What Happens When You Jump Start A Car Incorrectly?

[becka]

My DH (whom I love but who also does not know his own limits) attempted to change the spark plugs in our old '91 Dodge Dynasty. While doing this he apparently broke one of the spark plugs off or something like that but did manage to get them replaced. When he tried to start the car he thought the battery was dead because the light under the hood had been on for almost 2 hours while he replaced the plugs. He decided to jump start the battery by using the jumper cables and hooking it up to my car. Well he hooked them up wrong and they started to smoke and he burnt his hands trying to get them off.

Now his car is dead and I am really wondering if he fried the electrical system in his car and/or my car?

What kind of damage are we looking at?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Perhaps something as simple as a new battery?

I hope it goes okay for you.

I've only been told that it can be very bad....but I'm thinking like cause an explosion and kill you bad....not sure if you catch it in time if it damages the car any.

ETA: I just googled and the risk is mostly explosion.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Just wanted to add that thank goodness it was just his hands that were burned and not something worse.

 

[Charade]

Doomed!

Actually, he's lucky the battery didn't explode. You most likely burnt out something in the electrical system. I think you'll need a professional!!

 

[tiggersmom2]

My DH (whom I love but who also does not know his own limits) attempted to change the spark plugs in our old '91 Dodge Dynasty. While doing this he apparently broke one of the spark plugs off or something like that but did manage to get them replaced. When he tried to start the car he thought the battery was dead because the light under the hood had been on for almost 2 hours while he replaced the plugs. He decided to jump start the battery by using the jumper cables and hooking it up to my car. Well he hooked them up wrong and they started to smoke and he burnt his hands trying to get them off.

Now his car is dead and I am really wondering if he fried the electrical system in his car and/or my car?

What kind of damage are we looking at?

Ok, ok...I am really bad....this just made me chuckle. Apparently your hubby does not go around doing the Tim Allen (Urrr, Urrr) but the Homer Simpson (Dohhhhh!)

Don't be mad at me.....it is just too funny.

 

[Serena]

I hope he's alright. But yeah, he's very lucky it didn't explode.


.

 

[mudnuri]

Generally speaking all that will happen is you blow the battery. Rarely does anything happen to the electrical system.

One quick way to find out....take the battery out of your car, and try to start his. Double check the CCA are the same, and then try it.

Save ya from going to a mechanic when its only a dead battery

Brandy

 

[Towncrier]

My dad did that to my car back when I was in college. Granted that this was in the days prior to all electronic ignitions, but he did manage to blow up my alternator. And I had just replaced the alternate a month earlier. Fortunately, the part of the alternator that blew up was a replaceable part.

I am afraid that you may be in for an expensive repair.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

DH actually had to jump start his vehicle after coming home from Iraq (I failed at driving his car often as I prefer mine ). He put them on the right way, but in the wrong order and fried his stereo. He wanted a new stereo anyway.
So I imagine you are lucky it did not explode since he put them on wrong...

 

[swilphil]

Several years ago someone jump started my car incorrectly, and it burnt out the alternator. There also may have been a few fuses that had to be replaced, but I don't remember anything else major. This was in an older car before everything was computerized.

 

[MICKEY88]

I beg to differ with those who said it's rare for anything to happen to the electrical system,

when you connect the battery backward, or cables, you are sending the current thru the electrical system backwards....

could have fried the battery, the alternator, the voltage regulator, the solenoid if so equipped...

he is extremely lucky he didn't have an explosion, if he's that bad at working on cars I hope he only changed one spark plug at a time, and only had one wire off at a time to avoid cross wiring the plugs, if he wired it wrong it will never start..

 

[swanmom]

Becka,
I used to teach a kid whose Dad was killed when a battery exploded in a car on which he was working. So, if you're tempted to give your DH a smack for this one, maybe give him a hug instead. Sounds like it could have been really dangerous!