# How easily can I blow up my car doing this?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-can-i-blow-up-my-car-doing-this/704884>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 17, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-can-i-blow-up-my-car-doing-this/704884 "2014-11-17T19:16:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-can-i-blow-up-my-car-doing-this/704884/21 "2014-11-18T18:45:20Z")

</div>

I knew a fellow who had the battery blow up in his face, minor chemical burns, luckily no eyesight damage. It was 30 below, he had battery problems, so he had a charger overnight on it. When he removed the (unplugged) charger, it must have sparked.

The problem battery is the one more likely to blow up, it’s probably been generating hydrogen. Best advice, yes, is avoid being in the path of any potential blast as much as possible; connect the last clamp on the frame if you can.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-can-i-blow-up-my-car-doing-this/704884/22 "2014-11-20T18:29:30Z")

</div>

> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> Bit of a hijack  
> A couple of time I’ve tried to jump a car with the last lead on the frame but it wouldn’t start. It would start if I put the last lead on the dead negative. Why is that?

It’s because you don’t have that dedicated jumper connector I described in my post just before yours, and your connection to the frame sucks.

Actually, when I jump my car, it often won’t start when I first connect the jumper cables, even when they’re connected right to the battery. My guess is I’m trying to pull too many amps through the cables, since I’m simultaneously trying to charge the dead battery and start the car. That’s a lot of amps. If I wait a few minutes, the dead battery will get a little charge, and can maybe provide some current, rather suck it away, and the car will start.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-can-i-blow-up-my-car-doing-this/704884.md?page=1)