Dead Battery, Won't Jump

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TallPaul

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A friends battery died and we tried to jump him. It's a 2005 Jeep. Anyway, it would not start and when he tried it would pull down my voltmeter and dim my dome light. This while I was revving the engine. I always thought when you hook up jumper cables the car with the dead battery should start off the good battery and the dead battery is ignored.

Also he had the AAA guy out and they could not jump it either, even after revving his engine for 15 minutes with the cables on. Finally the guy installed a new battery and it started right up.

Why could this vehicle not be jumped???
 
Wife had this happen with a rental hemi ram, she wound up buying a battery to get out of the jam and returning it the next day. I put the hemi batt on a 6 amp charger overnight, was maybe half charged but it started right up.

Jumper cables are a super junk connection; I'm gonna patent ones that have vice grips on the end so they actually make a decent connection.
 
It could have just died for whatever reason. I had a similar event happen to me that was resolved only by a new battery.
 
Yeah, the OEM in my 92 Grand AM did that. I had to let it set until I bought a new battery and installed it.

Years ago, batteries used to fade away. Now, good one day, and totally dead the next.
 
Happen to me yesterday. Wife took my truck and left the headlights on. Could not jump start it. Put a new battery in and it started right up.
 
His battery was as dead as a doornail, original from 2006, only 600 cca, so probably was a year or so beyond it's life expectancy anyway.
 
Batteries go bad for all sorts of reasons.
If it is an internal short, your symptoms would occur.
This is VERY hard on the other car's system!
 
X2!

Jumping rules have changed, as cars electrical systems are hugely higher powered than ever, with mega-amp alternators standard.

I recommend careful connections with neither car running, then start the 'donor' car. Let it idle a while with all acc off, then shut it off as you attempt to start the dead one.

Never have them both running together while connected!

Either way, you are taking a hugely expensive risk connecting to another car.
 
It has happened to me a couple of times over the years. No matter what I tried to do, I couldn't start the engine with a jump. Tossed in a new battery problem solved, it happens.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
X2!

Jumping rules have changed, as cars electrical systems are hugely higher powered than ever, with mega-amp alternators standard.

I recommend careful connections with neither car running, then start the 'donor' car. Let it idle a while with all acc off, then shut it off as you attempt to start the dead one.

Never have them both running together while connected!

Either way, you are taking a hugely expensive risk connecting to another car.

Couldn't agree more. If you have a late-model BMW, don't even attempt to jump it or replace the battery without the proper scan tool. You could cause a major disaster.

http://sandiegobmw.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/bmw-with-a-dead-battery-stop-tow-save-tons-of-dough/
 
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
when he tried it would pull down my voltmeter and dim my dome light. This while I was revving the engine.
Why could this vehicle not be jumped???



I see a new alternator and possibly a battery in your near future.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Couldn't agree more. If you have a late-model BMW, don't even attempt to jump it or replace the battery without the proper scan tool. You could cause a major disaster.

http://sandiegobmw.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/bmw-with-a-dead-battery-stop-tow-save-tons-of-dough/


I don't know about the 5-series, but the 3-series isn't gonna blow up all its electronic modules if you disconnect the battery and install a new one without registering the battery, as they implied in that article. If you fail to register the new battery, it will shorten its life because the alternator's charging algorithm thinks it's an old battery. But the article seemed to exaggerate the seriousness ("AAA disconnected the battery and caused $2300 in damage to the ECUs!!!") A lot of 3-series DIYers replace their own battery, some of them without registering the battery, and it did not destroy all their ECUs. That article is just trying to frighten people
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Batteries go bad for all sorts of reasons.
If it is an internal short, your symptoms would occur.
This is VERY hard on the other car's system!
So you would tend to agree with 1KickButtRanger, that it may have taken life off my battery and alternator. Well, I guess the days of being a good samaritan are over. I should chuck my jumper cables and get road service coverage so the pros can take the abuse?
 
Originally Posted By: 1kickbuttranger
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
when he tried it would pull down my voltmeter and dim my dome light. This while I was revving the engine.
Why could this vehicle not be jumped???



I see a new alternator and possibly a battery in your near future.


Am I wrong in my recollection that alternators have a maximum draw circuit that won't allow more than the maximum safe amperage to be drawn?
 
My mechanic says buncombie to the idea that trying to jump this guy would hurt my battery or alternator.
 
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