primary battery?

[dsl_pwrd_ford]

in our trucks, which is the primary battery and which one to you hook up to in case you need a jump, or does it matter?

[stump0331]

doesnt matter, ive jumped and been jumped from both no issue

[vitalidle]

yeah like stump said it doesn't matter. They are wired in parellel so what that does is double the cranking amps of the primary battery which is the drivers side if they both are charged and up to snuff so technically that would be the best one to jump from.

[mschn99]

Originally Posted by vitalidle

yeah like stump said it doesn't matter. They are wired in parellel so what that does is double the cranking amps of the primary battery which is the drivers side if they both are charged and up to snuff so technically that would be the best one to jump from.

any time your jumping you should do it from the passanger side battery. It is actually the primarey battery (the one closest to the starter will actually get the higher amp draw even though they are wired in parellel). Its also the first to recieve a charge since the wire from the Alt. hooks up to it first

[najaf4life]

Originally Posted by vitalidle

yeah like stump said it doesn't matter. They are wired in parellel so what that does is double the cranking amps of the primary battery which is the drivers side if they both are charged and up to snuff so technically that would be the best one to jump from.

correct me if I am wrong but if it is in a parellel series shouldn't the started be a 24v than a 12v? if so why is our truck starters a 12volt???

[mschn99]

Originally Posted by najaf4life

correct me if I am wrong but if it is in a parellel series shouldn't the started be a 24v than a 12v? if so why is our truck starters a 12volt???

http://www.africanenergy.com/files/F...figuration.pdf

u are thinking of wiring in series

[vitalidle]

Originally Posted by Marc

any time your jumping you should do it from the passanger side battery. It is actually the primarey battery (the one closest to the starter will actually get the higher amp draw even though they are wired in parellel). Its also the first to recieve a charge since the wire from the Alt. hooks up to it first

Your right Marc I don't know why I was thinking the drivers side was the primary.

[najaf4life]

Originally Posted by Marc

http://www.africanenergy.com/files/F...figuration.pdf

u are thinking of wiring in series

okay Marc... go ahead and call me stupid......

[Eric]

Not to sound like a smart a$$ but it doesn't matter which battery you use. Voltage is instantaneous in a circuit. (That 2 years of college I'm still paying for is useful sometimes)

[mschn99]

Originally Posted by whitelongbed

Not to sound like a smart a$$ but it doesn't matter which battery you use. Voltage is instantaneous in a circuit. (That 2 years of college I'm still paying for is useful sometimes)

in a perfect theory yes....but add ANY resistance to a circuit and you have just reduced the effectivness of the jump start. Since the passanger side battery is four feet further away from the starter.....there is always the chance for some resistance in the circuit to effect the jump.....

So you are correct in a perfect theory but in the real world its always better to shorten the distance to make any resistance in the wires have a minimal effect on the jump....especially if the batteries are really weak...