Pushbutton_auto

had first experience of the danger of the battery under the seat yesterday.

Replaced the seat yesterday and forgot the new battery was slightly higher than usual, closed door, JUST glanced around before going up drive and smoke everywhere in back of car.

Opened the door and pulled out the seat, still burning, lucky I had a towel to smother it, but ...

New battery toasted ...


Now no lights on dash,

Fuse ?

Relay ?

Battery cable ?

V8QinNJ

I'm gonna say battery grounds..
Then fuse(s).

Good Luck

RussB

If the battery's positive post was shorted to ground by the metal seat frame, the fault current probably flowed only beneath the seat: from the battery's + post, to the seat frame, to wherever the seat frame contacts the car body, and from there through the battery's ground lead to its negative post. Since these are large conductors and a fully charged battery could momentarily supply many hundreds of Amperes,any connection in the fault current path with greater than 0.000 Ohms will quickly heat and oxidize many metals.

I'd use solvent and appropriate battery post cleaners to start with at each connection in the fault current path. I'll bet that local oxidation and/or carbon has increased their resistance.

Pushbutton_auto

AV8RUK

The battery normally should have protective covers that shield the cable/terminal when the battery is in the car. Like a flap, one red other blue. They clip into the round slots.
If these are missing, as they tend to be over the years, you could either scavenge from a breakers yard as i did, or make a couple up with a sheet of PVC/plastic.

Kneale Brownson

Every new battery I've purchased from Sam's Club for my 200s/V8s came with the vent tube and red cover for the positive terminal. Don't know if either would do you any good on an "oversize" battery "slightly higher" than OEM. Don't know why anyone would install such a battery unless they planned to leave the rear seat out and liked explosive fumes floating around in the car.

a-talk

Yipes! Luckily you caught it before you had a "car-bbq" there! My new battery came with a positive cover, and I use it for this very reason. Also, on my old 5000, I glued some thick felt above the positive terminal because A) the battery was big, and B) I didn't have a cover.

Pushbutton_auto

Battery had no covers, tho I have seen plastic plates and other things under the other seats. Battery had been in a month with no trouble, except I clearly forgot when replacing the seat this time, as I distinctly remember giving it a good push down this time ...

No one sits in the back, so I forgot about it, the size difference was in mm, but yeah I should have sorted something out.

Surely there must be a failsafe somewhere in the line ....

Weird I was just discussing with a friend who wanted the positive cable out of my spare car and how hard it was to get out ....


Lucky to still have the quattro for sure, but even worse if it had gone up, was the Western Star heavy vehicle Tow-truck, was parked about six feet away in driveway ... so maybe should be just thankful all round.

Pushbutton_auto

OH YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


waited all this time for a miracle and guess what ....


I was swapping the cars over in driveway (for what i thought was the last time) and thought i would just try the quattro one last time, popped the battery on the floor, connected the jumpers and the alarm went off, I instantly leapt in the drivers seat and wham-o, ignition and lift off ..........


Thanks for all your replies and I will check all the visible wiring to make sure, but i am so happy now i'm heading off for the fridge ..........

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