Electrical precautions

ELECTRICAL PRECAUTIONS

General

The following guidelines are intended to ensure the safety of the operator whilst preventing damage to the electrical and electronic components fitted to the vehicle. Where necessary, specific precautions are detailed in the relevant sections of this document, reference to which should be made prior to commencing repair operations.

Equipment - Prior to commencing any test procedure on the vehicle ensure that the relevant test equipment is working correctly and any harness or connectors are in good condition. This particularly applies to mains lead and connections.

WARNING: Before commencing work on an ignition system all high tension terminals, adapters and diagnostic equipment for testing should be inspected to ensure that they are adequately insulated and shielded to prevent accidental personal contact and to minimize the risk of shock. Wearers of surgically implanted pacemaker devices should not work in close proximity to ignition circuits or diagnostic equipment.

Polarity - Never reverse connect the vehicle battery and always observe the correct polarity when connecting test equipment.

High Voltage Circuits - Whenever disconnecting live ht circuits always use insulated pliers and never allow the open end of the ht lead to come into contact with other components particularly ECUs. Since high voltage spikes can occur on the terminals of the coil while the engine is running, exercise caution when measuring the voltage at these points.