Car battery short out when jumping

Asked by Tuesday777 Jan 10, 2018 at 04:28 AM about the 1994 Honda Civic LX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I had to jump my 94 Honda Civic. My friends
battery had lots of corrosion on the terminals, don't
know if that was a factor. We put the jumpers on,
he started his car first, my interior lights came on,
and when I turned the key my car shorted out and
interior lights went off, car was dead and wouldn't
start. Did I fry the battery? Do I need a new one? I
also tried to jump it with a much newer car, and it
was dead.

2 Answers
157,435

Bob answered 6 years ago

First thing when trying to solve electrical issues is address problems at the battery. The battery terminals must be absolutely clean, free from corrosion and tight. This includes the connection of the ground to the engine and the battery connection to the starter. Did you have the battery cables on the proper terminals or were they reversed? Is it very cold where you are and is it possible the battery was frozen internally? I would take the battery and have it charged and tested.

Mark helpful
38,895

beatupchevy answered 6 years ago

look for a large fuse under the hood by the batt, sounds like there was a power surge you're supposed to have the donor car running then hook up the cables , W-d will clean up the corrosion or a water baking soda mix ,, the corrosion will eat up clothing , skin it's acidic

Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

Shortcuts

Search Honda Civic Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    ColdinMA
    Reputation
    2,370
  • #2
    Guru9CNGV
    Reputation
    2,110
  • #3
    GuruDMD1V
    Reputation
    2,090
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
50 Great Deals out of 973 listings starting at $2,995
Used Toyota Corolla
135 Great Deals out of 2,300 listings starting at $103
Used Toyota Camry
46 Great Deals out of 1,149 listings starting at $2,500
Used Honda Civic Coupe
13 Great Deals out of 268 listings starting at $3,800
Used Hyundai Elantra
157 Great Deals out of 3,058 listings starting at $1,995
Used Nissan Altima
25 Great Deals out of 680 listings starting at $3,795
Used Ford Mustang
37 Great Deals out of 1,639 listings starting at $8,800
Used BMW 3 Series
64 Great Deals out of 1,204 listings starting at $2,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.