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As stated by Wayne613, it’s an old term. On a starter motor, the B+ post is the one directly connected to the positive pole of the battery, always hot.
Here’s a practical opportunity for you to measure voltage drop and find the source of your extra resistance at the same time. As others have mentioned, most headlights are controlled by a headlight relay so the control wiring doesn’t have to be large gauge wire. I would search for a wiring diagram and find that relay, then measure voltage drop while current is flowing at as many places as you can find. BBB industries have posted some free wiring diagrams for many vehicles, you could look there if you need to. The wiring is a little more complicated than one would think because of the requirement for lights to work even when one side burns out, and of course you’ve got high and low beams. I would pay close attention to the connectors behind each headlight, looking for evidence that one of the connectors might have overheated (yellow color, melted plastic, etc). The extra heat behind the light can melt solder, increasing resistance which in turn causes more heat, eventually melting the connector. The other more rare and slippery issue is the off chance that you’ve got another source of current draw that is overwhelming your alternator, allowing system voltage to drop when under full load, robbing the headlights of power.
Here’s a practical opportunity for you to measure voltage drop and find the source of your extra resistance at the same time. As others have mentioned, most headlights are controlled by a headlight relay so the control wiring doesn’t have to be large gauge wire. I would search for a wiring diagram and find that relay, then measure voltage drop while current is flowing at as many places as you can find. BBB industries have posted some free wiring diagrams for many vehicles, you could look there if you need to. The wiring is a little more complicated than one would think because of the requirement for lights to work even when one side burns out, and of course you’ve got high and low beams. I would pay close attention to the connectors behind each headlight, looking for evidence that one of the connectors might have overheated (yellow color, melted plastic, etc). The extra heat behind the light can melt solder, increasing resistance which in turn causes more heat, eventually melting the connector. The other more rare and slippery issue is the off chance that you’ve got another source of current draw that is overwhelming your alternator, allowing system voltage to drop when under full load, robbing the headlights of power.
This is one where it would have been nice to carry diagnostic equipment with you and look for what is missing the next time the problem happens. Some tools are inexpensive, like an inductive spark tester, though it would help to have two people at hand, to test while turning the engine over. But I do understand the unsatisfying practicality of just replacing suspect parts in order of increasing cost.
This is one where it would have been nice to carry diagnostic equipment with you and look for what is missing the next time the problem happens. Some tools are inexpensive, like an inductive spark tester, though it would help to have two people at hand, to test while turning the engine over. But I do understand the unsatisfying practicality of just replacing suspect parts in order of increasing cost.
Some oil dipsticks have a “spongy” feel when you press the dipstick, so be sure you press it all the way in to get an accurate reading.
The most common fatal mistake that consumers are at fault for is not checking their oil often enough. Most of the time at self serve gas stations you don’t see anybody checking dipsticks, and I’ll bet those same people don’t bother to check the oil level at home, either. So, I tend to err a little on the high side just after changing oil, so that if there is a little oil loss, the negligent customer is less likely to kill their engine before the next change. By that reasoning, I tend to shoot for a level that is just below the high mark, adding whatever volume of oil I need to get there (don’t trust the owners manual for accurate volume). I also keep a dedicated graduated container with a record of what each engine required, so that there is less work to add the exact amount of oil to get the level just below the high mark after each change. Of course, double check the level soon after.
The other thing I routinely do is run the engine for a few minutes immediately before and after doing the change. Running it before assures that oil is already bathing the top of the engine that morning, so if there is a slight delay of oil delivery because of air bubbles in the system, there is already oil in the critical places before starting. When you run the engine before, you may get a little less oil out, but what does run out will run more quickly, rinsing solid debris out with it. Just be careful not to burn yourself.
Finally, never forget to have a look underneath with the engine running after you’re done. If you ever make a mistake of a double gasket or wrong oil filter, this is your last chance to recognize a critical mistake.
