has been viewed 23 times - there have been no comments. (I considered asking major battery retailers who I knew also fitted batteries and Yuasa and Banner who have given me advice in the past. However, I decided against this, as - with so little background to the idea - I felt that I'd just be wasting their and my time.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 Again Derek I thought it may have given everyone on here something to think about, It was also new to me and made me investigate a little further as you have yourself, I am now informed this method is helpful on reconnection of airbag modules ? and not just the reconnection of the vehicle battery alone as I initially thought. Which I really found very strange. So just as not to cause any confusion in my message Reconnection of earth , all auxiliaries turn off Including inside lights (doors closed ) and ignition turned on before connecting earth last! (for reconnection of air bag module) ? I am still awaiting a reply from the tech team that put it out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 On 1/22/2023 at 1:13 PM, TonyEmm said: I wouldn’t have the keys anywhere near the ignition when connecting/disconnecting batteries! It’s good practice to ALWAYS disconnect the earth first, and replace it last. I failed to do that once, many years ago, and blew a hole in my wedding ring when a ring spanner touched a bit of metalwork… 🥴 Made the same mistake many years ago and there is a tiny burr or nick on my ring !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 Yes true and how dangerous that can be Connecting the battery correctly and wearing correct PPE (as we all should) is a given Except for this ? I am only addressing the reconnection of the said earth with the ignition on (when maybe replacing sensitive modules such as airbag modules) for example Trying myself to get to the bottom of this statement and hoped someone else on here may have come accross this as its not very well documented on google or other websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 1 hour ago, onecal said: I am only addressing the reconnection of the said earth with the ignition on (when maybe replacing sensitive modules such as airbag modules) for example Trying myself to get to the bottom of this statement and hoped someone else on here may have come accross this as its not very well documented on google or other websites Onecal, I have worked in the motor industry for over fifty years with the last ten years in a test and development role on electric and hybrid vehicles and have never heard of turning the ignition on before reconnecting the battery. In fact our number one rule was to make sure everything was turned off and the keys were out of the car before reconnection. IMO reconnecting with the ignition turned on is more likely to cause a surge of current and a fuse or module blowing. And no I will not be the guinea pig to try your suggestion! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 Hi Keith , Thanks for your reply, so have I. They are not my suggestions ! I can assure you I am only asking , if anyone one else has come across this statement , in repair data, car mag, etc' I first thought on reading it was on reconnecting the earth of the battery alone , which really puzzled me , later to see it was on reconnection of sensitive air bag module? Maybe things are a changing? I in no way, "suggest anyone try this at home" or anywhere else until conclusive evidence can be provided it's safe to do on reconnection of said air bag modules ? I can again assure you it's far from my suggestion, but it's out there as one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 Hi Anyone find it anywhere , I am amazed no one else has come on this in the trade ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 You've said earlier that this vehicle battery reconnection advice is "...far from well documented" and "...not very well documented on google or other websites", so it's hardly surprising if members of this small specialised forum are unable to track down the information on-line (or anywhere else). You've also said "I am still awaiting a reply from the tech team that put it out there". The implication of the statements I've highlighted above is that you know where on-line the contra-intuitive advice is documented and also know its source. Consequently, it should be a simple matter for you to provide links to where the advice is so that forum-members who are interested (and have the necessary technical expertise) can read it and comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globebuster1 Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 12 hours ago, onecal said: Hi Anyone find it anywhere , I am amazed no one else has come on this in the trade ? I don't think anyone can find it onecal - because there seems there is no reference to it anywhere. I would say if Derek hasn't found anything, and given Keith's background, he advises against it - then that's good enough for me. I did consider asking a couple of friends, who are both very experienced mechanics, but thought better of it as I would be fairly confident of their reply. Although I did ask my son who is a Marine Development and Design Engineer - his reply was 'why the...........would you do that!' I'd still be interested in what your tech team have to say on the matter, and I didn't even realise my earlier tongue in cheek reply regarding Air Bag modules, was so relevant to your post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 Yes, Very strange no one else can find it , but then again it's as I have said it's not