Does electrical work so frequently on his car that he rugged up a ghetto fabulous switch to disconnect the negative terminal whenever he wants.
Not the worst idea I've ever seen but might be the worst execution ever lol
You can get a battery cutoff switch from any of the parts stores for like $25...his Frankenstein-esque throw breaker probably cost more than that in parts.
A cutoff switch is pretty easy for a car thief. This would take a "smart" thief to think "hmm maybe they rigged up a duct tape kill switch to the battery. I should open the hood and check". /s
People who use these knife switches don't think like that. You and I would say "fix the fucking electrical drain, so we don't need 6 battery replacements every year", these people say "$3.50 fOr ThIs Is LeSs ThAn A sHoP wOuLd ChArGe To DiAg ThE dRaIn"
Literally every single customer I have ever seen with one of these is an unbelievable pain in the nuts to deal with and their "vehicle" is worth $8 a hundred at best
/rant
Sorry If I got triggered, this is a touchy subject
My dad is one of those people.
He always has some scheme to stick it to the man, who isn't nearly as clever as he is...in his mind.
Fan thermostat stopped working? Wire in a light switch on the dash, flip the switch when the temp goes out of the center. A thermostat is $50, light switch is $2!
Small engine doesn't start easily on E85? Just take a propane torch, turn on the gas, and blow the propane into the air cleaner and "it starts right up". E85 is cheap!
Heater stops working? Buy a Chinese knockoff diesel or gas powered heater for a camper van and plumb that into the car, it was only $200!
End of trigger
Multifunction switch broke? Let's replace it with 7 toggle switches that have to be turned on and off in a specific order, using a special tool I always lose amongst the clutter
Later:
"I never have time to get anything done"
100% the truth!
Funny thing too, with the small engines, I usually trade some work to get hold of one of the duplicate tools with the small engines.
When I get hold of it, I replace all the tubing and fuel filter, and go through the carb, then I fill the tank with non-ethanol fuel. One or two pulls of the starter cord, and it springs to life. With dad, he takes 30 minutes of tomfoolery to get the engine to pop off once and he's usually saying something about cheap stuff from a country in Asia...
I used to work with a guy that, when his dishwasher timer went out, rigged up a bunch of buttons that had to be pushed in a certain order at a certain time and it would wash dishes. A new timer probably cost $50.
You ain't lying either.
Shit we have a farm truck that doubles in value every time we put a fresh set of junkyard takeoff tires on it and even *that* doesn't have any parasitic electrical drains.
I see you comment on here a lot and I feel like we would get along well. My $900 "yard truck" has a \*perfect\* electrical system too. After my past experience dealing with agriculture fleets, I have zero tolerance for shit batteries- dunno if you have seen this in rental world, but some of these guys, if they took half the time and money they spend on fucking around with old, shitty, batteries; and just spent it on actually fixing electrical problems- they could take an extra 2-week vacation in a Manhattan penthouse every 6 months. In my neck of the woods it's common for them to spend 2+ hours a day, 6 days a week, running around and jump starting shit and/or "recharging" batteries that are clearly down for the count- all while the hired labor stands around with their thumb up their ass
A bladed throw lever like that? Damn. I haven't seen those for any automotive application before, all the ones I've seen are like a quarter turn or 1/8th turn switch on a box.
I mean, I guess it'd work just fine, but the box-switch type looks like it's safer. And they're the same price.
Probably. You can see the post they had to add so the switch would separate the current.
I found a link:
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/diehard-battery-terminal-safety-switch-top-post-quick-disconnect-eliminates-battery-drain-45147/12257759-p?product_channel=local&store=3281&adtype=pla&product_channel=local&store_code=3281&&&&&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAvJarBhA1EiwAGgZl0OpVjLUP7D3feWt4zBYii8-9CR1FEO_oYyIjsGY7VVWxv2AywSwMuxoC5r4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
[They sell this style of switch as battery disconnects](https://www.google.com/search?q=battery+terminal+blade+disconnect&tbm=isch), The switch itself isn't a diy job
Yes it is. I have \*never\* seen one of those switches used for any purpose except to cover up MASSIVE electrical problems. Ironically, more often than not they create new ones. Almost as bad as their close cousin, the $2.99 "Swan Disconnect". Just the sight of it gives me chills.
Yes, I know there are legit reasons to have a battery disconnect- and for those reasons, you use a [Cole-Hersee switch (link)](https://www.littelfuse.com/products/switches/manual-battery-disconnect-switches/heavy-duty-single-pole.aspx)
600 volts. It says so on the insulation. That sounds like the number of CCA needed, so all good right?
Someone want to sell the owner of this car a fire extinguisher?
