Zap!

The van has had trouble starting after the lights have been on, even for a short time.  Once it wouldn't start at night and we waited till the morning for the charge to build back up a bit to get it started.  (We also had the solar charged battery as a potential backup but we didn't need to use it, yet.)  I bought some jumper cables the next day and tossed them in the back, just in case.  Then the next weekend we picked up a replacement battery (there is no telling how old the battery is that came with the van).  By the way, Costco is by far the cheapest place we have found to buy car batteries. 

I took out the old battery and told T to put in the new one. 

At first T picked up both cables, one in each hand, and started to attach them to the terminals.  I told him to stop and explained why that was not a good idea (he would connect the circuit).  I then told him about a high school teacher I had that accidentally laid a wrench on the battery, connecting the terminals, and that he was injured in the process.  T was using a wrench to tighten down a bolt on one of the terminals and sure enough, seconds later:  POP!  FLASH!  Sparks flew in the air; T jerked his hand back, and the wrench went flying. 

As he turned the bolt the other end of the wrench came down toward the other terminal.  While my words may have been lost on him, he won't soon forget the fireworks, which may be a very fortunate and valuable lesson in working with electricity. 

The arc took a bite out of the lead of the terminal and burned a slight pit and deposited lead on the end of the wrench. 

There was a chuck liquified out of the near-left side of the terminal.  It is mostly obscured by the connector fastened over it. 

We also changed the oil and oil filter for good measure.  T is starting to get that routine down.