[bigred29067]

Years ago somebody told me that if you tried to jump somebody off with a new truck that it would damage the truck. Never paid that much attention but now I have a 2010 silverado and now I need to know if this is true or not. I've made it about 3/4 the way through the owner's manual and haven't seen any mention of it so far.

 

[99LS1500]

All is takes is 1 bad connection and your done when using jumper cables and trust you don't want to buy a new computer for your 2010. I stopped jump starting cars using jumper cables years ago and all my cars and trucks or over 10 years old. IMO there's just too many things that can go wrong when doing so plus in many cases you never know what issue the car /truck you're jumping has. I normally keep a mini jump start box in my car / truck for emergencies but days of using jumper cables are a wrap for me.

 

[Gozzie]

You know that's a pretty good response. Not knowing what the other vehicle has wrong with it could be detrimental.
Even then I wouldn't let anyone else touch the cables. People like to spark them just for fun.
A jump box would be nice. I don't have one.

 

[bigred29067]

I've never had a jump box work worth a durn.

 

[Rambodog]

I have Triple A and don't worry about it. Been a member for 20 years and have never waited more than 30 min. for a jump with one of those battery boxes or a key lock out or even a tow. I have used my membership in other peoples vehicles since I was a passenger. I always carry tools to change a flat though. The OE kit stinks.

 

[apcnc]

Never had a problem jumping off a vehicle myself. You can overload the alternator. Just get an idea of how low the battery is. The truck is fused also and the manual gives instructions for jumping off a vehicle. To be safe you can just use a small set and charge the vehicle or remove the cable to start if in question. The smaller wire will only allow a small current flow. There are simple protection circuits for this type thing if the ECM cant handle a jump/short or ... the 7-10,000 volt ignition its pure crap! :lol: Maybe it is but I don't think its quite as fragile as everyone thinks.

 

[esox07]

You probably just haven't gotten to the jump start procedure for your truck in the owners manual. In my 2013 manual, it starts on page 10-84 and here it is: (Sorry, it holds the narrow formatting in the manual.
------------------------------------------------------
Notice: Ignoring these steps
could result in costly damage to
the vehicle that would not be
covered by the warranty.
Trying to start the vehicle by
pushing or pulling it will not
work, and it could damage the
vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must
have a 12-volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump
starting. If the other vehicle does
not have a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles
can be damaged.
2. If you have a vehicle with a
diesel engine with two batteries,
you should know before you
begin that, especially in cold
weather, you may not be able to
get enough power from a single
battery in another vehicle to start
your diesel engine. If your
vehicle has more than one
battery, using the battery that is
closer to the starter will reduce
electrical resistance. This is
located on the passenger side,
in the rear of the engine
compartment.
3. Get the vehicles close enough
so the jumper cables can reach,
but be sure the vehicles are not
touching each other. If they are,
it could cause an unwanted
ground connection. You would
not be able to start your vehicle,
and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the
vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start
procedure. Put the automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in Neutral
before setting the parking brake.
If you have a four-wheel-drive
vehicle, be sure the transfer
case is in a drive gear, not in
Neutral.
Notice: If any accessories are left
on or plugged in during the jump
starting procedure, they could be
damaged. The repairs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Whenever possible,
turn off or unplug all accessories
on either vehicle when jump
starting the vehicle.
4. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
accessory power outlets. Turn
off the radio and all the lamps
that are not needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save both
batteries. And it could save the
radio!10-86 Vehicle Care
5. Open the hood on the other
vehicle and locate the
positive (+) and negative (−)
terminal locations on that
vehicle.
The positive (+) terminal, is
located under a red plastic cover
at the positive battery post. To
uncover the positive (+) terminal,
open the red plastic cover.
If your vehicle has a gasoline
engine, the remote negative (-)
terminal is a stud located on the
right front of the engine, where
the negative battery cable
attaches.
If your vehicle has a diesel
engine, the remote negative (-)
terminal is the negative (-) post
on the auxiliary battery on the
driver side of the engine
compartment.
For more information on the
location of the remote
positive (+) and remote
negative (−) terminals, see
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑5
{ WARNING
An electric fan can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{ WARNING
Using an open flame near a
battery can cause battery gas to
explode. People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a flashlight if you
need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You do not need to add
water to the battery installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,
add water to take care of that
first. If you do not, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.Vehicle Care 10-87
{ WARNING
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
6. Check that the jumper cables do
not have loose or missing
insulation. If they do, you could
get a shock. The vehicles could
be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables,
here are some basic things you
should know. Positive (+) will go
to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one. Negative (−) will go to a
heavy, unpainted metal engine
part or to a remote negative (−)
terminal if the vehicle has one.
Do not connect positive (+) to
negative (−) or you will get a
short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts
too. And do not connect the
negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal on the dead
battery because this can cause
sparks.
5.3L Engine (4.3L, 4.8L, 6.0L, 6.2L
and 6.6L Similar)
7. Connect the red positive (+)
cable to the positive (+) terminal
of the vehicle with the dead
battery.
8. Do not let the other end touch
metal. Connect it to the
positive (+) terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one.
9. Now connect the black
negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote
negative (−) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
Do not let the other end touch
anything until the next step.
10. Connect the other end of the
negative (−) cable to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or
to the remote negative (−)
terminal, on the vehicle with
the dead battery.
11. Start the vehicle with the good
battery and run the engine for a
while.10-88 Vehicle Care
12. Try to start the vehicle that had
the dead battery. If it will not
start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.
Notice: If the jumper cables are
connected or removed in the
wrong order, electrical shorting
may occur and damage the
vehicle. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always connect and remove the
jumper cables in the correct
order, making sure that the
cables do not touch each other or
other metal.
Jumper Cable Removal
A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine
Part or Remote Negative (−)
Terminal
B. Good Battery or Remote
Positive (+) and Remote
Negative (−) Terminals
C. Dead Battery or Remote
Positive (+)

 

[apcnc]

Wow!!! :lol: Mines not that bad! That's just crazy.
It should read at the end. If you need all this information do not jump start the vehicle! :lol:

 

[apcnc]

I've never had a jump box work worth a durn.

