What am I doing wrong?

[DaveK]

Hooked it up to the negative terminal on the Jeep, put the wires that were on the negative terminal on the end….but when spun didn’t cut power. 
 

I didn’t try to start it but it fired up the dash with no issues. 
 

Watched a video and even when spun it still drew a bit of power and now thinking that is what was powering the dash and it may not have started. 
 

I don’t have that fused part…with the red wire. 
 

Better suggestion? 
 

[blackhawkxx]

Do you have a link to it?

[SwampNut]

5 hours ago, DaveK said:

but when spun didn’t cut power. 

 

Right, it's just a bolt, and to cut power you separate the two pieces.  The bolt holds them together.  You ALSO need to get rid of that fuse that basically bridges the connection.  

 

[Zero Knievel]

Yes.  The fuse wire is your problem.  Why is it even there?  Fuses go on the positive side, and it’s connecting the main negative cable, not an accessory.  🤫

[blackhawkxx]

5 hours ago, SwampNut said:

You ALSO need to get rid of that fuse that basically bridges the connection.  

 

10 hours ago, DaveK said:

I don’t have that fused part…with the red wire. 

 

[DaveK]

9 hours ago, blackhawkxx said:

Do you have a link to it?

 

https://www.wirthco.com/battery-doctor/battery-disconnect-switches/compact-switches/top-mount-disconnect-switch

 

I hooked it up... and you are supposed to just turn the know to disconnect the 2 metals and that didn't work.  So I completely screwed the knob off and the dash was still powered up. 

[DaveK]

1 hour ago, blackhawkxx said:

 

 

 

Yep,  I don't have that part.

[DaveK]

6 hours ago, SwampNut said:

Right, it's just a bolt, and to cut power you separate the two pieces.  The bolt holds them together.

 

Problem is...when I completely unscrewed the knob (completely removed) the dash was still powered up.  But, like I said above...I watched a video of a guy who installed it and used a multi meter while unscrewing the knob and the volts slowly went down... and never got to zero.  It hung around 6 for about 20 seconds and remained at like 1.5-2.  Maybe that was powering my dash... I should have tried starting it. 

[DaveK]

For the hell of the t I popped it back on. Car started right up while the screw (bolt) was out. 

[Zero Knievel]

Maybe you have a defective one.  There's an insulative layer between the two pieces that keeps them apart when there isn't tension being applied.  Perhaps yours is a bad one.  Do you have another one you can swap out and see if it works normally?

[DaveK]

32 minutes ago, Zero Knievel said:

Maybe you have a defective one.  There's an insulative layer between the two pieces that keeps them apart when there isn't tension being applied.  Perhaps yours is a bad one.  Do you have another one you can swap out and see if it works normally?

 

I thought about that too...it's like a plastic layer.  I'll order a new one.  On the Jeep there are wires that go from the negative terminal to the positive (including the battery tender wires) so maybe because of how they wire it...there is still a connection. 

[SwampNut]

I've used a few of those.  They all had to be separated.  Not a single one cut power properly without separating them.  Even worse, what you end up with is unstable voltage/current and arcing that can quickly damage the car.  These things are awful, and I've completely stopped using them.  I put a real disconnect switch on the RV and will just never use these things again.  You can lean on the claim that they SHOULD disconnect without separation, but good luck.

 

 

[blackhawkxx]

This is the style I have on my play car.  Needed it when drag racing but it is so nice to be able to switch it off as it doesn't get run that much.

 

 

[DaveK]

Black - brand? Link? 
 

thanks

[DaveK]

8 hours ago, SwampNut said:

I've used a few of those.  They all had to be separated.  Not a single one cut power properly without separating them.  Even worse, what you end up with is unstable voltage/current and arcing that can quickly damage the car.  These things are awful, and I've completely stopped using them.  I put a real disconnect switch on the RV and will just never use these things again.  You can lean on the claim that they SHOULD disconnect without separation, but good luck.

 

 

Can you recommend one? 

[SwampNut]

41 minutes ago, DaveK said:

Can you recommend one? 

 

I'm not sure what is needed for a car.  @superhawk996 this should be fine for his starting current right?

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T288VN8?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_7&th=1

 

[XXitanium]

...I was thinking of one (2?) of these for the F250. Push button remotely, no opening the hood.

