What are the consequences of reversing car battery connections?
2 Answers
If the positive and negative terminals are reversed, it can cause many electrical appliances in the car to burn out upon powering on, and may also blow the fuses. Below is an introduction to car batteries: 1. Introduction: A car battery is a type of battery, also known as a storage battery, which works by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. The commonly referred car battery is a lead-acid battery, which mainly uses lead and its oxides as electrodes and sulfuric acid solution as the electrolyte. 2. Classification: Ordinary batteries, dry-charged batteries, and maintenance-free batteries. 3. Principle: Uses lead plates filled with spongy lead as the negative electrode, lead plates filled with lead dioxide as the positive electrode, and 22-28% dilute sulfuric acid as the electrolyte. During charging, electrical energy is converted into chemical energy, and during discharging, chemical energy is converted back into electrical energy.
Last time I replaced the battery myself, I accidentally reversed the polarity and nearly caused a disaster. As soon as I connected the positive and negative terminals, I heard a popping sound and saw sparks flying—turns out the fuse had blown, and the car completely shut down. Further inspection revealed that the ECU module was smoking. They say that thing controls the engine and ABS, and repairing it would cost several thousand dollars. Even worse, if I had started the engine, the alternator might have burned out, and the battery itself could have overheated, expanded, and even exploded. I was so scared that I immediately cut the power. Later, the mechanic told me this was actually a minor case—if a short circuit had occurred, the entire electrical system could have been fried. So now I take extra precautions, always marking the polarity before working to avoid a financial disaster. If you do connect it wrong, disconnect immediately and seek help—don’t force it.
