Ugly Duck wrote:
swedishmeatballrocket wrote:
went to get him and battery dead (i think). Couldn't jump start. The clock works, and the temp gauge would go to half, but no lights, no power locks, nuttin. So paid more to have them tow it from the compound over to magnum...fack.
Sounds suspicious. Temp gauge at half, with a cold engine? Clock works but no lights or locks? You sure they didn't tow it away after an electrical fire?
Normal for a late model car to do this when you run them down enough. Its sort of akin to the speedo/tacho jumping on a later 240 when the battery is low enough. I'm not sure what sort of noise or potential difference shows up that wouldn't otherwise that causes that, but it doesn't worry me anymore after seeing a ton of cars doing it with weak batteries and a weak boost...maybe the jumper cables arc to their contacts a bit or something causing there to be a slight alternating current??
[unrelated jumpstart horror story]
At least it isn't like jumpstarting a Bowel Movement Wonder (BMW). The hood blankets conduct electricity on those I found out the hard way. Compound this with the fact that the hood shocks like to deflate all at once and make the hood fall on your nice positive lead attached where the battery isn't, the long lead to the battery is unfused, the miserable things like to leak out of the cam cover onto the hood blacket and the electronic ninnies in those things draw about 20 amps continuously with the key on. Makes for a large fire in the split second you turn your back and the hood slams...never doing that again. Sadly, customers/bosses don't like it when you do the right thing and let the car burn to the ground and you end up with a very burnt hand saving a car you hate. At the same time, you can make a ton of money off those miserable things and the owners are usually tools, so fleece away and go on vacation I say! [/unrelated jumpstart horror story]
Glad you got your car back, Athal.
