Engine Is it really bad to Boost other cars with our Rolla?

Is it really bad to Boost other cars with our Rolla?

I heard that the computer within our corollas are sensitive. Meaning that even when jump starting another car could potentially damage the electronic instruments that are under the hood? Do you find this to be true? I try at all costs to avoid to aid ppl boosting cars, I know it's mean, but I do'nt want anything happening to my car.

I've heard lots of stories about ECM units and car stereos blowing from jump-starting other cars or having your car jump-started too. I'm thinking it's probably got something to do with any arcing involved, the sudden spikes rushing thru the car's electrical system. If I ever do have to boost or get boosted I'll make sure the cables are clamped REAL tight before any serious current gets drawn.

With the tiny and pathetic Delphi battery with a whopping 310 Cold Cranking Amps, I am surprised that my car even starts in the cold. The cheapest POS battery I could have find in a store like Wallmart is 550 CCA. WTF was Toyota thinking when they sourced this battery for the car?

Personally I couldn't boost another car unless I had a better battery to handle the current outflow.

Ya what car can a corolla boost? I cant really see it jumping a car with any engine other than a four-banger. And even then, I dont know if it would even have enough power to jump some of the I-4's.

They were thinking... "What is the cheapest (lowest CCA) battery that we could install where the car will still start?"

I'm almost fairly sure that's what the engineers in tandem with the economists were thinking. :wink:

i used to work for aaa, and most of the time there is very little chance of damaging a cars ecu as long as the cables are pos to pos and neg to neg. and there are even fuses that will blow first to prevent damage to the ecu if they are crossed. as far as boosting cars with a corolla, ive jumped 6cyl dodge ram with it, so i dont think other 4 cyls would be a problem.

Some people blow fuses, batteries, ECU, whatever else that's electronic because they fail to properly connect the jumper cables. the CORRECT method is as follows:

MAKE SURE BOTH VEHICLE ENGINES ARE OFF WHEN YOU DO THIS.

1. Attach RED cable to the DEAD positive battery terminal.

2. Attach the other end of the RED cable to the BOOSTING positive battery terminal.

3. Attach the BLACK cable to the BOOSTING negative battery terminal.

4. Attach the other end of the BLACK cable to the metal frame of the vehicle, preferrably as far away as you can from the battery itself. DO NOT ATTACH THE BLACK CABLE TO THE DEAD NEGATIVE TERMINAL! If you do, sparks usually will fly and you will run a much higher risk of damaging something in your car.

ATTEMPT TO START THE DEAD CAR. If the dead car will not start, then start the boosting car and rev the engine for a few minutes. This will provide a charge to the dead battery. ATTEMPT TO START THE DEAD CAR AGAIN. If this still does not work, then the battery is either drained too far or is simply completely dead.

5. Once the vehicle has been jump-started, you can leave one or both of the vehicle engines running as you remove the cables by back-tracking your steps. Remove BLACK from dead car's frame, remove BLACK from boosting negative terminal, remove RED from boosting positive terminal, remove RED from dead positive terminal.

Thanks KingKuei, your step number four is what I as getting at in my earlier post. Sparks flying means current surging, means good chance of blowing electronics.

i always have my car already started when boosting another car.

It's advised not to. Supposedly it increases the chance of sparking/shorting something. In terms of total output, it doesn't really make that big of a difference whether or not you have your engine on. It is advised to have both motors off as a safety precaution. The reason why you would turn the GOOD car on is to get the alternator turning to charge the dead battery.

i just had to chime in with the thought that i never think of it as a "boost", i always think "jump".

one of those funny regional things i guess.

i think of "boost" as in what a turbo gives you.

ive also heard of boost as a refrence to theft. strange language we speak.

I jumped off my old tbird (V8 4.6) this past weekend with no problem

I've successfully jumped a Nissan Sentra. The driver had left their headlamps on for about 2 hours. However, I was unable to successfully jump a 96 Camry with a 4-cyl engine. The battery had been drained out way too far. Had to call the tow truck company. They have those gigantic batteries that just feed a huge charge into the engine right away.

i connect both cars turned off, then i turn mine on just so im charging the batt at the same time, and then have the dead car turn his on to jump his battery... is that still dangerous? ive never had any problems doing that with arcing or anything.

I typically try to stay away from "jumping" other cars, since a small electrical surge can have detrimental effects on the ECU. I carry a small battery pack that I charge once a month for such situtations. That way I'm never stuck w/o a "jump."

I don't carry a fire extinguisher though... :wink:

ba boom boom tssh! Your memory is too good!

I watched a buddy get covered in acid when the battery in his truck exploded while getting "jumped". Thing sounded like a tire blowing out. Didn't catch fire, but if we had a fire extinguisher handy at least we'd have had SOMETHING to hose him down with!

He's very lucky he had to wear prescription glasses and had them on when it happened, he got off with a ruined nylon jacket and some pink skin on the hand that was closest to the battery. Scary stuff.

I thought you might enjoy that! :wink: BTW, if you didn't read it somewhere else, Welcome Back!

when my battery went dead, I called the dealer to send the tow truck.. when he got there, they said the dealer told them DO not jump start the car. And that it should be towed to the dealer immediately? May be there is something about jumping our cars after all? I got a new battery out of it.. the 84 month Toyota one. =) Free tow, free battery, i'm one happy customer..

i boosted my friend's land rover

hey guys, i jump started 3 car for the past year that i had the car and nothing is wrong with my electronic. i jumped a land rover, mustand, and accord. my car still runs like a camp. as far as some people have problems i think is more to how you put you cable when you help just start a car.

i am an engineer and i know if you put clamps in the wrong order it could cause battery overload or sudden release of charge.

so read the post before me (the one that teach you now to put the clamp order) and do it right.

just be careful thats all.

thanks :wink: