Automotive Electrical Notes

PHS Auto 2

Basic notes for auto shop class

study and refer back to your text book

Electron theory

the electrical phenomenon is produced

by a flow of electrons from one area to
another.

Flow of electrons

The flow of electrons is caused by

having an excess number in one area,
shortage in another
surplus negative
short supply positive

Matter

Anything that takes up space and has

mass: solid, liquid or gas

Molecule

Smallest portion of matter and retain all

original properties of the original matter,
it is made up of atoms

Atoms
100 + different types
One molecule of water, is made up of one
atom of oxygen, two atoms of hydrogen H20

Atom make up
PROTON - positive charge +
ELECTRON - negative charge NEUTRON - no charge (neutral)

If there are more protons in the atom then electrons,

it is a positive charged atom.
proton and neutron in center; electrons orbit

Size of atom ?

Bound electrons

Are in the inner orbits, Bound electrons

are very difficult to remove from their
orbit.

Free electrons

Outer orbits only, one, two or three

electrons, are easily knocked out of
their orbit

Conductors

Have 1-3 electrons in outer orbit, (Free

electrons)easily knocked out of orbit.
Materials such as silver, copper,
aluminum, gold make good conductors.

Semi-Conductors

4 electrons in outer orbit

Not a good conductor

Not a good insulator

Non conductors

Insulators, 5 or more electrons in outer

orbit, glass, ceramics, plastics, rubber,
fiber, porcelain, paper and wood are
common Insulators. Hard to knock the
electrons out of orbit if they have a
strong magnetic pull to the protons in
the nucleus of the atom.

Current

Movement of free electrons through a

conductor current flow is measured in
amperes(Amps). Must have shortage
of electrons at one end, surplus at other
one electron does not go the whole
distance moves and bumps others.

Voltage
(electromotive force, EMF)
Pressure differential causes current to
flow, this pressure is known as voltage
Voltage is a measure in volts with
voltmeter.

Resistance

Caused by electrons bumping into other

atoms, a poor conductor has greater
resistance than a good conductor. Poor
conductors will heat up (like a heater).

Larger conductors (wire size) offers less

resistance then a smaller one,
Resistance is measured in ohms
Current will flow in the one path with least
resistance.
Current will flow from negative to positive,
negative has surplus of electrons, positive
has short supply.
Which way does it flow ? Ask the experts

Circuits
Must have a power source.
A load (something to operate such as a
light bulb or motor)
Wiring for path of electron flow
(Conductor)
Switch
Circuit protection

Thanks Kevin http://www.autoshop101.com/

Series circuit, only one path for current

to flow

Series Circuit

Parallel circuit, more than one path for

current to flow, current flows through all
units at once.

Parallel Circuit

Series parallel, combination of both

circuits.

Series Parallel

Circuit Problems
Open circuit, Wire is broken
Short to ground, Wire is touching ground
Short to voltage, wire is touching a hot
wire. Load device is on even though
switch is off.
High resistance, current is being slowed
by corrosion or a poor connection

Car frame
Acts as a ground wire, some cars like a
corvette have to run ground wires
because of fiberglass body
Ground symbol:

Ohms law
Amperes = I - Intensity
Volts
= E - Electromotive force
Ohms
= R - Resistance

to find

E = IxR
I = E/ R
R = E/ I

E
IXR

Ohms laws For Auto Techs

Some Auto Techs will use the following
Amperes = A - Amps
Volts
= V - Volts
Ohms
= R - Resistance

to find

V = Ax R
A = V/ R
R = V/ A

V
AXR

M, m, K,
Prefix

Symbol

Factor

Numerically

Name

giga

109

1 000 000 000

billion

Mega

106

1 000 000

million

kilo

103

1 000

thousand

centi

10-2

0.01

hundredth

milli

10-3

0.001

thousandth

micro

10-6

0.000 001

millionth

nano

10-9

0.000 000 001

billionth

Magnetism
Materials that have this are called Magnets
Some are Natural
Some are made

Magnetic Domains

These small sections of a magnet must

all line up to be a strong magnet.
If not, they will cancel each other out
and the piece of metal will be
unmagnetized

Lines of Force
Leave north pole, enter south
Unlike poles attract
Like poles repel
Left hand rule, know which way current
flows, fingers point in direction magnetic
field is moving
Magnetic fields surround any conductor
carrying an electrical current

Lines of Force

magnetic effects of parallel conductors,

magnetic effects of conductors with
current flowing in opposite direction,
spark plug wires
magnetic field in coils compared to
single wire left hand rule for coils thumb
points north
soft iron core in coils, lines of force
increase several hundred times

Solenoid

can be used to push or pull iron core if

off set will be drawn into the middle

Battery Electro Chemical Device

4 functions

1. provides electrical energy to start car.

