"Brian" <hskr@cox.net> wrote:
> If you look at the PCM connector when you pull it off, there are a few pins
> that are longer than other pins. These are the grounds so as not to cause
> any voltage spikes if you pull the connector without unhooking the battery.
Hmmm, not on mine - the pins on my PCM are all the same length.
Also, I don't have any pins on my conector, the pins are all on the
PCM itself, my Dak's PCM connectors are female.
[...]
> go climb in the seat to turn the key(pointless BTW),
Turning the key to start is supposed to allow the starter to draw
down any energy which may still be stored, such as in capacitors and
the like. If there is any stored energy, it may take some time for
the voltage to drop down below the point where the volitile memory in
the PCM gets erased, in which case disconnecting the battery and then
reconnecting right away might not do the trick. Turning the key to
start is a shortcut to bypass the waiting period to allow the voltage
to drop sufficiently. (This may not be necessary on some vehicles but
its a quick and easy way to make sure, and doesn't hurt anything except
to waste maybe 5 seconds in the cases where it may not be technically
necessary.)
> then go back out, wiggle the terminal back on the post, and tighten the
> terminal back up more power to ya. And after a while, you start to wear out
> either the terminal or the post and then you can't get it as tight anymore
> possibly causing a bad ground connection. Just offering a quicker method to
> most who don't have quick disconnects already installed.
Noted. Just thought I should mention that Chrysler does not
recommend unplugging the PCM connectors without first disconnecting
the battery. If someone is going to be doing a lot of work on their
vehicle which will require disconnecting the battery terminal, a
battery disconnect is a cheap and easy time saver.
> Also, with most
> aftermarket head units, you lose your presets on the radio y unhooking the
> battery and you won't by pulling the PCM connector. Just something else to
> keep in mind when choosing your method. I know I hate having to go back
> through and re-program my radio stations and reseting my treble/bass options
> on my head unit after unhooking the battery.
Yep, its the same with the factory radio. I suppose one of those
9v adapters that plugs into the cigarette lighter could be used, but
that would probably defeat the purpose of disconnecting the battery in
the first place. :-) (I suppose if someone were motivated enough,
they could wire one up such that the 9v power was restricted to the
radio itself.)
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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