scary moment - sudden loss of electrics

[cheesebox]

Had a scary one last week - took the car out for a drive on an unlit road on a very black night. Coming down a hill I suddenly lost all power and the brakes started fading. No lights nor hazards would work - nothing! This was a seriusly dark road with overhanging trees, and cloud cover blocking out even moonlight, on the A6 east of Buxton. Pretty much in the middle of nowhere. No verges to pull over to. I was bracing myself for something to come round the corner behind me and bury itself in my back end. Some oncoming cars flashed their headlights at me. Yes, very helpful! Like "oh shit thanks I hadn't realised my lights weren't on".

All very hairy. Coasting down the hill I fortunately knew there was a quiet turning at the bottom, wich I pulled into, half expecting to end up in a ditch (I could only just make out the white lines). Fumbling around in the dark I found the positive lead had broken off at the battery terminal.

The battery wasn't secured to the car, and the movement of the battery had weakened the wire over time and it had eventually broken free.

I lashed it together, just wedging the wire in place, and drove home slowly so as not to bump it back out of place.

It's all soldered back together now, and the battery secured.

The moral of the story is: make sure your battery is secured, there's a good reason for it to be tied down!

[binxy69]

Scary SH*T.

[bazza93]

i take it lesson learned make sure the battery is secured !

[tailoutcharlie]

hell. lucky boy.

pops out to check his battery

[jaffro]

yep i no them roads well. horrid at best of times but at night with no lights must have been rather scary

[Brianmoooore]

There's another good reason for a battery to be secured.
A year or so ago, a car ran into a telephone pole at the end of my lane. Not a particularly severe accident - no significant injuries, but the (unsecured) battery flew out of the car, across the road, totally cleared the roof of a house, and then ended up inside a caravan parked in the rear yard of that house, having punched a neat, battery shaped hole in the roof!

[whipsey]

on that note i have a spare battery clamp here

[ucpsale]

Hello, i had a E30 which kept losing power on / off intermitant, i tried everything. In the end it was the main feed to the fuse box loose, located under the fuse box in engine bay. Thanks

[toby]

Glad you and the car are ok! That's some frightening feckin night!



I bought a battery from a factors recently (as it was the only place open at the time) and it didn't fit right. I had to use thick strips of rubber under the clamp to hold the battery down. Bit crap really and I bet the battery won't last that long anyway.

Amazing about the battery flying over a house!
Talk about volts (vaults )!

I'll... I'll get me coat...

[cheesebox]

There's another good reason for a battery to be secured.
A year or so ago, a car ran into a telephone pole at the end of my lane. Not a particularly severe accident - no significant injuries, but the (unsecured) battery flew out of the car, across the road, totally cleared the roof of a house, and then ended up inside a caravan parked in the rear yard of that house, having punched a neat, battery shaped hole in the roof!

Bloody hell!

Luckily I've now sourced a clamp - thanks again Chris-W!

[greentouring]

Glad you got it sorted! Can just imagine what might have happened..............