Is it true that if you jump start a car with your new car, can you damage your new car or battery?

Answer 1

yes, if not done right

Answer 2

Jump starting a vehicle in general requires the following:

1. The Source battery must equal or preferably exceed the amperage of the Recipient battery (car being jumped). The Voltage of the two systems MUST BE THE SAME! Most American autos are 12 volt.
2. In most instances, you connect the jumper cables to the positive and negative poles of the Source battery BUT you connect the positive cable to the Recipient battery's positive pole and the negative cable To A Ground Source On The Engine or Chassis. This is very important!
3. Make sure you have read the owners manual of both vehicles for jump starting one of them to make sure there are not any special considerations.
4. Doing this properly will not damage the new car.

There are some caveats to this:

1. Make absolutely sure the Recipient battery is not damaged or cracked - this may lead to an Explosion of the battery with acid and thermal damage to anyone exposed.
2. Connect the red or positive cable first then connect the black or negative cable. This prevents sparking.
3. Once the jumped car has started, remove the cables and get the drained battery charged or replaced!
4. DO NOT LET THE TWO VEHICLES TOUCH ONE ANOTHER!
5. This procedure is only good for jump starting a discharged or drained battery. Other electrical system faults and problems will not be solved by this.

Answer 3

The most common mistake when jump starting a car is reversing the positive and negative cables.

In the good old days if this happened you might burn through a fusible link (wire) but on the new cars the worst that can happen is frying your brain box or the computer that controls the engine functions. I've seen it happen and it takes a simple procedure to a need for a two truck and repairs up to $500.

Always use the red to red connections on the battery and then, when hooking up the black ends, hook these to a piece of the body or frame or the motor lifts bolted to the engine block. This way if a spark is created the hydrogen in the battery will not be near the spark and no explosion will occur with battery acid flying all over you and the motor.

Street lights with mercury vapor lighting will not produce the correct spectrum of light and it's easy to mix up the cable ends thingk you have red to red and black to black. Use a flashlight at night time when jumping a car and make sure you only connect on color at a time to one car at a time.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Yes. You need to hook the positive (red) to the battery and the negative(black) to the frame. I have seem alot of newer cars with a place marked especially for the negative clamp to go.
There is a possibility that you can surge your electrical system and fry a computer if you hook both clamps to the battery.

Answer 5

The only way either vehicle is going to be damaged is if the polarity of the batteries is revered by mixing up the ends of the jumper cables or arcing the hot cable to the frame of one of the cars. Other than that, it's perfectly safe. (unless of course one of the batteries happens to be frozen)

Answer 6

The trick is to make sure to use the posative post that's located away from the battery, and you put the negative cable, somewhere on the block.

No harm to the computer this way.

Answer 7

you need to check the manual the comes with the car usually found in the glovebox, and that will tell you if you can or can't ''jump'' another car,9some cars you can and some cars you can't.0

Answer 8

Yes.

Answer 9

yes, don't ever reverse the polarity. Black on negative, and red on positive.

Answer 10

I was always told not to because it can ruin the computer or something.