how to tell which is + and which is - on a car battery?

[guapo337]

Our f-ing car's battery is dead again (Yes, the Land Rover is a piece of sh!t.) My mother and I are the only ones home, and we dont know much about cars. We do know, however, how to charge the battery, but my dad put in a new battery. Which side is positive, which side is negative?

 

[KingNothing]

They're marked.

 

[Monel Funkawitz]

+ and - is marked on the battery, ususally on the top or sides.

Red cable connects to +

Black connects to -

 

[tweakmm]

Red is a pretty damn universal color for a hot wire. If you are working with any electronics and you see a black and red wire, chances are unles somebody is trying to screw with people the red will be possitive and black will be negative.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

red = positive, black negative. if you still cant find it get some baking soda + water and clean off the battery looking for the + and -

 

[tnitsuj]

Come on. It isn't that hard. It is marked on the battery.

 

[Kelemvor]

But don't hook the jumper cable to the negative end of the battery if you're going to jump it with another car. It gets hooked to a piece of metal on the car somewhere. On the working car it gets hoooked to both battery poles, dead car, just the positive.

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
But don't hook the jumper cable to the negative end of the battery if you're going to jump it with another car. It gets hooked to a piece of metal on the car somewhere. On the working car it gets hoooked to both battery poles, dead car, just the positive.

I've always understood that if you connected the negative clip to the negative post instead of a ground, you would get a better charge but have a risk of blowing both batteries up.

 

[sharkeeper]

The NEGATIVE (NEG -) is ALWAYS connected to the FRAME of the vehicle.

-DAK-

 

[guapo337]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
But don't hook the jumper cable to the negative end of the battery if you're going to jump it with another car. It gets hooked to a piece of metal on the car somewhere. On the working car it gets hoooked to both battery poles, dead car, just the positive.

Yeah I knew that. For some reason, my mom couldnt find which one was which.

 

[MichaelD]

Yeah I knew that. For some reason, my mom couldnt find which one was which.

This statement is self-explanatory. Don't worry; it gets worse. Someday you'll have an automotive-ignorant woman of your own to deal with.

Then you get to explain why the $49.99 "transmission rebuild" down at Jose's Automotive Emporium is slightly inferior to the $499.99 rebuild offered by the dealer.

 

[NeoPTLD]

For your own safety, I suggest you don't work on it if you can't figure this out.

 

[guapo337]

Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
For your own safety, I suggest you don't work on it if you can't figure this out.

I never looked at it myself!

 

[NeoPTLD]

Originally posted by: guapo337

Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
For your own safety, I suggest you don't work on it if you can't figure this out.

I never looked at it myself!

That even strengthens my point.

Close the hood. Pick up the phone and call AAA or a local towing company who does road side assistance.

 

[aircooled]

Any modern battery is marked.

 

[joecool]

Originally posted by: aircooled
Any modern battery is marked.

^

 

[Brutuskend]

If the battery has the posts on top, the NEG is always smaller around than the POS.