More Magic Blue Smoke than I Could Handle !

[Therapy]

Just glad you are OK.

[Andy R]

DOOH!



Glad your OK and the damage was limited!

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Rick, did you ever work for me? I remember telling a guy that used to work for me that if I ever caught him with a screw driver in his hand again I would break his fingers. Similar smoke, but from inside a main frame computer.

OK, Totally off topic but since there's an opening... At a company I worked for there was a major computer outage. One of the Veeps went on a rampage about the person responsible was going to be given a "walk in the park" and that they would be found. So a crew examined the video records for the area at the time of the outage and what do they see? Said VP, on a tour of the area, is toggling the power switch thinking that it opens the cabinet. Of course there were no consequences but I bet he did a bit of this:

[justlearnin]

Originally Posted by ViribusUnitis

Just make sure you clean the heck out of the engine compartment before you try to start anything. Very few things kill an engine as effectively as dry chemical fire extingusher dust.

****DO NOT**** let water anywhere near this dust vaccume only. I set fire to my truck doing body work 2 years ago, WHAT a mess , extinguisher dust everywhere. dont dont DONT get it wet.

[justlearnin]

I once closed the circuit across a row of batts while working on 120 volts of DC on an emergency lighting unit. This was around 70 volts worth of batts. It took completly off the loop on my bosses adjustable wrench and I saw nothing but stars for a half hour. On a side note I replaced those batts 12 years later ands was LOTS more careful. <G>

[Ex-Calif]

So happy no one got hurt, Rick. Just a little pride and thanks for sharing. Based on the comments I expected a lot worse. I think you got off lucky. I have seen wet cells explode. Good decision to vacate the area once the smoke started.

Hey - at least there was a minute chance of her sinking, sittin' in the driveway an all....

[agrainofsand]

An investment in knowldge always pays the best intrest. (Ben Franklin)
And yes I have fried a tool or 2 crossing wires. But we do learn. I am wiring in my solar panels and inverter so disconnect the battries and shore power and cover the panels. No blue smoke needed.

[knottybuoyz]

What burnt marked in red.



Sorry, thought it was 6 ga but it's 8 ga. Hardest part will be replacing what's burnt inside the main harness. Standby. I suspect the circuit breaker, cranking motor relay & ACR are probably toast. Otherwise there's nothing else I can see wrong other than the positive terminal melted off the starter battery.

[wildebeest3]

Excellent lesson. I did the same sort of thing with a running car motor and pulled off the positive cable while it was running and I fried the alternator.

I will remember your lesson while I am tinkering in the engine compartment of the boat.

Glad you are safe!

[Sailmonkey]

You know, when I read the title of the post this is not the discussion I thought I'd see.....

[knottybuoyz]

Thnx for all the kind words folks. I did get messed up a little bit from jumping off the back of the boat. My back has been killing me all week. Pulled a muscle or something. Had to book off a few days work. If it doesn't get an better over the weekend I'll have to go see the family saw bones.

The hardest part now is I'm starting to second guess myself in everything I do!

[SkiprJohn]

Glad you're ok. I still have a little notch out of my wedding ring and a scar around that finger because I did a stunt like that with a vice grips and a battery in a tight space on a West Wight Potter 19 one time.
Yes, double checking everything is my mantra now. I'm becoming more forgetful as each year goes by.
regards,

[DeepFrz]

Sorry to hear that you hurt yourself Rick. I hope your back is better soon.

[knottybuoyz]

My back kept bothering me and I broke out in a rash. Went to see the Doc and low and behold I got shingles (not the roofing variety either). Dammit! Now I can't even work on the boat to get it ready for sale. Where I've got the shingles it makes it very hard to sit let along skrunch myself up into a lil' ball and work in the bilge.

We had a nice couple aboard today and they seem very very interested if I can get it back in running order. Time to call the mobile mechanic!

[Mark Zarley]

I have a battery disconnect switch between my batteries and my starter. If my solenoid should stick, or a wrench go to ground I am a click away from de-energizing the system. The switch can be reached without going into the eng room. I have 2 engs and 2 switches. The switches are 4 position, batt 1or batt 2 or both or off. I have them wired so in both mode the 2 batteries are combined to provide a "jump start" to either eng. I have no fuse in the start circuit, which is accepable. If a switch would have been available for Rick to click off , it would have been just so easy to prevent this.