Ref. Mazda Tribute, Benzene, V6, 3 litre, Auto-Transmission, 16 Years old approx., 165,000 km approx., 5th Owner
The car has been parked on the street under daily heat from the sun for many months, without being started. I recently tried starting it, however the battery had died, so I replaced it.
The following sequence occurred as I tried reconnecting the new battery:
- Connected positive terminal to the positive battery post
- Started to connect the negative terminal to the negative battery post
- At that moment, arcing occurred between the terminal and the battery post, and some motor (I believe it was in the engine bay) started to turn
- Immediately retracted the negative terminal from the battery
Note that there was no contact between the negative and positive terminals, so it was not a short.
I have a few questions:
- Did any damage occur from this?
- Perhaps a small animal has shorted the wiring?
- What is the problem happening here?