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Location: MythBusters Chat
Discussion: exploding car battery
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wyldwillie wyldwillie |
exploding car battery
Feb 13 2008, 5:39 PM EST is there any truth to the rumor that you can explode a car battery by jumping it improperly? willie 32 out of 36 found this valuable. Do you? |
 xnubuy |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 13 2008, 6:51 PM EST i dunno if you could explode a car battry but i know it would be kool to try it .... even more if it works 5 out of 8 found this valuable. Do you? |
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hunter74 hunter74 |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 13 2008, 7:57 PM EST Yes you can explode a car battery very easy an older one works best with about half of the fluid left the hydrogen gas only requires a little spark and kaboom. I have seen some older and wiser mechanics wear eye face body and ear protection when charging batteries 7 out of 8 found this valuable. Do you? |
 3LAM |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 14 2008, 12:31 AM EST Indeed. I have seen this from a distance, it is not pretty (sulfuric acid in the eyes is not fun). Reversing the leads on the one battery or jumping an old Posi-ground auto from a normally negatively grounded auto can have devastating effects. But you don't need to hook them up improperly in this manner; if you have "both" terminals on the battery, a spark could ignite gases produced (as Hunter said), so it is always best to hook up the positive first, and then the ground "anywhere" but on the battery. Preferably somewhere away from the battery (since the frame is grounded too). 6 out of 8 found this valuable. Do you? |
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3LAM |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 14 2008, 12:31 AM EST Of course, when I said "anywhere" I mean anywhere grounded. 4 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
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wyldwillie wyldwillie |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 14 2008, 11:41 AM EST not totally stupid...thanx.........(lol)..been working on cars of my own for 30 years.. and i have hooked up many batteries...just never even had a "pop"...even saw one frozen solid that i refused to jump, just for the possibility...i have no desire to eat acid thanx... willy 4 out of 6 found this valuable. Do you? |
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3LAM |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 14 2008, 11:55 PM EST Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything. 3 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
 science_is_cool!14 |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 15 2008, 1:23 PM EST "is there any truth to the rumor that you can explode a car battery by jumping it improperly?i would think that its possible....i wouldnt know though. im not a real car person.... 4 out of 7 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Fender4ever0912 Fender4ever0912 |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 15 2008, 7:00 PM EST you know...my auto tech teacher said that its possible, and highly likely for that to happen, but it is about 75+% of the time mainly amatuers that it happens to. 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 maxxbdog |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 15 2008, 8:49 PM EST yes...i have seen this first hand....wasnt very nice 3 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
 martiandrifter01 |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 15 2008, 9:56 PM EST Yes, it can...the batteries will overheat VERY fast and touch off the hydrogen gas which builds up in them. BOOM, in your face, lots of smoke, shrapnel, sulfuric acid splash and vaporized lead. Very bad. 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 kami-kaze |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 16 2008, 10:17 AM EST why don't you juz go try and see? 2 out of 6 found this valuable. Do you? |
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kami-kaze |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 16 2008, 10:18 AM EST why don't you go and try yourself? 2 out of 6 found this valuable. Do you? |
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kami-kaze |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 16 2008, 10:20 AM EST go and jump on it! But remember to wear the Dragon Skin. Cuz the acid inside will HURT you! 2 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
 jasonbass30 |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 16 2008, 5:08 PM EST i like to see that but not up cloes thow. for get it. but buster in front of it he be good for that 1 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 weheritage |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 16 2008, 8:03 PM EST I agree it can happen. The cause is most often due to "jumping" a dead battery off in winter. People usually put jumper cables on the dead battery then on the hot battery. If Hydrogen has built up in the hot battery and one of the cables causes a spark, it will explode. When jumping a car (no matter which batter you attach first) put the first cable on the positive terminal and attach the negative cable to the bumper or some other negative part of the car. Keep the negative and positive as far apart as possible. 4 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
 edsparts |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 26 2008, 5:25 PM EST yes this is very true, when jump starting a battery, always clamp on to the positive lead first, then stand back and hook the ground to your car frame, then start the engine, also you will save your voltage reg. and this also keeps you from frying your altenator, also never have a lit cigarette around your battery, from charging the battery it always gives off some hydrogen gas, this is why they came out with sealed batterys....but theres an easyer way to start a dead battery in the winter time or just a dead battery with out jumper cables..,harbor freight has a small bottle with some pink jell, you pour in some of this jell, to all the cells, the bottle is marked, so you can get it right the first time, then wait ten minutes, and start the car, truck,van..ect..........ed 1 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
 FrankLeeding |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 27 2008, 1:46 AM EST My experiences with our lead-acid friend: 1) A friend of mine "somehow" shorted it out across the terminals and it exploded acid all over him. Fortunately, he was all right. He related this when i saw him and i didn't witness the thing exactly; but knowing how flakey he is i can imagine it). 2) I accidentally shoved a metal wrench aginst the postive terminal and it sparked and actually got WELDED to a strut near the motor. Very scary sound, btw. 3) I've heard of people setting up the cables the wrong way, and cranking up one car to charge the dead battery and (supposedly) blowing all of the electronics out. This *could* be an urban legend; you think? 4) My most exciting thing: I had an old van and the battery was actually stored in a plastic tub behind the driver's seat - bolted down and all. And "somehow" (odd phrase eh?) a metal bar or something fell across the terminals (while i was driving) and briefly sparked out, setting some old rags (i'm NOT making this up) on fire. My friend next to me in the front started yelling about "something on fire". We dashed off the side of the road and flung the rags out the back of the van and stomped them out! not fun at the time, but a v. fond memory these days :) 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
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edsparts |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 27 2008, 9:39 AM EST you know that they do have a plastic covers, for spare car or boat batterys, try boating supply stores or at www.jegs.corm or summitracing.com have them too, but i think a boating supply store might be the cheapest way to go, and a lot it's easy to find them where you might live...................ed 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 jamestbfraser |
RE: exploding car battery
Feb 27 2008, 10:03 AM EST Yes. Shorting it will also blow it up. I was once trying to use a large screwdriver to pry a retaining bar out of the way to get at something, and accidentally shorted out the battery (the car had a positive ground and I was unaware of it) and the tops blew off and every last drop of acid was vaporized. I was very fortunate that I had immediate access to a sink with running water. 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |