# How often do car battery cables get shorts in them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675 "2017-12-06T01:22:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675/61 "2017-12-11T15:14:20Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Actually, I keep reading the thread title, “How often do car battery cables get shorts in them,” and picturing a scene where a mechanic rummages around under the hood of a car and then comes out holding up a pair of boxer shorts. “I think I found your problem, Mr. Smith!” And this too is an error. Only briefs are found under the hood. Unless of course you are speaking of cars manufactured in Italy which are known for boxer briefs with the exception of Ferrari which only use thong underwear. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675/62 "2017-12-11T15:29:58Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Are there any experts here who can confirm or deny this claim? > > [clipped] _ **I** _ am an expert\* I say it a lot\*\* - in digital photography and in sci-fi trivia \*\* most often, tho, I say: “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675/63 "2017-12-11T15:36:41Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > And this too is an error. Only briefs are found under the hood. Unless of course you are speaking of cars manufactured in Italy which are known for boxer briefs with the exception of Ferrari which only use thong underwear. This man needs a large Federal grant. For research. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675/64 "2017-12-11T15:38:16Z")
Oh, I have a short story. I went for a long trip in my old Subaru, leaving at 3am for good measure. Around 4am, I was climbing the pass when I noticed an odd hitch in my getalong, accompanied by flickering headlights. Then every damn thing went black and I coasted to the shoulder. Turned out the positive cable had been routed poorly, impinging on some warm part of the engine until it melted and completely fried out. I was able to tape the insulation and tie the cable to a safe spot. Got a jump from a nice state trooper and bought a new battery in the next town. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675/65 "2017-12-11T16:26:46Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > And this too is an error. Only briefs are found under the hood. Unless of course you are speaking of cars manufactured in Italy which are known for boxer briefs with the exception of Ferrari which only use thong underwear. Porsche was instrumental in developing the compact German line of Boxter Brief shorts. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675/66 "2017-12-11T19:18:18Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Actually, I keep reading the thread title, “How often do car battery cables get shorts in them,” and picturing a scene where a mechanic rummages around under the hood of a car and then comes out holding up a pair of boxer shorts. “I think I found your problem, Mr. Smith!” OK good, I’m not the only one then. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675/67 "2017-12-13T02:20:01Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > A short is a specific type of fault, so even if you are being a bit slangy and are talking to a layman who doesn’t understand electricity, it would still seem to me to be an odd thing for someone to say. > > If I were trying to explain it to someone, and I didn’t know what the problem was, I’d say it’s either a short or an open, and if they ask what that means I would say “either something broke somewhere and isn’t connecting like it should or something is touching something it shouldn’t.” As an electrical engineer (and also background as an electrician), this is my experience as well. Even though I’m used to folks without an electrical background describing electrical failures as “shorts”, I would never use that term with anyone non-technical myself, unless I thought it actually was a short circuit vs. some other problem. It would sound extremely odd to me if someone else with an electrical background did that, even speaking to a layperson. Even though “short” is used in a generic sense by non-technical people, it has a pretty specific meaning to someone electrical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-car-battery-cables-get-shorts-in-them/803675.md?page=3)