Some oil dipsticks have a “spongy” feel when you press the dipstick, so be sure you press it all the way in to get an accurate reading.
The most common fatal mistake that consumers are at fault for is not checking their oil often enough. Most of the time at self serve gas stations you don’t see anybody checking dipsticks, and I’ll bet those same people don’t bother to check the oil level at home, either. So, I tend to err a little on the high side just after changing oil, so that if there is a little oil loss, the negligent customer is less likely to kill their engine before the next change. By that reasoning, I tend to shoot for a level that is just below the high mark, adding whatever volume of oil I need to get there (don’t trust the owners manual for accurate volume). I also keep a dedicated graduated container with a record of what each engine required, so that there is less work to add the exact amount of oil to get the level just below the high mark after each change. Of course, double check the level soon after.
The other thing I routinely do is run the engine for a few minutes immediately before and after doing the change. Running it before assures that oil is already bathing the top of the engine that morning, so if there is a slight delay of oil delivery because of air bubbles in the system, there is already oil in the critical places before starting. When you run the engine before, you may get a little less oil out, but what does run out will run more quickly, rinsing solid debris out with it. Just be careful not to burn yourself.
Finally, never forget to have a look underneath with the engine running after you’re done. If you ever make a mistake of a double gasket or wrong oil filter, this is your last chance to recognize a critical mistake.
Regarding the electric shock question, I put in my 10,000 hours as a welder in a previous life. The goofballs that I worked with in those years sometimes thought it was ‘funny’ to poke the new guy in the ass with a stick welder while he was standing on the workpiece. So, I had a few ignorant shots in the first year. I never saw anybody die, but it feels like a really powerful cattle probe. It never left a mark. We all wore heavy work boots so the resistance was high enough that current was low.
The bigger risk was catching a pantleg on fire from stick welding spatter. You gotta be really careful with that. Over those years I knew one guy who died from an acetylene tank explosion, I saw hundreds of welder flashes from UV light, and all kinds of soft tissue injuries. I only rarely had an accidental shock with MIG welders, and I’ve never shocked myself with TIG.
Regarding the electric shock question, I put in my 10,000 hours as a welder in a previous life. The goofballs that I worked with in those years sometimes thought it was ‘funny’ to poke the new guy in the ass with a stick welder while he was standing on the workpiece. So, I had a few ignorant shots in the first year. I never saw anybody die, but it feels like a really powerful cattle probe. It never left a mark. We all wore heavy work boots so the resistance was high enough that current was low.
The bigger risk was catching a pantleg on fire from stick welding spatter. You gotta be really careful with that. Over those years I knew one guy who died from an acetylene tank explosion, I saw hundreds of welder flashes from UV light, and all kinds of soft tissue injuries. I only rarely had an accidental shock with MIG welders, and I’ve never shocked myself with TIG.
I think it’s a little early to be replacing a part, especially when your vehicle computer hasn’t even identified it as a problem. I would be looking for more evidence before spending money to replace a possibly normal part. I do understand the bind people are in, not having equipment or training to fix something and hoping to get by without professional help. But the pathway of replacing likely parts without investigation can be expensive and fruitless.
The first thing I would do is put it on a code scanner and look at live data, including IAC counts, fuel trim, rpm, etc. An autoparts store may offer a discount version of that for free. By the way,the last vehicle that had similar symptoms of surging idle in my shop showed a coolant temp sensor code, but it wasn’t that, either. He had an occult coolant leak, which caused coolant to incompletely bathe the coolant sensor, which gave spurious data, which caused the engine to ask for more fuel. When you find the root cause, all the secondary problems disappear.
I think it’s a little early to be replacing a part, especially when your vehicle computer hasn’t even identified it as a problem. I would be looking for more evidence before spending money to replace a possibly normal part. I do understand the bind people are in, not having equipment or training to fix something and hoping to get by without professional help. But the pathway of replacing likely parts without investigation can be expensive and fruitless.