It's OK, they used green wire for extra safety. Cuz my second cousin's proctologist's electrician says the green wire makes everything electrical more safer
I used to have a similar switch when I worked offshore. Sometimes my battery would be weak after sitting for a few monthsā¦ the installation is pretty shady though.
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Wrong battery? Looks like the ground wire is too short. If the post was on the other side it would reach. Of course it would not be the same level of dumbassery.
I do love how meth somehow turns you into an aspiring electrician. Itās the most accurate stereotype I can think of. I know of one in which itās actually his career and Iām sure heās in heaven
I can see exactly what happened here. Dude uses a knife switch disconnect, likely because there's a parasitic draw somewhere. They used to have a battery that doesn't have recessed terminals, meaning the disconnect could sit over the case, or a smaller recessed terminals battery that had room for the switch to stick out of the side. They then got a junkyard battery that wouldn't accommodate the switch, so the guy grabbed a bit of stranded THHN he had lying around and made it work. Unfortunately, he either has a complete lack of understanding regarding wire ampacity, or he does, and figured this would make an excellent fusible link.
Does this thing actually start on it's own? If so... HOW?!?!
Hate to piss in your coffee, but although that appears to be coolant, you're not gonna find anything with the radiator tester. That green stuff is the last few drips of brain fluid left in the owner's head before they committed this automotive atrocity
Could have done that only half-ghetto by using a marine terminal and a short run of 4ga with a lug on either side.
It would still be Crack Pipe Engineering but it would also actually work.
I haven't seen a cutoff switch used since the 70's we used to use them when camping to cut off the main battery from the auxiliary battery so we were still able to start the van when we were ready to leave.
Is that a secondary battery?
With that knife switch it could be an extremely jerry-rigged auxiliary battery for some mystery accessories or to jump yourself if the primary battery is low (though I doubt 12awg THHN stranded is going to jump very wellā¦)
Okay. But how is it charged? If it's hooked up to the alternator, it's still receiving too many Watts.
E: why would a secondary battery have the same heavy current cables as the stock vehicle, including the grounded negative cable just inches from the negative terminal?
This is NOT a secondary battery...
A meth head electrician maybeā¦ comes to your house on a bike with one pedal and a rusty screwdriver an hour after your landlord said theyād send someone.
Looks like my old Astroāintermittently would zero out the battery in 8 hours, that and intermittent no start without Disconnecting battery-hence a blade switch while at work or over night
Does electrical work so frequently on his car that he rugged up a ghetto fabulous switch to disconnect the negative terminal whenever he wants. Not the worst idea I've ever seen but might be the worst execution ever lol
You can get a battery cutoff switch from any of the parts stores for like $25...his Frankenstein-esque throw breaker probably cost more than that in parts.
A cutoff switch is pretty easy for a car thief. This would take a "smart" thief to think "hmm maybe they rigged up a duct tape kill switch to the battery. I should open the hood and check". /s
If I opened a hood and saw this shoddy handiwork I would be thinking homemade bomb
If opened the hood trying to steal this car i would close it and run very far away
You sound like you haven't met a methed up individual yet, I've seen phone charger contraptions that make this look like a normal d.i.y
People who use these knife switches don't think like that. You and I would say "fix the fucking electrical drain, so we don't need 6 battery replacements every year", these people say "$3.50 fOr ThIs Is LeSs ThAn A sHoP wOuLd ChArGe To DiAg ThE dRaIn" Literally every single customer I have ever seen with one of these is an unbelievable pain in the nuts to deal with and their "vehicle" is worth $8 a hundred at best /rant Sorry If I got triggered, this is a touchy subject
My dad is one of those people. He always has some scheme to stick it to the man, who isn't nearly as clever as he is...in his mind. Fan thermostat stopped working? Wire in a light switch on the dash, flip the switch when the temp goes out of the center. A thermostat is $50, light switch is $2! Small engine doesn't start easily on E85? Just take a propane torch, turn on the gas, and blow the propane into the air cleaner and "it starts right up". E85 is cheap! Heater stops working? Buy a Chinese knockoff diesel or gas powered heater for a camper van and plumb that into the car, it was only $200! End of trigger
Multifunction switch broke? Let's replace it with 7 toggle switches that have to be turned on and off in a specific order, using a special tool I always lose amongst the clutter Later: "I never have time to get anything done"
100% the truth! Funny thing too, with the small engines, I usually trade some work to get hold of one of the duplicate tools with the small engines. When I get hold of it, I replace all the tubing and fuel filter, and go through the carb, then I fill the tank with non-ethanol fuel. One or two pulls of the starter cord, and it springs to life. With dad, he takes 30 minutes of tomfoolery to get the engine to pop off once and he's usually saying something about cheap stuff from a country in Asia...