2. provides electrical energy to ignition system
3. provides electrical energy to accessories when
demands exceed alternators output
4. voltage stabilizer absorbs abnormal voltages
created by electrical components

Top post

Side post

side and
top post

A side and top post is becoming very

common today because it will fit so
many cars.

Batteries a little history

Up to 1955 most batteries were 6 volt
General Motors started the move to 12
volts, Volkswagen was the last in 1966 to
switch over.
By 2010 some cars may have a 42V/14V
System. Several problems lie in wait such
as cost of the components. Life of batteries
& arcing between components.

Battery Construction
Elements consist of two groups of plates
one more negative than positive plates
with insulated separators in between
usually 9, 11, or 13 plates. 54, 66, or 78
total.
case is made of hard rubber (rough
service) or plastic (light service)

one element in each cell, connected to

the adjoining element, connected in
series, each cell produces about 2.1
volts

case is divided into 6 cells (12.6 volts)

case is divided into 3 cells (6.3 volts)

Electrolyte
64% water 36% Sulfuric acid
H20-water 64% specific gravity 1.00
H2S04-sulfuric acid 36% specific gravity
1.835 - caution
electrolyte 100% specific gravity 1.270

Charged

positive plate
negative plate
electrolyte
H2S04
pb02
pb
lead peroxide
lead

Discharge
oxygen and hydrogen form water, lead and sulfate
form lead sulfate
pbso4 H20 pbSo4

Charging send electrons through

opposite way reversing the cycle
Sulfated plates refer to plates harden
with lead sulfate
Slow long charge to correct sulfated
plates sometimes can't

Little brown particles floating around

can short out battery (flakes off of the
sulfated plates )
Batteries can freeze if discharged H2O
is water
Charging battery emits oxygen and
hydrogen gas - can explode
To replace add distilled water

Battery types
WET CHARGE shipped with electrolyte
must charged during storage
DRY CHARGE shipped empty manufacture
gives forming charge dries the cell
elements and seals it. If you keep moisture
out it will remain fully charged for long time.
When needed just add electrolyte

Group size

Batteries come in many different group sizes. A

battery's group size simply determines it's
length, width, height, and terminal configuration

Will have a number like group 75,78 or 24 or

24F, 26, 34

Battery capacity
1) Plate size, the case same size, plates
are different size Larger plates more
amps
2) Number of plates
3) Amount of acid in electrolyte and
battery additives increase the sulfuric
acid content of battery

Battery capacity rating

Cold Cranking Amperes CCA most common
Number of amperes load of battery will
maintain at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for 30
seconds without battery voltage falling below
7.2 volts (1.2 volts per cell)
Size of engine should be smaller than cold
cranking ampere

Do not be misled by CA thats just

cranking amps. It will give you a higher
reading but it misleads you because it is
tested at a higher temperature.

Cranking amps are the numbers of

amperes a lead-acid battery at 32
degrees F (0 degrees C) can deliver for
30 seconds and maintain at least 1.2
volts per cell (7.2 volts for a 12 volt
battery).

Recommended Minimum
battery size

4-cylinder 400 CCA

6-cylinder 500 CCA

8-cylinder 575 CCA

Battery checking visual

Inspection

Battery checking visual

Inspection
Cracked or leaking case
liquid level, add water use distilled water
preferred (No minerals) or ice melted out
of a freezer
Voltage can discharge across top from
post to post
Clean battery top and post and cables,
battery hold downs

visual Inspection

Cleaning The Battery

Mix baking soda and water to clean
batteries
Clean post and cable with a terminal
brush or post cutter
Coat all connections with grease or use
a spray like NOCO NCP-2 Battery
corrosion spray

Battery leakage test

Voltmeter lead at negative post
Voltmeter + lead drag across battery

No voltage should be present anywhere if it

is clean the battery.

Battery Open Circuit Voltage Test

Measure what the voltage is with the key off

Find out its state of charge. It is a good
starting point, should be at least 12.66 volts
12.66 = fully charged
12.4 = 3/4 charged
12.2 = 1/2 charged
12.0 = 1/4 charged

Battery Terminals & Bolts

Post or top terminal
Side terminal
L terminal used on import
Marine

Terminal Test
This is the first step.
Take a voltmeter
DVOM (Digital volt ohm
meter)
Turn to DC Volts
Hook up like picture on
next page.

