Jump starting problem? - Hyundai Performance Forums

Amron · 10-31-2003, 09:11 PM

Ok, so I am not a technically minded female but I do know how to jump start a car.
My daughter is using my 2000 Excel Sportz because her car is being repaired. Meanwhile I am driving my partners old Volvo. I had to drive an hour to get to work and shock horror, when I came out of work last night, raining and wind blowing furiously, the Volvo battery was dead. No reason for this but I rang my daughter, (my car) and she was only 15 minutes away.
The jump though did not go to plan. Positive to Positive , negative to negative .... almost!! The sparks that flew on that last near connection were something to rival good fireworks. Tried again using different sequences, neg to neg, positive to positive, different car first etc, but always that last close connection sent sparks flying. Never did get the jumper leads on properly to the last terminal, think my car would have melted!
My partner had to drive for an hour to come and rescue me and of course reckons we had the connections the wrong way!! His van started the Volvo!
I phoned the Hyundai dealer this morning, they say that, yes, there was no problem with my connecting that way, my daughter's friend said I should have connected the last jumper lead clamp to a negative earth on the motor, But my partner who is very mechanically minded still says that I/we must have had the connections wrong ie positive to negative. I know this is not so as we did the connections so many times and there is no way we could have got it wrong every time.
This morning the Volvo started perfectly, and the burn marks on the terminals are incredible, looks like a welder has been there.
Edited...... seems like a few other friends have opinions, say that I was supposed to put the last clamp on the engine mounting... somewhere?? Is this correct or is this because it is safer? If so, how is this done. Please..
Anyone got any ideas. :ermm:

[Edited by Amron on Nov 3, 2003 1:14 AM]

grimmy · 11-03-2003, 01:59 PM

I do it positive to positive first
then negative terminal on the donor car
and a good frame area for negative on the receiving car.

there usually is a spark when I hook up the last jumper, so I just do it real fast to minimize the arking.

the only advise I could give is make sure your battery is clean so you can read which terminal is which, or even use automotive paint on the little battery markings (brush on paint - like touch up) so they are even easier to read at night.

going battery to battery is not really bad - I do it all the time if I am lazy, or I can't find a good place to clamp on the frame of the receiving car.

Best,
Grimmy