Jumper Cables Hooked Up Wrong

What can be damaged by hooking jumper cables up the wrong way?

My car battery was dead so we asked someone for a jump and when we tried starting the car, the negative jumper cable on my car started smoking. We brought the car into the shop and he said someone must have hooked the jumpers up wrong and that i needed a new battery. When I went to get my car, with the new battery, the car would start and run just fine; but the vent was blowing full blast and the radio/ac panel wasn't lit up and none of the buttons would work, and I also found that the odometer and speedometer weren't working. Are these all controlled by the same computer? I was wondering if it sounds like damaged wiring, fuses, a computer, or something else. Could anything else be damaged in my car that's not immediately apparent?

I hooked my jumper cables up wrong to my battery, what damage may have been caused?

The only other parts that are likely to have been damaged are the alternator and the spark plugs - not that this couldn't be expensive, but it's still less expensive than having to buy a total new engine.

You should still have it looked at just the same before testing it to see, unless you've already done this. If you've managed to get the car started and that burnt smell doesn't become worse, then it should be okay. If the smell does become worse, though, park it until you can have a mechanic look at it. The last thing you need is to pull a "Christine" and blaze on down the highway with a windshield full of fire. ;-)

If the smell doesn't get worse but just won't go away, look around in the engine for any melted cables, and check the spark plugs - they can fry up a bit and still work, replacing them and/or any melted-looking cables would likely clear up the smell. If not, and you don't know how to examine or repair the ventillation system, take it to a garage.

I hooked up the jumper cables wrong to a Chevy equinox and it wont start.?

you need to stop right here because you probably just did some serious damage

you can hope that you only burned up a relay or two

but when you reverse polarity you can blow out the engine control module, take out the electronics and more

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this vehicle is going to need to go to the shop so it can be properly diagnosed. It's going to take time.............. Also check with your insurance company. If you have full coverage they might help with the bill after the deductible is paid if it turns out to be a serious issue...

Jumper cables hooked up wrong on my cub cadet lawn tractor,?

Ralph, you could have reversed polarity in the battery. i.e. Pos. becomes Neg, ect. If the cables were reversed...it is likely. You can test it with a meter to find out.If it has been reversed, get a new battery.

Jumper cables smoking?!?

generaly this is a simple result from loose wire. folow the main ground wire from the battery to the frame or engine some were. it should bolt some were to give it ground. if it is not getting good ground they will get really hot and smoke and it could also make u think ur battery is dead if its not getting good enough ground. it might startt by jumping it cause ur forcing to throw extra juice thru it and it gets enough to start but still it could be too loose. so find were the ground wire bolts to metal at and clean it and tighten it. then check the posts make sure they are clean and both are tight... not jerry rigged by hand twisted and pushed on. alot of times this works but then ull find times it aint enough and will seem like battery is dead too cause many folks like to jerry rig them by just twisting and pushing by hand thinkining this is enough. u need to properly clean them and tighten the posts. but id still bet money on the ground wire more cause ive seen this sooooo many times in our shop and every one never thinks to check it. thats what causes them to over heat every time if uve already checked the cable for bear spots. thats all thats left bud. id say the battery aint even dead its just somthing that happened over time u got lucky it kept working and now its not working cause the ground and then u may try it again in a day or 2 and it may start to work again.. all depends on that ground wire lol. just check it. that would cause the smoking at the cables in the car but if its smoking on the jumper cables itself when hooked to both cars then sorry but i reccomend checking the battery make sure the posts are hooked up right on the car ur trying to jump. u may have the jumper cables right but check the battery terminal posts cause not to many things can cause the jumper cables to smoke them selves.

2008 Hyundai Tiburon, jumper cables hooked up wrong?

My car was dead so I decided to jump it off of my truck. I hooked the batter cables up wrong and now my car wont stay running. If I charge the battery it seems to run until the battery runs dead and then it does. The batter will not stay charged. Also, all the dash warning lights are on. What does it sounds like is wrong with it? Any ideas on how to fix it?

Hooked up jumper cables backwards now my car wont start no lights, nothing, what have I done?

Sweetie, it seems to me that you may have burnt some wiring, blown fuses or even fried the car's computer. There's many possibilities when something like this happens, if you can't find out what's wrong with it, then have somebody push you to your nearest mechanic shop and have them find out the problem for you. But until then, just check all your fuses the ones inside your car and the ones under the hood. Replace any fuse that was blown.

Hope I help and good luck !!!

Joseph D : )