WARNING!!! Chevy Volt Battery users
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2021 2:57 am
I wasn't going to post this because I feel like a totally idiot and should of caught my mistake.
But I'm sharing to the group so that my mistake wont happen to others.
Many of us are using the Chevy Volt battery for their conversions.
I would also say most of us (if not all) are using the battery not in the original configuration.
Which means new high voltage cables need to be made.
When I made up the high voltage cable I crimp the lug and then bent it 90 degrees down.
This would allow the cables to go straight down the side of the battery.
Then I was going to use the factory cover to enclose the battery.
Everything was going to plan.
I was finishing installing the battery in the trunk "boot" area in my 2005 3 series. Then all the sudden FIRE SPARKS !!!
I couldn't remove the battery because it was already installed and there was no way of stopping the fire.
All I could do is grab the garden hose and spray away and wait till the battery lost its charge.
WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE ???
I never noticed it but there is a white band near the top of the battery. This band is made out of steel!
What happen was when I bent the crimps/lugs downward, they made contact with this band near the top of the battery.
Now nothing happen until I was jockeying the battery into place with the cover on it.
The crimps/lugs must of worn through the paint and made contact with the steel part of the band. this in turn caused a direct short circuit between the + and - of the battery!
That's when all hell broke loose!
Anyways the moral of the story be aware of the white ban and insulate the lugs as close as possible to the battery posts!
But I'm sharing to the group so that my mistake wont happen to others.
Many of us are using the Chevy Volt battery for their conversions.
I would also say most of us (if not all) are using the battery not in the original configuration.
Which means new high voltage cables need to be made.
When I made up the high voltage cable I crimp the lug and then bent it 90 degrees down.
This would allow the cables to go straight down the side of the battery.
Then I was going to use the factory cover to enclose the battery.
Everything was going to plan.
I was finishing installing the battery in the trunk "boot" area in my 2005 3 series. Then all the sudden FIRE SPARKS !!!
I couldn't remove the battery because it was already installed and there was no way of stopping the fire.
All I could do is grab the garden hose and spray away and wait till the battery lost its charge.
WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE ???
I never noticed it but there is a white band near the top of the battery. This band is made out of steel!
What happen was when I bent the crimps/lugs downward, they made contact with this band near the top of the battery.
Now nothing happen until I was jockeying the battery into place with the cover on it.
The crimps/lugs must of worn through the paint and made contact with the steel part of the band. this in turn caused a direct short circuit between the + and - of the battery!
That's when all hell broke loose!
Anyways the moral of the story be aware of the white ban and insulate the lugs as close as possible to the battery posts!