Jumper Cables hooked up wrong.

So I hooked my jumper cables up wrong last night in the dark, and
didn't notice the smoke until after trying to crank the dead
Mitsubishi Mirage. The car with the good battery was a Toyota
Corolla... The Toyota is fine, but the Mirage is dead. What did I
do? Can it be fixed? It melted the rubber on the jumper cables.

deadcar wrote:
> So I hooked my jumper cables up wrong last night in the dark, and
> didn't notice the smoke until after trying to crank the dead
> Mitsubishi Mirage. The car with the good battery was a Toyota
> Corolla... The Toyota is fine, but the Mirage is dead. What did I
> do? Can it be fixed? It melted the rubber on the jumper cables.

First, learn the "touch tip" method of connecting batteries. Had you
touched the last jumper connection briefly and removed it, there would have
been so many sparks you'd have known there was an issue.
Then, learn to LOOK carefully.

In the other car: The battery is probably shot, probably the alternator
diodes are blown, and possibly the ballast resistor if it's external to the
alternator; most are.

My 2 cents.

On Wed, 30 May 2007 13:46:59 GMT, "Pop`" >
wrote:

>deadcar wrote:
>> So I hooked my jumper cables up wrong last night in the dark, and
>> didn't notice the smoke until after trying to crank the dead
>> Mitsubishi Mirage. The car with the good battery was a Toyota
>> Corolla... The Toyota is fine, but the Mirage is dead. What did I
>> do?

Probably blew a main fuse.

> Can it be fixed? It melted the rubber on the jumper cables.
>
>First, learn the "touch tip" method of connecting batteries. Had you
>touched the last jumper connection briefly and removed it,

It would still have blown a fuse.

> there would have
>been so many sparks you'd have known there was an issue.
> Then, learn to LOOK carefully.
>
>In the other car: The battery is probably shot,

Maybe

> probably the alternator
>diodes are blown,

Maybe

> and possibly the ballast resistor

Huh????

Don
www.donsautomotive.com

> if it's external to the
>alternator; most are.
>
>My 2 cents.
>
>

"Donald Lewis" > wrote in message
...

> Huh????
>
> Don
> www.donsautomotive.com

It would seem to me, Don,that if he put the jumpers on wrong, he is
essentially connecting
the batteries in a series circuit and is darn lucky that a battery didn't
explode.

I am not sure which 'main fuse' he might have blown out with this setup, but
I guess
anything is possible.

I was also wondering what a 'ballast resistor' might be in this case.

> wrote in
:


>
> I was also wondering what a 'ballast resistor' might be in this case.
>
>
>



An ignition device in a fairly OLD system, that's what. Like from 1975 or
earlier.

OP did not give age of either vehicle in this dust-up.

Don't think Mitsubishi ever sold a "Mirage" in North America. OP appears to
be posting from South-Eastern US, so the car may be a gray-market import.

--
Tegger

On Thu, 31 May 2007 02:05:47 +0000 (UTC), Tegger >
wrote:

> wrote in
t:
>
>
>>
>> I was also wondering what a 'ballast resistor' might be in this case.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>An ignition device in a fairly OLD system, that's what. Like from 1975 or
>earlier.

I knew that. The reference as to whether or not its "external to the
voltage regulator" makes no sense. A backwards battery jump would not
hurt it in any case.

>OP did not give age of either vehicle in this dust-up.
>
>Don't think Mitsubishi ever sold a "Mirage" in North America.

They did for more than 15 years.

Don
www.donsautomotive.com

> OP appears to be posting from South-Eastern US, so the car may be a gray-market import.

On Wed, 30 May 2007 13:46:59 GMT, Pop` > wrote:


>deadcar wrote:
>> So I hooked my jumper cables up wrong last night in the dark, and
>> didn't notice the smoke until after trying to crank the dead
>> Mitsubishi Mirage. The car with the good battery was a Toyota
>> Corolla... The Toyota is fine, but the Mirage is dead. What did I
>> do? Can it be fixed? It melted the rubber on the jumper cables.

>First, learn the "touch tip" method of connecting batteries. Had you
>touched the last jumper connection briefly and removed it, there would have
>been so many sparks you'd have known there was an issue.
> Then, learn to LOOK carefully.

**** that. A better technique is to learn the difference between red
and black. Unless it is pitch dark with a new moon and somehow the car
with the good battery has no working headlights, this is trivial.

The Mirage will require that every electrical component with any semiconductors
be checked. That includes the alternator, engine computer, ignition system,
fuel pump, etc.

On Wed, 30 May 2007 18:27:45 GMT, > > wrote:



>"Donald Lewis" > wrote in message
...

>> Huh????
>>
>> Don
>> www.donsautomotive.com

>It would seem to me, Don,that if he put the jumpers on wrong, he is
>essentially connecting
>the batteries in a series circuit and is darn lucky that a battery didn't
>explode.

>I am not sure which 'main fuse' he might have blown out with this setup, but
>I guess
>anything is possible.

Good call. Definitely check the fusible links! Also check battery
cables themselves.

Don > wrote in
news
> On Thu, 31 May 2007 02:05:47 +0000 (UTC), Tegger >
> wrote:
>
> wrote in
et:
>>
>>
>>>
>>> I was also wondering what a 'ballast resistor' might be in this
>>> case.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>An ignition device in a fairly OLD system, that's what. Like from 1975
>>or earlier.
>
> I knew that.



I've never questioned your knowledge. You've forgotten more than I've
ever known.




> The reference as to whether or not its "external to the
> voltage regulator" makes no sense. A backwards battery jump would not
> hurt it in any case.
>
>>OP did not give age of either vehicle in this dust-up.
>>
>>Don't think Mitsubishi ever sold a "Mirage" in North America.
>
> They did for more than 15 years.



Maybe it's just because I'm in Canada and don't usually get to see US-
market cars, but I thought they were known as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt in
the US. That's what they were called up here, anyway.

I always thought Mirage was one of the non-US names for that car.



--
Tegger

"Tegger" > wrote in message
...

> An ignition device in a fairly OLD system, that's what. Like from 1975 or
> earlier.
>
> OP did not give age of either vehicle in this dust-up.
>
> Don't think Mitsubishi ever sold a "Mirage" in North America. OP appears
to
> be posting from South-Eastern US, so the car may be a gray-market import.
>
> --
> Tegger

That is pretty old. I remember the oil Kettering systems had resistors that
decreased current during 'run', but were switched out of the circuit during
'start' conditions. I guess that is what he was referring to. But if so,
it
has nothing to do with a backward battery jump.