Accidentally Shorted Battery

[MP_R33]

I recently had to charge my flat battery ( not using car very much at the moment) and when I attached the neg lead back to the battery (with pos obviously already connected) I accidently (and clumsily) touched the ratchet used to tighten the nut between the neg and pos terminals of the battery resulting in big spark and me jumping quite high.

The car has been used since then and everything seems normal, but my question is could there have been damage to the electrics and/or the battery?

I have heard the ECU can be damaged at you may not know?

Many thanks.

[Shoota_77]

If there were any dramas you'd know by now. It would have blown one of the fusible links in the boot if it shorted badly enough and for long enough.

[Hadouken]

She drives?

She's sweet

[MP_R33]

Could it damage the ECUand/or the sensors going into it? Or would the ignition need to be on to cause damage?

[Hadouken]

It could have. but you would know about it.

If electronics is f**ked then its f**ked.

[MP_R33]

Not if one of the sensors was gone I'm pretty sure?

[jiffo]

As others have said, you'd know immediately if anything was cooked.

Your short was in parallel with the various electronic items so the effect is greatly reduced.

(Like the load of the starter motor which is in parallel with the car's electrics)

Main thing is you've learnt a lesson, spanners and battery posts…….

Must be 45 years back my mate did something similar, accidentally touched the spanner onto his expandable watch band while he inadvertently rested the watch on the other terminal.

Watch band lit up like a toaster element.

You kidding we didn't have fun removing the remains of his watch band with cooked skin attached.

Lesson: No watches, wedding rings……….

[MP_R33]

No good, well just checking really. Thanks for all your help.

[MrStabby]

Sounds like the short was through the ratchet, so you should be ok.

[MP_R33]

Definatly shorted through the ratchet, it melted abit lol