What happens when jumper cables are crossed?
When the jumper cables are incorrectly connected, the polarity of the electrical system on the vehicle with the dead battery will be reversed for a few seconds. This can irreparably damage many of the sensitive electronic components that are common on today’s vehicles, such as on-board computers and electronic sensors.
Can you jump a car that is completely dead?
“When a vehicle battery dies, the most common solution is to jump-start the battery using jumper cables and another vehicle. However, if proper steps are not taken, there is no guarantee this method won’t cause damage to the vehicle,” says David Bennett, AAA’s manager for repair systems.
How do you know if your jumper cables are connected?
The red cable will always represent the side that should be attached to the positive terminal, and the black should be attached to the negative terminal. Don’t touch the jumper cable clamps to anything but the intended target.
What to do if you cross jumper cable?
For jumping batteries, make sure the leads are not crossed. Keep positive to positive and negative to negative. A video below will explain it for those that need to see it visually, or you can find information about it in your owner’s manual.
Why did I Cross the jumper cable on my minivan?
I hooked up one side of cables to my wife’s car and turned around. Apparently, this was the critical moment. I must not have been paying attention, and swapped the cables ends when I turned around. Then, I connected the leads to the battery on my Tucson in the wrong positions. I turned on the minivan. The van started fine.
What did I do when my jumper cable melted?
The cables are melting!” I ran out and found exactly what she said. One of us turned the van off. I then disconnected the jumper cable leads and threw them to the ground because they were hot. But, the damage was done. The insulation on the jumper cables had portions melted off.