 

https://www.roadmasterinc.com/battery-disconnect-solenoid/

 

[superhawk996]

I've seen and used this type of device and they worked.  My best guess is that this is a POS Chinesium part made by people who have no idea how anything works, the main bit of evidence is the fused wire that defeats the purpose.  I know you don't have that installed, and it shouldn't be there unless the disconnect is only being used as an anti-theft device, then it would make sense to have it.

 

I can't tell why yours doesn't work, but I feel like it's probably pointless for you; maybe.  Having a quick disconnect makes sense for a vehicle that has a defect or one that gets driven one day per month, or couple months.  My understanding is that you'll drive it semi-regularly for a few months, then park it for a few months.  If that's correct, leave it connected during the usage time, then just pull the terminal off for the storage time.

[DaveK]

This particular quick disconnect is made in the USA by a USA company. Starts with a W think. Regardless of that…it’s definitely not cutting power. Maybe this one is defective. I don’t drive the Jeep all winter, not once and plan to pull the battery and bringing it into my heated garage and charging it for a few days every few months at 1 amp. 
 

During the driveable months it’s driven 1 time per month…or every few months exactly as you describe hence my desire to pop in the quick disconnect. 
 

Appreciate you offering up some direction. 

[blackhawkxx]

9 hours ago, DaveK said:

Black - brand? Link? 
 

thanks

I'm not sure what brand I have as it is very old.  To use this style you would have to first mount it and then redo your battery cables so I'm not sure that would be what you are looking for.  As Oscar said, it seems like you might have a bad one but I have never used that style.  

[SwampNut]

5 hours ago, DaveK said:

This particular quick disconnect is made in the USA by a USA company. Starts with a W think. Regardless of that…it’s definitely not cutting power. Maybe this one is defective. I don’t drive the Jeep all winter, not once and plan to pull the battery and bringing it into my heated garage and charging it for a few days every few months at 1 amp. 
 

During the driveable months it’s driven 1 time per month…or every few months exactly as you describe hence my desire to pop in the quick disconnect. 
 

Appreciate you offering up some direction. 

 

Don't add this garbage to your Jeep.  Disconnect the battery and bring it inside.  Stop trying to add this new problem.  I have them for RVs and boats because I'm just never going to pull the batteries.

 

[ironmike]

16 hours ago, blackhawkxx said:

This is the style I have on my play car.  Needed it when drag racing but it is so nice to be able to switch it off as it doesn't get run that much.

 

 

In the '60s some of us street rats used similar cut-off switches as anti-theft devices, especially on theft-prone GM big-block models where wiring was pretty simple. Of course, the trick was to hide the switch somewhere inconspicuous. Some of these switches could be had with simple key-locks.

[SwampNut]

3 minutes ago, ironmike said:

In the '60s some of us street rats used similar cut-off switches as anti-theft devices, especially on theft-prone GM big-block models where wiring was pretty simple. Of course, the trick was to hide the switch somewhere inconspicuous. Some of these switches could be had with simple key-locks.

 

The JC Whitney catalog, probably $3.  But the keys were universal.

 

[ironmike]

Yeah, now that's nostalgic . . . 😄

[SwampNut]

JC Whitney’s sourcing of products changed over time:

• Early Years (1950s to 1970s): Most “hard parts” (mechanical parts like alternators, brakes, engine parts) sold by JC Whitney were American made or even genuine OEM stock. There are multiple mentions from longtime customers about receiving parts in original GM or other American manufacturer boxes, simply wrapped in plain brown paper from JC Whitney. They also sold discontinued OEM American parts cheap.

• Accessories and Gadgets (1980s onward): As the catalog shifted more toward affordable accessories and novelty items, JC Whitney increasingly sourced inexpensive products—especially accessories and “gimmicks”—from overseas, including China. By the late 1980s and 1990s, “an increasingly chintzy assortment of cheap (but profitable) Chinese-made accessories” made up much of their non-hard-parts catalog. Margins were high, but quality could sometimes be variable.

• Summary:

  • Vintage hard parts and many core replacement components: American made, OEM, or high-quality domestic.

  • Many accessories and gadgets post-1980s: Chinese made (imported and lower cost).

If you got a battery switch or a major mechanical component from JC Whitney prior to the 1980s, it was likely American made or even OEM. If it was a "gadget" or accessory from the 1980s and beyond, it probably came from China or another low-cost country.