the phone call - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

blackhawk · 11-12-2007, 05:01 PM

okay guys , as you probably know i am away at college and had to leave my girl at the house , well i got a phone call that she was not starting any more , it does not make sences it has bin sitting but was and is stil being started every other day. mom sad they had to jump start her and she does not know why, the battry is brand new just got it in august. she sad my cuzz was like it the altinator , so i had him take the negative off and the car was still running , does any one know what else it could be. i will be home next week some time to further more truble shoot. the car was not driving ontil they had to jump the car

bigbird · 11-12-2007, 05:09 PM

dont remove the negative from the battery while running. my mechanic buddy(toyota tech) said it causes surges and can blow out an alt alltogether as well as other things on te circuit. i did it onec and never did it again.

first, when its started is it driven around or just started? a batter wont charge much at idle, ya gotta drive around or rev for a while to get the charge up.

geoff5093 · 11-12-2007, 05:14 PM

If they just start it then turn it off immediately that just drains the battery as it has no chance to recharge (correct me if I'm wrong).

***ASG14*** · 11-12-2007, 05:22 PM

^ Correct.

There is also the possibility of intermitten issues. Drive the car to AutoZone and have them test the Alt and Battery while the car is running, to get a load test on it.

'_' · 11-12-2007, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoff5093

If they just start it then turn it off immediately that just drains the battery as it has no chance to recharge (correct me if I'm wrong).

I think that's right. Doesn't the battery charge when the engine's running?

bigbird · 11-12-2007, 05:30 PM

it does but the alt charges better at higher rpms. letting it sit at idle for a few mins wont do jack.

DrewsCam · 11-12-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbird

it does but the alt charges better at higher rpms. letting it sit at alde for a few mins wont do jack.

Exactly, better to take it out for a ride

'_' · 11-12-2007, 09:53 PM

If the car is idling in neutral and is going downhill, does the battery still charge at the same rate?

blackhawk · 11-13-2007, 12:10 AM

i love you guys no HOMO shit makes sense

thanks a lot

gladis · 11-13-2007, 12:31 AM

Since they're talking about the jump starting, I'm wondering what the correct technique is to do it.

My camry died from leaving the headlights on too long, and my dad had to jump start it. I read the instructions (since I've never done it before) and said that the Camry's positive end should be connected to the engine block.

But I couldn't figure out where to put it (didn't want to blow something up) and my dad says he's always just connected both the terminals together.

So. What is the proper way to do it?

Dave's · 11-13-2007, 01:39 AM

Good lord gladis, you'd better read those directions again! It's positive to positive, then negative on good battery to some part of the engine (like an unpainted bracket) a distance from the battery. But I typically go negative to negative. The worry is the discharged battery may be off-gassing and the spark from completing the connections may cause an explosion. This assumes both vehicles are negative ground (most are). The cars should not be touching metal to metal. (Once they recommended having the metal bumpers touching but not any more.)
I can't imagine any time where the positive cable would connect to the engine. But there are always exceptions. Some vehicles have special terminals just for connecting jumper cables. But I'm sure + to + and - to - always works if you're careful and the spark doesn't cause and explosion. (Don't jump an over-heated battery such as one which just died after cranking the **** out of it trying to get an engine running that wouldn't start.)

gladis · 11-13-2007, 01:58 AM

The instructions gave two setups.

The good car has both its terminals wired. The bad can have either positive wired to the "engine block" or negative, and the other connected to the battery.

I'm still confused where the hell the other terminal goes then. But both terminal to terminal always works (that's how we wound up doing it)

cdtran · 11-13-2007, 10:51 AM

It's described fairly well in the manual....positive to positive, and then the negative of the good battery to a ground on the bad. The ground can be the negative terminal or the engine hook.

ghettosled · 11-13-2007, 11:33 AM

hey blackhawk, if your car will continue to sit for some time and you dont want the battery to drain, buy a battery tender (not a trickle charger). it will maintain the life of your battery when the car isnt in use. im planning on buying one for my camaro now that its going into storage for the winter. previously every spring i would have to jump the car to get her running again.

djb2 · 11-13-2007, 11:51 AM

The reason for not making the final connection to the battery post is to keep any spark away from the battery.

Overcharging a car battery produces hydrogen gas. If a spark triggers a flame that travels inside the battery, the case will burst. It's not the "explosion" that is especially dangerous, but there will be a spray of battery acid and your face is usually just above the battery at that point.

This is much less of a risk than it used to be. Alternators do not overcharge, and modern batteries produce little or no hydrogen gas unless they are being grossly overcharged. (How often do you have to top off the battery water? They used to be topped off weekly or monthly, now you might check once a year.)

Again, it's all about avoiding a spark near either battery. Only the final connection matters.