battery jump gone wrong!

rattlsnak · rattlsnak's Garage

oops!
This is what happens when jump starting your car goes very wrong

Zeke · 10-30-2011, 06:47 PM

I was just talking about this with the wife as we unloaded a power source gizmo we bought at Costco. It's mainly for emergencies when power is out at her office. At least she can use the cigarette lighter socket to charge the cell phone and use the laptop.

I told her, red to red first, black to black on one car and to the chassis on the 2nd car AWAY from the battery. If it sparks, you don't need that spark to ignite any gas present near the battery. I told her have someone (what female gets jumped when there's only one person around?

) hold the other ends away from each other and away from the cars until one hook up is accomplished.

What else should I tell her? I've been pretty negligent all my life about this stuff learning most of my knowledge on the street it seems.

sc_rufctr · 10-30-2011, 07:11 PM

It looks like some young guys who didn't know what they were doing.
I doubt they'll ever make the same mistake again.

But... Why didn't they break the connection when the sparks started to fly?

I bet they ran away like a pair of Jessies?

s_morrison57 · 10-30-2011, 07:53 PM

I always heard to hook up the dead battery last.

HardDrive · 10-30-2011, 08:11 PM

I was a junior in HS. I ran track, and our coach drove an RX-7. We're talking 1987-ish. Our school was a poor Catholic school, and our bus was a bucket.

One night after a meet, the battery in our bus was dead. Our coach pulled up in his RX-7, at sort of a 90 degree angle, so we could see his car. Hooked up the cables to the bus, then walked over and hooked up the cables to this running car. The giant shower of sparks that happened next was something to behold. Our bus eventually got jumped, but his car was DOA. He rode home on the bus with us.

phoenix_iii · 10-30-2011, 10:05 PM

Should also have the vehicle doing the jumping already running... though if it has a good battery and is charged it won't matter, but better than the donor not being able to start!

Lastly, when the other car is jumped, and running, disconnect a negative cable quickly, as something about possibly doubly charging... agoba. Just disconnect the black one quickly after it's running.

PorscheGAL · PorscheGAL's Garage

This is exactly why I, no matter how many times I have done it, always read the owners manual before a jump. It is there for a reason.

Skytrooper · Skytrooper's Garage

I have always hooked to dead battery last and then started the "power" car. Never had a problem.

Chocaholic · 10-31-2011, 06:18 AM

More proof that common sense, isn't so common.

drcoastline · 06:22 AM

One of my friends dad's owned a Sunoco when we were in school (he still does) My friend was the tow truck/jump start guy. I would go with him from time to time. The truck had a plug for the jumpers he would plug the plug in first. Then he would hook the black cable to a ground on the car. A bolt, bracket the hood hinge something but not the black terminal on the battery. Then he would connect the red cable to the battery. I asked why he didn't hook the black to the battery? He said because if you hook both directly to the battery the battery could explode. So that's how I have done it ever since.

I guess i should add that was in the 80's when the majority of batteries still had to have water added to the battery. I don't know if the theory holds true with new batteries but it works so that's what I do.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by drcoastline

One of my friends dad's owned a Sunoco when we were in school (he still does) My friend was the tow truck/jump start guy. I would go with him from time to time. The truck had a plug for the jumpers he would plug the plug in first. Then he would hook the black cable to a ground on the car. A bolt, bracket the hood hinge something but not the black terminal on the battery. Then he would connect the red cable to the battery. I asked why he didn't hook the black to the battery? He said because if you hook both directly to the battery the battery could explode. So that's how I have done it ever since.

He is correct. The reason is that the final connection will probably make a spark and if it does you want the spark far away from the battery. All it takes is for the battery to be emitting some of its hydrogen gas and a spark. I had a battery explode in my face when I was using it to test a light bulb. I've also had a battery explode when jumping a car and the cables were on correctly. Again, hydrogen + spark.

Baz · Baz's Garage

My Silverado pickup has a red plastic junction box mounted between the engine and the battery for the red starter cable to be attached.....thus eliminating any connections directly to the battery. I just jumped it last week when my fuel pump went down (a common issue with these vehicles).

Zeke · 10-31-2011, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

He is correct. The reason is that the final connection will probably make a spark and if it does you want the spark far away from the battery. All it takes is for the battery to be emitting some of its hydrogen gas and a spark. I had a battery explode in my face when I was using it to test a light bulb. I've also had a battery explode when jumping a car and the cables were on correctly. Again, hydrogen + spark.

If the final connection could spark, that is why dr's sequence is backwards. Connect the black, or ground, last to the body and not near the battery.

vash · vash's Garage

i am not without sin. i once jumped an acura RL incorrectly. i kept my cool and disconnected before i welded parts together. i felt really really dumb.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeke

If the final connection could spark, that is why dr's sequence is backwards. Connect the black, or ground, last to the body and not near the battery.

Oh, just read that again. Yep, he got it wrong. The last connection is to a ground away from the battery.

notmytarga · notmytarga's Garage

I don't think anyone has described the rationale for connecting the POS/Red leads first. Here goes my try. My reason for doing this is that once one of the POS leads is connected the other one will spark and short to any other ground - not good. So connect them and then you will be protected from melting things. The NEG/Black clamps can touch anything EXCEPT the Red battery terminals etc without a problem. The POS leads CAN'T touch anything but POS electrical points. The small spark (and corresponding groan of the engine of the donor car) you get when completing the circuit by connecting the final clamp is a GOOD sign, IF it is momentary!! and away from the battery.

Differentiating the good spark from the BAD spark makes many people very leary of trying to do a jump. I guess I'm just comfortable with circuits and electricity. My wife wasn't pleased this weekend when I had my 8 year old wiring a new pressure switch for the air compressor, unplugged of course.

sammyg2 · 10-31-2011, 09:42 AM

I tried to explain this process to the wife once.
I ended up telling her "never mind, here's your AAA card".

Some folks simply should not be messing with cars.

looneybin · 10-31-2011, 09:51 AM

once i drove past 2 guys that were trying to jump start a car, when i drove past going the other way about 10 min later, there was a fire truck putting the fire out

Erakad · Erakad's Garage

ok, I admit it happened to me as well. The other car's cables were put on backwards, red on negative, black on positive, I hooked up mine...no fire, just blew the main fuse link. Since then, I now make sure cables are properly installed!