The first thing I would do is put it on a code scanner and look at live data, including IAC counts, fuel trim, rpm, etc. An autoparts store may offer a discount version of that for free. By the way,the last vehicle that had similar symptoms of surging idle in my shop showed a coolant temp sensor code, but it wasn’t that, either. He had an occult coolant leak, which caused coolant to incompletely bathe the coolant sensor, which gave spurious data, which caused the engine to ask for more fuel. When you find the root cause, all the secondary problems disappear.
To me, the most important remark you made is that the car seems to be functioning normally now, so the dominant problem is an unresolved small-volume coolant leak. I suppose a head gasket could cause that but it wouldn’t be very high on the list. To answer the question about burping, yes it can take days to completely burp the system. The way the pressure cap works, you have to go through a few heat/cool cycles for automatic burping to happen — most of the automatic burping happens at night with the engine off after driving it up to normal operating temp earlier in the day. Of course if the cap seal is inadequate then burping doesn’t happen at all, and it’s not easy to thoroughly assess a cap. So, the advice to swap the cap is reasonable and inexpensive — just make sure it’s the right one for your car. To see a few bubbles in the rad fluid with engine running after working on the cooling system is pretty normal.
The way I would approach this is to begin with a pressure test of the cooling system, probably with some UV dye in the fluid to help identify where it is going. Pay careful attention to the area around the water pump and any plastic coolant elbows — sometimes they drip onto the transmission or engine body and then fluid evaporates away, so you may not find drips under the car. Have a careful look at all the hoses for kinks and pinhole leaks, especially those going to and from the coolant reservoir. Even a tiny pinhole in the hose leading to the top of the reservoir may be enough to prevent automatic burping.
To me, the most important remark you made is that the car seems to be functioning normally now, so the dominant problem is an unresolved small-volume coolant leak. I suppose a head gasket could cause that but it wouldn’t be very high on the list. To answer the question about burping, yes it can take days to completely burp the system. The way the pressure cap works, you have to go through a few heat/cool cycles for automatic burping to happen — most of the automatic burping happens at night with the engine off after driving it up to normal operating temp earlier in the day. Of course if the cap seal is inadequate then burping doesn’t happen at all, and it’s not easy to thoroughly assess a cap. So, the advice to swap the cap is reasonable and inexpensive — just make sure it’s the right one for your car. To see a few bubbles in the rad fluid with engine running after working on the cooling system is pretty normal.
The way I would approach this is to begin with a pressure test of the cooling system, probably with some UV dye in the fluid to help identify where it is going. Pay careful attention to the area around the water pump and any plastic coolant elbows — sometimes they drip onto the transmission or engine body and then fluid evaporates away, so you may not find drips under the car. Have a careful look at all the hoses for kinks and pinhole leaks, especially those going to and from the coolant reservoir. Even a tiny pinhole in the hose leading to the top of the reservoir may be enough to prevent automatic burping.
Removing either the relay or fuse would work, but remember to crank to relieve pressure (I would pull the fuse). Not sure about the intake duct, it must be in the way. Regarding the oil, there are plastic bushings that need to slide, they are less likely to be damaged as they slide if lubricant is added. I don’t usually do that but if your dealership instructions say to do so then it’s a good idea. Finally, don’t forget to check your work after you are done! After finished, turn the key to run a few times to power up the fuel pump, then have a careful look underneath for a couple of minutes, to be sure it’s not leaking.
Removing either the relay or fuse would work, but remember to crank to relieve pressure (I would pull the fuse). Not sure about the intake duct, it must be in the way. Regarding the oil, there are plastic bushings that need to slide, they are less likely to be damaged as they slide if lubricant is added. I don’t usually do that but if your dealership instructions say to do so then it’s a good idea. Finally, don’t forget to check your work after you are done! After finished, turn the key to run a few times to power up the fuel pump, then have a careful look underneath for a couple of minutes, to be sure it’s not leaking.