everywhere. But it is out there and yes is used on replacing air bag modules as I am informed, I put it up here out of interest, something I found a little confusing and I am very much involved myself in electronics for many years. Not to worry as the attachment shows it's out there in the trade, marked for your perusal Hope everyone found it a little interesting Regards to all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 The 'warning' does appear on-line, but - as far as I can make out = it only occurs in entries relating to VW Group vehicles (example here) https://www.vwgolf.org/working_on_airbag_system-2763.html This discussion may be of interest https://www.reddit.com/r/Volkswagen/comments/4eb7yk/need_to_disconnect_battery_when_disconnecting/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g7eor Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 "No persons may be in the interior when the battery is reconnected" How can this be right when the battery is in the floor of the cab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 14 minutes ago, g7eor said: "No persons may be in the interior when the battery is reconnected" How can this be right when the battery is in the floor of the cab? Because it is a VW document and does not apply to Fiat Ducato's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 As it seems this query relates to a Fiat Ducato, I'm just puzzled as to why the point hasn't been put to Fiat technical. After all, they build the things, employ the engineers who design them, and write the manuals that accompany them. So, surely, no-one is better equipped to advise the correct procedure for disconnecting/re-connecting the starter battery on a Ducato, (albeit one may need to quote exact model, year of manufacture, and possibly VIN, to get the most relevant guidance)? So, why not? Too easy? 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 Hi Brian, I really think it should be , I would be interested in their reply. To be honest I just put it out there out of interest and not to relating to any particular model , Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 As the 'warning' shown in onecal's image was to do with VW Group vehicles I assumed it was a German-to-English translation. I translated the English text back into German (using GOOGLE Translate) and then GOOGLE-searched the result. There's a fair amount of discussion/argument about this on German VW-related forums, with a participant on a 2016 thread saying Switching on the ignition and then disconnecting the negative terminal from the battery is the recommended procedure according to the workshop manual. My guess is that this will (instantly) dissipate the residual voltage (and discharge the capacitors) so there is no voltage left to deploy the airbags. Later switch on the ignition and then connect the battery. If the airbag deploys, you're far enough away. Perhaps not too surprisingly( 😀) the German forum members who had been DIYing their VW cars all said that they had strictly followed VW's guidance regarding the battery disconnection/reconnection procedure when they worked on the air-bag system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 I think Derek its on more than just German VW Forums and much more recent than 2016?😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 As the 'warning' (seemingly) relates only to VW Group vehicles and these are sold internationally, it's to be expected that it will appear widely on-line in various different languages. My citing a 2016 German forum thread was not to suggest that the 'warning' might be out-of-date, but that it had been published as early as 2016 (and, in fact, still appears to be current). There is an abundance of on-line advice about how to replace a vehicle's starter-battery, but none (that's NONE) of this mentions the procedure described in the 'warning'. This is hardly surprising, as the 'warning' relates to working on an airbag system, not a simple starter-battery replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 Hi Strange, it is out there and in English , for all to read and is not just on forums? Re Air bag modules and reconnecting the battery ? And it is out there and can of course be found , that was why I put it up here out of interest as it was a conflicting way of doing it for me Maybe it applies to more modules than just VAG related . Times are a changing Regards to all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 If you had provided on 19 January the image you posted yesterday, so much wasted time could have been avoided. Obviously the procedure described in the VAG documentation could be relevant to other makes, but I'll leave it up to you to see if you can find non-VAG-related entries that include the same advice. (I understand that you are following up this procedure yourself - presumably with an 'official' VAG source? - but I've no idea how you would have framed your enquiry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 Hi All Its out there and available , not just on a forum/forums , and again not just on media that may or may not be reliable that maybe we all are guilty of just looking up from time to time . The decision to accept the advice , is of course always yours as in taking the advice from these sources. I asked the question out of interest ,to see if anyone else on here had come across such a statement (without just looking up forums etc' for answers if they had not) Again I hope you all found it of interest and not a waste of time. Regards to all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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