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Jump leads on the wrong way!

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  • 09-03-2016 12:29am
    #1
    GtSport2008
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭


    Hi all,
    Looking for some advice, I have an Opel tigra 1998 just for knocking about had it sitting up most of the winter and went to start one day and as usual battery was flat. So I went to jump it off a tractor and could not see clearly any plus or minus displayed so I followe the brown wire assuming it the was the positive and put on the leads! I was wrong! But it took me maybe 10 seconds to realise even with a little sparks.
    Some smoke came from the opposite side of the engine and before this some lights on the dash would light now they all went out! Car was completely dead.

    Now the strange this is when I put the leads on the right way around the car would start and run perfectly but as soon as they were disconnected it stalled and died completely again this is what I cannot understand. Some help is much apprenticed! Thanks in advance


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    #2
    jimgoose
    Registered Users Posts: 20,176 ✭✭✭✭jimgoose


    Hmm. Maybe you've toasted the alternator?


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    #3
    CianRyan
    Registered Users Posts: 14,721 ✭✭✭✭CianRyan


    Generally I'd expect this to fry the ECU but it is odd that the car's starting at all.
    You could be lucky, you may have just shorted the battery and killed that instead.
    First step, throw a new (or old, any really) battery in and see if that solves it. After that you're pulling fuses and would you be arsed on a Tigra?


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    #4
    Special Circumstances
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,569 ✭✭✭Special Circumstances


    CianRyan wrote: »
    After that you're pulling fuses and would you be arsed on a Tigra?
    :pac:


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    #5
    *Kol*
    Registered Users Posts: 2,549 ✭✭✭*Kol*


    jimgoose wrote: »
    Hmm. Maybe you've toasted the alternator?

    I would agree with that..no power coming from the alternator to keep the cars systems powered. If you put in a fresh battery the car should stay running but the battery light will be on as it won't be getting charged.


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    #6
    CianRyan
    Registered Users Posts: 14,721 ✭✭✭✭CianRyan


    *Kol* wrote: »
    I would agree with that..no power coming from the alternator to keep the cars systems powered. If you put in a fresh battery the car should stay running but the battery light will be on as it won't be getting charged.

    A car with no alternator or fan belt will start and drive/run for a short time with a jump, I've driven a car from Dundrum to Tallaght with no belt before. This is because a good battery will hold residual power and generally anything over 60% will drive a car, that's why a good jump and a trickle change from the other car will see you home.
    The Tigra is shutting down as soon as the leads are disconnected, this suggests that the battery can no longer hold change.

    I'd say the battery was on its last legs anyway, it's an old car and more than likely an old battery. Misplacing the leads probably just finished it off.


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    #7
    *Kol*
    Registered Users Posts: 2,549 ✭✭✭*Kol*


    CianRyan wrote: »
    A car with no alternator or fan belt will start and drive/run for a short time with a jump, I've driven a car from Dundrum to Tallaght with no belt before. This is because a good battery will hold residual power and generally anything over 60% will drive a car, that's why a good jump and a trickle change from the other car will see you home.
    The Tigra is shutting down as soon as the leads are disconnected, this suggests that the battery can no longer hold change.

    I'd say the battery was on its last legs anyway, it's an old car and more than likely an old battery. Misplacing the leads probably just finished it off.

    But the battery doesn't need to hold any charge for the car to keep running if the alternator is working? I had a dead battery in my car. Once it was running you could drive for ever, but it wasn't holding a charge and you couldn't start up again without a jump. Similar situation of being left lying up for long periods with a battery that wasn't great anyway.


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    #8
    savagethegoat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,297 ✭✭✭savagethegoat


    only thing I can add is my son managed to blow a diode ? in the alternator or ecu somewhere doing this. Was an easy cheap fix if you know where to look.

    Should be easy to check the alternator I'd have thought.


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    #9
    ba_barabus
    Registered Users Posts: 9,615 ✭✭✭ba_barabus


    Try a good battery. It just sounds like the one in it is dead.


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    #10
    samih
    Registered Users Posts: 2,795 ✭✭✭samih


    GtSport2008 wrote: »
    Some smoke came from the opposite side of the engine

    If the alternator is close where the smoke came from I'd say that got fried alright with your symptoms.

    Charge the current battery, check the voltage (should be >12.6 volts for a good one) and see if it starts the engine. If yes, check the voltage again with engine running. If it's not at least 14 volts the alternator (or maybe some big ass fuse in the circuit, although there are normally none there between the alternator and battery) is a goner. You can rule out the possible fuse by also checking the voltage between the large red cable at the side of alternator and the chassis which again should be at least 14 V with the engine running.


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