My Dad has a Snapon that works great about 10-15 years old. The batteries don't seem to hold up well on the newer ones Ive seen. I had a shumaker did great but the battery only lasted a year or two.

 

[mikew]

Using smaller wire will not limit current flow. The vehicle will draw the current needs to start.

Wiring too small is a fire hazard in any electrical application.

 

[apcnc]

Really? What make you think that? That exactly what it will do! That's exactly why it gets hot when you try to draw more than the cable can carry. Why do you think small cables have to charge a while on a low battery and large cables will start the vehicle?

Every cable has an ampacity or a limit depending on the cable conductor type and size. The closer you get to the limit the more resistant to current flow it becomes and starts heating up.

If you continue to try if the cables are getting hot your probably don't need to jump start anything anyway.

 

[mikew]

I understand the current capacities of wire sizes. That is why fuses and breakers are used in circuits. They protect the wiring.

 

[inspector]

Don't let anyone with a golf cart jump start you! Several years ago I had a 2000 Silverado and stopped at a lumber yard over lunch, truck wouldn't start so a guy working there said he would jump me. He brought an electric golf cart over and told me to get in the truck and be ready to start it when he had it hooked up. He hooked it up and my gauges shot through the roof and smoke poured out of my radio, I yelled STOP and he unhooked it. Instead of using what I assumed was a regular battery it turned out it was a 36 V battery. It fried my radio, blew out a good part of the fuses and almost every light bulb on the interior. I had it towed 30 miles to a friends shop and we worked several days to get it back running, luckily it didn't hurt the computer but I did have to get a new radio from the salvage yard, the company said sorry we won't do that again but offered no help.

 

[judsonlimited]

Holy Hell batman!!

I've never had an issue with using jumper cables either. I always make sure its a 12v application and i try to only jump like for like. I can't jump my truck with my moms honda, it doesn't have the cranking amps necessary to crank my truck.

 

[apcnc]

You may not jump it immediately if you battery is extremely low but you can charge it with a smaller system if you can wait a bit. Provided your battery will charge as well. So if your in a tight you can get it started with a little patience and a small set of cables. The more you charge the depleted battery the less it needs from the other system when trying to start. MikeW was somewhat right about it drawing current. It will if has the proper size cables to carry it. But it physically cannot draw more than the cables limit. This is also why a corroded cable can read continuity without a load but when you run current through it the resistance goes up. Basically you do not have good connection to all strands so its like a small cable and may not carry the current depending on how bad the connection is. When this happens you can actually read a voltage potential from one end of the cable to the other.

When you try to start or jump your vehicle always give it a few minutes to charge some. If it is not spinning up to normal speed and struggling you should stop trying to start the vehicle. If you have small jumper cables they will start start getting warm. Its hard on the starter as well so don't keep trying... wait let it charge some. Repeat the process. Keep in mind if you don't charge it long enough everytime you retry your draining the battery back down the longer your on the starter so you have to recharge. The fire hazard issue: If a cable is to small it will heat up but they will not immediately combust in the 2 seconds your on the starter. It does take some time.

 

[Gozzie]

Common sense folks. Just remember these newer rigs are way more sensitive and less forgiving to errors.

 

[djlove]

I only allow certain people to hook stuff to my truck. Have heard too many horror stories of people getting too fast and no paying attention and now you got two cars stranded.

I like the boosterpack idea. Price of those are coming down significantly and i am going to watch closely for them on black friday. With that process you dont have to do anything but hook it up and see if the vehicle will start, if not you walk away and no one got hurt.

 

[mikew]

An electrical device will draw the current it needs to operate, provided it's power source is capable of providing that current. If any part of the circuit (wire, fuse, breaker) is not sized for the load then one or more of those parts will fail.

If wire itself will only carry the current it is capable of then there would be no need for circuit protection.

 

[apcnc]

An electrical device will draw the current it needs to operate, provided it's power source is capable of providing that current. If any part of the circuit (wire, fuse, breaker) is not sized for the load then one or more of those parts will fail.

If wire itself will only carry the current it is capable of then there would be no need for circuit protection.

Wow! You really are correcting a lot without the proper info. I tried to explain this a little better. I understand there are a lot of misconceptions out there and you don't have to take my word for look it up. Please study this a little before making assumptions and correcting me with the wrong info because everyone else is getting the wrong info also. That's how a lot of misinformation gets started.

You must have wiring capable of carrying more than the amount of current you need for an application. Otherwise it starts heating up. Permanent wiring in place that continue to be overloaded is where your fire hazard comes into play. Circuit protection is in place because higher current could be drawn because the wire can carry it. If your protection is for more current than the wire can handle, it will not carry the current heat up and possible catch fire.