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Fuses to disconnect before jump start?
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:44 am
by yellowpatrol
Well I left my trunk open for a week sitting in my garage and apparently there is some sort of light I didn't know I had that stays on when you do that
I was going to try a roll start but I'm afraid I'm going to hit something coming out of my garage just pushing it by myself.
Just to play it safe, should I pull the fuses for the radio, turbo timer, or anything else before jumping it?
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:45 am
by racer12306
never pulled any fuses when jumping a car. shouldn't be an issue
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:16 pm
by own3d5974
racer12306 wrote:never pulled any fuses when jumping a car. shouldn't be an issue
it wont hurt anything
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:18 pm
by occasional demons
As long as you don't rake the jumpers across the terminals making pretty sparks, (ie voltage spikes)you shouldn't have issues. Not that stuff is that fragile, but why push your luck.
But you should really disconnect the battery and slow charge it. The alternator will recharge it, but they aren't really made for charging from a dead start. The battery will be better off charged on a battery charger. But if you have no other options...
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:45 pm
by jonnymopar
occasional demons wrote:As long as you don't rake the jumpers across the terminals making pretty sparks, (ie voltage spikes)you shouldn't have issues. Not that stuff is that fragile, but why push your luck.
I did that and didn't have a problem

. I was tightening the battery terminals and I shorted the positive terminal to the strut tower bar with the wrench. No problems!
As occasional said, if you have the option of using a charger overnight, do that.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:05 pm
by Swordfish2Cowboy
jonnymopar wrote:occasional demons wrote:As long as you don't rake the jumpers across the terminals making pretty sparks, (ie voltage spikes)you shouldn't have issues. Not that stuff is that fragile, but why push your luck.
I did that and didn't have a problem

. I was tightening the battery terminals and I shorted the positive terminal to the strut tower bar with the wrench. No problems!
New sport : Welding your Neon with your Neon.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:07 pm
by yellowpatrol
Haha I made a bunch of sparks just now when I hooked up the black on the dead side to my ground point. It was very pretty!
But it still wouldn't start. I got electricity- door chime, cluster lights, etc., but it just sounds like the starter is clicking a shit load.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:13 pm
by thepretender
Let it sit for a few minutes. Won't start immediately; takes a minute or two minimum jumpstarting, and probably a couple hours with a charger.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:20 pm
by yellowpatrol
How do you do it with the jumping car running? I tried again a few minutes later and I think my jump car lost too much of it's charge because the dead car has no electricity at all again. Do you hook up the cables, then start it or start it then hook up the cables? I tried to google it but everyone just has how to do it with the jump car off.
I wish my driveway wasn't such a damn obstacle course! If I could just make it up to the top there's a perfectly good hill for a roll start!

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:29 pm
by jonnymopar
Same way. The only difference is you're going from about 11V with the jump car off to about 13V with the jump car running. It can make enough of a difference sometimes. It doesn't matter if you hook up the cables with the car running or not.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:01 pm
by yellowpatrol
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:51 pm
by occasional demons
The only problem with jumping it with the good car running is it puts all the load on the alternator. It is very hard on the alternator. There is nothing wrong with hooking the cables and letting the running car charge the battery for a few minutes. The best way is to turn off the jump car and then attempt to start the dead car.
Jumper cables with a minumum of 4 ga. wire will help reduce the time needed to let the other car run to build voltage. Generally 8 gauge to 10 are considered less than adequate. With those, letting the jump car run for a while is pretty much mandatory.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:55 pm
by yellowpatrol
So I should not have tried to start the dead one while the good one was running, but let it charge with it running, then turn the good off and try the bad?
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:26 pm
by occasional demons
Basically that's the best way, but it has been done "wrong" many times with out issue.
Me included, before I knew better.
I had a slant six Charger with a 100 amp alternator swapped onto it. (the old ones that were the size of a basketball) I jumped another car with it running, and the load on the engine stalled it.
Those old 100 ampers took some serious power to turn at load. It just gives you an idea of how much strain there is on the alternator.
It is just hard on the alternator, because the load of the cranking the dead car pulls from the alternator before it pulls from the battery on the running car. It basically loads the alternator at it's maximum output. If it has a weakness this kind of load will usually find it.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:28 pm
by yellowpatrol
Ok cool, thank you. I like knowing the correct way to do things

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:33 pm
by GreeNeons03
yellowpatrol wrote:
yellowpatrol's driveway, the official site of the 2009 Carlympics.

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:34 pm
by yellowpatrol
Haha for sure. All those hurdles and sand!
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:14 am
by Caraudioholic24
Just FYI I have managed to blow my favorite radio back in the day while giving someone a jump. You wanna make sure any external things are off like the radio and heat/ac. Will be much safer in my opinion but at least you got it going