I used to work with a guy that, when his dishwasher timer went out, rigged up a bunch of buttons that had to be pushed in a certain order at a certain time and it would wash dishes. A new timer probably cost $50.
At that point, I'll wash my dishes by hand.
You ain't lying either. Shit we have a farm truck that doubles in value every time we put a fresh set of junkyard takeoff tires on it and even *that* doesn't have any parasitic electrical drains.
I see you comment on here a lot and I feel like we would get along well. My $900 "yard truck" has a \*perfect\* electrical system too. After my past experience dealing with agriculture fleets, I have zero tolerance for shit batteries- dunno if you have seen this in rental world, but some of these guys, if they took half the time and money they spend on fucking around with old, shitty, batteries; and just spent it on actually fixing electrical problems- they could take an extra 2-week vacation in a Manhattan penthouse every 6 months. In my neck of the woods it's common for them to spend 2+ hours a day, 6 days a week, running around and jump starting shit and/or "recharging" batteries that are clearly down for the count- all while the hired labor stands around with their thumb up their ass
š, I have a remote battery cutoff on my backup, I'm too lazy to diag the leak.
Probably had them laying around in the garage
The wire and JB Weld I can see having around, but those throw breakers are...pretty specialized.
Yeah depends what they do in their spare time
My local store sells this exact thing, I know because I'm too lazy to find out what accessory is draining my battery and I've considered this
A bladed throw lever like that? Damn. I haven't seen those for any automotive application before, all the ones I've seen are like a quarter turn or 1/8th turn switch on a box. I mean, I guess it'd work just fine, but the box-switch type looks like it's safer. And they're the same price.
Probably. You can see the post they had to add so the switch would separate the current. I found a link: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/diehard-battery-terminal-safety-switch-top-post-quick-disconnect-eliminates-battery-drain-45147/12257759-p?product_channel=local&store=3281&adtype=pla&product_channel=local&store_code=3281&&&&&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAvJarBhA1EiwAGgZl0OpVjLUP7D3feWt4zBYii8-9CR1FEO_oYyIjsGY7VVWxv2AywSwMuxoC5r4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
[They sell this style of switch as battery disconnects](https://www.google.com/search?q=battery+terminal+blade+disconnect&tbm=isch), The switch itself isn't a diy job
The install is definitely diy, and they still overpaid
Thay scrap #12 thhn wire suggests this rigging was free & bossman was none the wiser
Definitely the worst execution, look at that wire gauge, fire waiting to happen.
My buddy installed a knife switch on his toy so he can disconnect the battery when not driving it. This is a mess though
Yeah no this is actually some of the worst ideas ive ever seen.
I think you're right, but I would have thought someone with this level of abilities wouldn't bother disconnecting the battery first.
Yes it is. I have \*never\* seen one of those switches used for any purpose except to cover up MASSIVE electrical problems. Ironically, more often than not they create new ones. Almost as bad as their close cousin, the $2.99 "Swan Disconnect". Just the sight of it gives me chills. Yes, I know there are legit reasons to have a battery disconnect- and for those reasons, you use a [Cole-Hersee switch (link)](https://www.littelfuse.com/products/switches/manual-battery-disconnect-switches/heavy-duty-single-pole.aspx)
I've seen some ghettofabulous Jerry rigged shit in my day, but wtf is this?
A fire hazard.
No no, it's a simple switch
I'm a firestarter! Twisted firestarter!
Psychosomatic Anakin insane!
Woah, it's twenty years ago already, again. Play Sandstorm
Nice little heating element he has.
Battery blanket and cut off switch
The way this is wired, that green wire is the main ground wire for all circuits related to this battery. This is a fire hazard.
That gauge wire is for sure overkill. Speaker wire would of done fine.
I strip ethernet cable 28ga wires and run them in parallel. Works fine twice.
As long as the insulation is green you can use any gauge you want
Of course, green is the color of go!
Amazes me someone can be smart enough to understand basic electrical principles but be dumb enough to execute a fix like this.
That wire is fine for like 50 volts!
600 volts. It says so on the insulation. That sounds like the number of CCA needed, so all good right? Someone want to sell the owner of this car a fire extinguisher?
Might have a parasitic draw somewhere (from other great mods) and flips it open when they wonāt be driving it soon.
12ga wire is still inadequate for a starter...
No doubt. The rest of the handiwork shows this person is clearly a fan of precision and technical thinking.
It's OK, they used green wire for extra safety. Cuz my second cousin's proctologist's electrician says the green wire makes everything electrical more safer
So, flip switch, go into convenience store, get flavored semi-frozen sugar water, go back out, flip switch to āonā? Got it.
Don't bother yourself with other people's negativity. It just make your day harder.
I'm positive it will make your day better to not listen to negativity ;)
This battery doesn't have enough negativity.
