I am going to be welding a bracket in the rear of a van this coming friday, I know that I need to disconnect the battery for starters, but is there anything else to consider ?
I keep thinking about the ECU, if so how would I go about isolating that ? And can I just un-plug it and plug it back in after welding ?
What Else Is There To Consider When Welding On A Modern Vehicle ?
Started by
rally515
, Apr 14 2015 11:21 AM
6 replies to this topic
#2
Ben_O
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Posted 14 April 2015 - 12:39 PM
The chance of anything going wrong are slim to non mate.
When i worked for Vauxhall, i would weld modern cars on a daily basis and never disconnected anything more than the battery.
We did have a device to protect the electronics that clipped onto the battery terminals but it was rarely used.
If you want to go all out, then you can disconnect stuff but there would be such alot to disconnect to make it worthwhile that it would take you all day.
Just place your earth clamp as close to where you are welding as possible and make sure that the part you clamp the earth too is cleaned to bare bright metal on BOTH sides of the panel. It's the only way to get a solid reliable earth.
Good luck!
Ben
#3
rally515
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Posted 14 April 2015 - 04:20 PM
The chance of anything going wrong are slim to non mate.
When i worked for Vauxhall, i would weld modern cars on a daily basis and never disconnected anything more than the battery.
We did have a device to protect the electronics that clipped onto the battery terminals but it was rarely used.
If you want to go all out, then you can disconnect stuff but there would be such alot to disconnect to make it worthwhile that it would take you all day.
Just place your earth clamp as close to where you are welding as possible and make sure that the part you clamp the earth too is cleaned to bare bright metal on BOTH sides of the panel. It's the only way to get a solid reliable earth.
Good luck!
Ben
Howdy Ben,
So you reckon he ECU will be fine ? It's not my van so I'm edging on the side of caution here as it's the guys livelihood.
It's one of those vauxhall vivaro's that Nissan make too if that helps with any potential issues which may now be clear :).
#4
sonikk4
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Posted 14 April 2015 - 04:33 PM
I have welded a few modern cars with multiple ECU's, computers fitted ( BMW 528i, Vauxhall Omega) and they suffered no issues at all.
#5
rally515
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Posted 14 April 2015 - 04:43 PM
I have welded a few modern cars with multiple ECU's, computers fitted ( BMW 528i, Vauxhall Omega) and they suffered no issues at all.
That's great to hear, I am a little surprised to say the least admittedly :).
Thankyou guys, feel a lot better about it now Haha
#6
sonikk4
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Posted 14 April 2015 - 05:11 PM
Both of those cars had multiple air bags as well. No issues there either.
#7
Ben_O
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Posted 14 April 2015 - 05:48 PM
I have welded whole sides into Vauxhall Vivaro vans more times than i can remember with no issues at all. In fact, i don't think there is a panel on a Vivaro i haven't changed more than once. And that's using MIG welding, Spot welding and MIG Brazing.
You'll be fine 
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