Terminal Test

This is just a voltage drop test done on

the battery terminals. You must disable
the ignition and crank over the engine.
Should be under .2 volts.
Make sure you do both
terminals Positive &
Negative

Battery Drain test

Battery Drain Key off
Hook up a ammeter in series reading
should not exceed the following
77 older cars .01 amps, 10 ma
(milliamps)
78-85 .02 amps-.025 amps, 20-25 ma
1986 & newer .05 amps, 50 ma

Testing specific gravity

Hydrometer check before adding water
fully charged battery should read 1.270
should not vary more than 50 points
between cells if it does recharge and
check again
Maintenance free batteries are sealed,
cannot get into some. No way to add
water or check specific gravity.

Charging batteries
Clean up first
Unhook cables - check liquid level
Don't charge over 16 volts if plates are
sulfated or if battery has been
discharged for some time
Slow charge for a long period 24 hours
don't allow temperature to exceed 100
Never fast charge batteries

Most batteries in cars are 12 volt with

negative ground.

6 volt older cars and 18 wheelers may

have positive ground

SAFETY: do not allow

battery acid to contact eyes
skin or fabrics if you do flush
with lots of water, and get
teacher or medical help flush
eyes for 15 minutes

Jump starting cars

positive to positive
negative to negative
Hook up negative cable last on car with
dead battery on a good ground. Not on
the battery. If sparks occur no
Hydrogen to blow up

battery date tags

Did You Know Batteries Lose Power

While Sitting on the Shelf?
A battery can permanently lose some of its capacity when it's
stored in a partly or fully discharged state. Periodic charging
during storage can minimize the deterioration, but not all
battery distributors and dealers do the necessary charging.
That's why you may want to know how to read the date codes,
which show when the product was manufactured, on a new
product, to help you make sure you're really buying a fresh
battery.
So, how do you read a date code?

Most Brands of Batteries

JOHNSON CONTROLS, INC. - INTERSTATE BATTERIES,
Motorcraft, East penn - Deka, GNB -Champion, Stowaway:
The letters and numbers are on a sticker affixed to the battery or hot-stamped
into the case cover along the top edges of the battery. The ship date codes
begin with a letter: A stands for January, B for February and so on (some
shipping codes skip the letter I, so it cannot be confused with the number 1.
In those cases, J would represent September, K - October, L - November and
M - December). The next digit is a number which represents the year the
battery was shipped. Therefore, an A6 would mean the battery was shipped
in January of 1996.

Exceptions DELCO - Freedom, Voyager, and some Sears brands:

The code dates are stamped on the cover, usually near the posts.
The first character represents the year (0-9) and the second shows
the month (A-M, skipping I). For example, 4CN1 would stand for
1994, March.

EXIDE - Napa Legend, Edge, Power-Tron and Titan:

The fourth or fifth character may be a letter code for the
month and the following character a number code for
the year (i.e. RO8F3B stands for June 1993)

Last 3 pages 2000 Interstate Battery System of America, Inc.

Removing Batteries
Always Disconnect the ground cable first. (Negative Cable on
cars)
Always hook up the ground cable last

If you disconnect the positive first and touch ground you will have
sparks.

Hooking batteries in series

Voltage goes up

Hooking batteries in parallel

Voltage stays the same
amperage goes up

Generator

Electromagnetic device, produces

electricity to run accessories and
charge battery

If wire is passed through magnetic field

voltage is generated
If passed in the opposite direction
current flow reversed

To increase volts and amps

1. increase strength of magnetic field
2. increase the speed wire moves
through the magnetic field

Basic AC operation current

flows positive, negative

Basic DC operation
Current flows one way,
accomplished by split ring

Charging Indicators

ammeter

indicator light

Voltage Monitor

Alternator

Alternators
More efficient at lower speeds
Lighter - aluminum construction
Requires only 2 or 3 amps passing
through slip rings compared to high
amperage in D.C. generator
Governs its own maximum current
output

Alternator
Generators - moving conductor through
stationary field to induce voltage
Alternator - a permanent magnet is rotated
inside a stationary conductor

maximum voltage occurs when conductor

cuts heaviest lines of force

Parts of a Alternator

The End

Pictures from Sals

Illustrations from Chrysler
Scanned images from Modern
Automotive Technology and
John Deere