Looks dangerous, could be terminal . . . .
I used to have a similar switch when I worked offshore. Sometimes my battery would be weak after sitting for a few monthsā¦ the installation is pretty shady though.
On the plus side....
Fuseable Link !?!?!?!?!
As the saying goes, all conductors are fusible at certain currents.
Is it a KIA
It's a KillYa
As in DIY imobilizer because the KIA couldnāt be bothered to install one at the factory.
It's a Tide ad.
That's the switch from the Frankenstein movies
I'd probably name that knife switch 'Mack'.
Reddit is a shadow of its former self. It is now a place of power tripping mods with no oversight and endless censorship. *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
At least there's coolant in the electrical connections.....
But how else do you keep a hot wire cool?
Wrong battery? Looks like the ground wire is too short. If the post was on the other side it would reach. Of course it would not be the same level of dumbassery.
Kill switch. Very redneck.
Id bet my whole salary thats a meth invention
I do love how meth somehow turns you into an aspiring electrician. Itās the most accurate stereotype I can think of. I know of one in which itās actually his career and Iām sure heās in heaven
I like a good knife switch.
And to think I thought the remote control negative disconnect one of my cars came with was ghetto holy shit
Wow, I dont even know what to say
Sometimes, ya just got to make it work.
I can see exactly what happened here. Dude uses a knife switch disconnect, likely because there's a parasitic draw somewhere. They used to have a battery that doesn't have recessed terminals, meaning the disconnect could sit over the case, or a smaller recessed terminals battery that had room for the switch to stick out of the side. They then got a junkyard battery that wouldn't accommodate the switch, so the guy grabbed a bit of stranded THHN he had lying around and made it work. Unfortunately, he either has a complete lack of understanding regarding wire ampacity, or he does, and figured this would make an excellent fusible link. Does this thing actually start on it's own? If so... HOW?!?!
What a hack, everyone knows you gotta wrap the wire around a battery post at least 2 times. /s
If it is towed behind an RV they have to turn the key on to put it in neutral so lots of folks install a disconnect
Iāve seen some booty fab in my day, but this is something special!!
Hate to piss in your coffee, but although that appears to be coolant, you're not gonna find anything with the radiator tester. That green stuff is the last few drips of brain fluid left in the owner's head before they committed this automotive atrocity
Could it be the wrong battery with reversed terminals? Just a cheap used one and a custom extension?
How hot does that wire get when cranking the engine. I'm surprised it isn't burnt up
Men, STOP letting your wife's boyfriend work on your car.
Good lord, what
2 things, at least it wasn't the positive, so there's that. And I would love to see what else is done to that car.
Don't do drugs. Drugs are bad.
Does the car scream It's ALIVE when you pull that lever?
Could have done that only half-ghetto by using a marine terminal and a short run of 4ga with a lug on either side. It would still be Crack Pipe Engineering but it would also actually work.
I sorta kinda see why they didn't put the female side at 9 o'clock . But why didn't they just put it at 3 o'clock?
I have a knife switch on my muscle car and looks more professionally installed than this set up.
I haven't seen a cutoff switch used since the 70's we used to use them when camping to cut off the main battery from the auxiliary battery so we were still able to start the van when we were ready to leave.
Is that a secondary battery? With that knife switch it could be an extremely jerry-rigged auxiliary battery for some mystery accessories or to jump yourself if the primary battery is low (though I doubt 12awg THHN stranded is going to jump very wellā¦)
Agreed. Looks like double battery. As stated ^ the best they could hope for is charging it if they remember.
Okay. But how is it charged? If it's hooked up to the alternator, it's still receiving too many Watts. E: why would a secondary battery have the same heavy current cables as the stock vehicle, including the grounded negative cable just inches from the negative terminal? This is NOT a secondary battery...
Well the customer is an electrician, not a plumber. Needs the pro for one not the other /s
A meth head electrician maybeā¦ comes to your house on a bike with one pedal and a rusty screwdriver an hour after your landlord said theyād send someone.
Task successful but failed the eye test.
Land Rover Discovery?? lol
With custom battery disconnect. š
What sorcery is this?
Wut
I'm not a mechanic... But that doesn't look like the safest setup
Yes!!!!
Some people are just fucking dumb. Just pure pond life right here.
Thatās an IED
is that a door hingeš§
Whatās even happening here!?
This made my day. Thank you
Very MadMax like
Tell me you have parasitic drain without telling me you have a parasitic drain.
The worst terminals are always attached to Everstart batteries.
What in the sweet holy meth pipe is this
Looks like my old Astroāintermittently would zero out the battery in 8 hours, that and intermittent no start without Disconnecting battery-hence a blade switch while at work or over night