Trouble jump-starting another car
06-05-2019, 11:17 AM
#1
Trouble jump-starting another car
Last night at the gas station, a lady with a 2004 Hundai SUV asked me if I had jumper cables. Of course I do, because this is natural law for all men with F150's and tool boxes. Without them, your truck might as well be pink. I pulled up, whipped out my heavy duty cables, hooked up positive to positive and negative to ground, waited a minute, and told her to fire it up. The engine rotated once, then stopped. Waited a while, tried again. Same result. Jiggled the clamps to get a better connection. Same. Changed the negative clamp on the Hundai from ground to the neg battery terminal. Same. Got out a steel brush, cleaned the battery terminals on both vehicles to bare metal, reconnected and tried again. Same. Got a flashlight and checked the battery terminal markings a dozen times to make sure I was connected correctly. Same. All her engine would ever do is turn about 1/4 a turn and then stop. I tried for over an hour to figure it out, without success.
She said she had gotten a jump start a few hours earlier from USAA roadside assistance, and it started right up.
Like most of us, I have jump-started dozens of cars with no issue. So WTF? Bad starter?
She said she had gotten a jump start a few hours earlier from USAA roadside assistance, and it started right up.
Like most of us, I have jump-started dozens of cars with no issue. So WTF? Bad starter?
06-05-2019, 11:18 AM
#2
Last night at the gas station, a lady with a 2004 Hundai SUV asked me if I had jumper cables. Of course I do, because this is natural law for all men with F150's and tool boxes. Without them, your truck might as well be pink. I pulled up, whipped out my heavy duty cables, hooked up positive to positive and negative to ground, waited a minute, and told her to fire it up. The engine rotated once, then stopped. Waited a while, tried again. Same result. Jiggled the clamps to get a better connection. Same. Changed the negative clamp on the Hundai from ground to the neg battery terminal. Same. Got out a steel brush, cleaned the battery terminals on both vehicles to bare metal, reconnected and tried again. Same. Got a flashlight and checked the battery terminal markings a dozen times to make sure I was connected correctly. Same. All her engine would ever do is turn about 1/4 a turn and then stop. I tried for over an hour to figure it out, without success.
She said she had gotten a jump start a few hours earlier from USAA roadside assistance, and it started right up.
Like most of us, I have jump-started dozens of cars with no issue. So WTF? Bad starter?
She said she had gotten a jump start a few hours earlier from USAA roadside assistance, and it started right up.
Like most of us, I have jump-started dozens of cars with no issue. So WTF? Bad starter?
06-05-2019, 11:43 AM
#3
Senior Member
Did your RPM's drop a lot when you hooked her car up? If so, she probably had a direct short. Otherwise, probably a dirty connection somewhere.
06-05-2019, 06:30 PM
#4
Was your engine running?
Do you have real jumper cables? 1 gauge copper? Not 4.
Ive seen wimpy or aluminum wire cables not crank before.
But generally thats with bigger motors too.
But more n likely....problem on her end.
Do you have real jumper cables? 1 gauge copper? Not 4.
Ive seen wimpy or aluminum wire cables not crank before.
But generally thats with bigger motors too.
But more n likely....problem on her end.
06-05-2019, 06:53 PM
#5
Senior Member
Originally Posted by mbb
Was your engine running?
Do you have real jumper cables? 1 gauge copper? Not 4.
Ive seen wimpy or aluminum wire cables not crank before.
But generally thats with bigger motors too.
But more n likely....problem on her end.
Do you have real jumper cables? 1 gauge copper? Not 4.
Ive seen wimpy or aluminum wire cables not crank before.
But generally thats with bigger motors too.
But more n likely....problem on her end.
Extra emphasis on probably her car was the problem. If she's been getting jumped for the last few days and enough to say "the last one started right up" she's got something dying on her car and it just gave up for you.
06-09-2019, 01:11 PM
#6
Senior Member
Last night at the gas station, a lady with a 2004 Hundai SUV asked me if I had jumper cables. Of course I do, because this is natural law for all men with F150's and tool boxes. Without them, your truck might as well be pink. I pulled up, whipped out my heavy duty cables, hooked up positive to positive and negative to ground, waited a minute, and told her to fire it up. The engine rotated once, then stopped. Waited a while, tried again. Same result. Jiggled the clamps to get a better connection. Same. Changed the negative clamp on the Hundai from ground to the neg battery terminal. Same. Got out a steel brush, cleaned the battery terminals on both vehicles to bare metal, reconnected and tried again. Same. Got a flashlight and checked the battery terminal markings a dozen times to make sure I was connected correctly. Same. All her engine would ever do is turn about 1/4 a turn and then stop. I tried for over an hour to figure it out, without success.
She said she had gotten a jump start a few hours earlier from USAA roadside assistance, and it started right up.
Like most of us, I have jump-started dozens of cars with no issue. So WTF? Bad starter?
She said she had gotten a jump start a few hours earlier from USAA roadside assistance, and it started right up.
Like most of us, I have jump-started dozens of cars with no issue. So WTF? Bad starter?
Some old school tricks never die. Once it starts, don't shut the engine off until it's back at the house.
06-09-2019, 05:31 PM
#7
Girl I was seeing in college had a late 70s car with 350 engine. When her battery went dead one day in the cold, tried to jump it with her cables and it wouldn't start. So I went and bought the most expensive heaviest cables I could find, you know because I wanted to sleep with her, it worked it started her car. And I got to sleep with her too.....
Trending Topics
06-10-2019, 05:36 AM
#8
Senior Member
Girl I was seeing in college had a late 70s car with 350 engine. When her battery went dead one day in the cold, tried to jump it with her cables and it wouldn't start. So I went and bought the most expensive heaviest cables I could find, you know because I wanted to sleep with her, it worked it started her car. And I got to sleep with her too.....
_______________
Jumped a divorcee in a Windstar once. Fired right up. Her demeanor immediately 180'ed from helpless concern to slow and sexy. In that instant, I just new I wouldn't have to feed her dinner first.
Unfortunately the Van ran absolutely terrible for a couple minutes before it seized permanently. Her demeanor changed once again as she attempted to blame me for what just happened.
