Disconecting batteries?

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How many of you guys disconnect the batteries of a piece of equip or vehicle that you are working on? I disconnect them every time no matter how old the piece is.
Reply:I'll assume you mean to to weld on them. It doesn't take that long and most vehicle ECM's aren't cheap and a lot of the electronic components aren't either.                                            MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Yes before welding on them.
Reply:I don't bother if I know there is no ecmBruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:We refurb big vactor and guzzler trucks as part of our fleet, and that is mostly what i weld on, I have welded on hundreds of truck without ever disconnecting the batts, and i haven't had any problems. They have had a few problems with the ecm's of other trucks but they could never prove it was from welding on them, not real sure how that worksHey delaet20, looks like we do about the same thing, part welder, part fabricator, part mechanic, part freakin everything...lolLast edited by Nick_31; 02-11-2012 at 09:35 PM.
Reply:Only takes a minute to unhook the battery ground cable, better safe than sorry.
Reply:I do unhook on newer stuff, but I work on old yellow stuff primarily.  Nick, yes you are wright.  I do everything from basic servicing, to rebuilding engines and transmissions, to building buckets, and putting back anything else our guys rip off.  Right now, I am waiting for my new line boring set to arrive.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
Reply:Welded on dozens if not hundreds of vehicles with no issue.ɹǝʌo ǝɯ lloɹ 'sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı
Reply:This comes up a lot. on here.  I don't unhook the battery because its like a big capacitor.   I think it would absorb any stray electrons running around.I am in the Never had a problem group.I always grind a fresh spot for my ground near where I am welding.  No matter what its on.  I keep the ground close to what I am welding on anyhow.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Im a fan of disconnecting the ground..Classic 1D 200SAE 30086 SA 200Hyperthem 45Jancy Mag Force O/A Victor-GossCable's remote2-12" Mathey Dearman bevelersLN 25Miller Auto Set 211Wendy's Pancake/Jackson PipelinerNew Holland LS 180Great story man....tell it again!
Reply:Like David said, good , clean , close ground, But nothing wrong with disconnecting other than resetting the clock or radio stations. Can't hurt if you don't mind taking the time , which is minimal."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:Always.Why not take to couple extra minutes?Just seems like a good way to aviod a costly potential problem.Miller Synchrowave 180 SDLincoln PowerMig 255Hypertherm Powermax 45Torchmate 2x2Victor O/A
Reply:ECMs are built to take so many voltage surges. Every time the battery is disconnected it spikes the ECM. If you have luck like I have the last disconnect was the the one of last spikes the ECM could take. So why chance it, pull the ground. Better to have one spike to the ECM than several from weld starts and stops. ECMs are not cheap and depending on what you are working on it could set you back several thousand dollars. The couple minutes it takes aren't worth the risk."Liberalism is a mental disorder" Dr. Savage
Reply:Alot of people say they always unhook the battery then throw something up on the back of their truck and weld it. I know I weld on the back of my truck all the time and never unhook the battery of the truck or the welder. I have never had an issue doing this.
Reply:Disconnecting the battery does nothing to protect the ecm.  The ecm is still connected to the vehical.ɹǝʌo ǝɯ lloɹ 'sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı
Reply:Just to play with this mentally-----------when you pull the positive lead off I'm thinking all you have done is effectively turned the ECM (or any other of the control modules) 'OFF', opened up the electrical loop. The control module is still physically connected on one side to the vehicle via various battery return leads (-), frame grounds, signal grounds plus many senders&/or sensors. If you pull the negative lead all you have done is effectively turned the ECM (or any other of the control modules) 'OFF', opened up the electrical loop on the battery return side. The control module is still physically connected on one side or both sides to the vehicle via various battery feed leads (+), frame grounds, signal grounds plus many senders&/or sensors. I won't argue whether you need to or should disconnect the ECM/control packages, I just wonder whether true protection is as simple as lifting one battery lead or the other."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:like was mentioned, my welder ground is hooked to the bed of my truck, i always throw something on it and only get out the stinger. not a problem, and its an 08 with lots of crap on it.
Reply:there are surge protectors on the market that you just clamp on the battery posts. See one at a local welding shop last week. Their customer had brought it in with the truck for them to use when they weld on the truck. they had never used one before.
Reply:About the worst I have seen is killing the voltage regulator in an alternator while welding on the alternator bracket.
Reply:A big part of my job is to weld things on to cars for testing.  Even cars with thousands of dollars of special equipment hooked up to these cars.  I have never unhooked anything from any of them.  Been doing it for years and never once had a problem.  I treat them no different than a regular piece of steel being welded at the table.
Reply:Keep the welder ground lead attached to clean metal very close to what you are welding and you should never have a problem. If the connection is poor and/or far from the point of welding some of the weld current will be flowing into other parts of the vehicle frame/body. Since the vehicles use the frame/ body as the return path for all of the electrical systems these systems may receive some of this welding current and be destroyed by it. Removing the battery connection will do nothing to stop this damage. CharleyMiller MM252Miller Bobcat 225NTMiller DialArc HF / DIY Cooler2 Victor O/A TorchsetsMilwaukee 8" Metal SawMilwaukee Dry Cut "Chop" Saw 5 Ton Wallace Gantry Various Grinders, Benders, etc.