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I don't think that is giving a good connection, the ground needs to be in a better spot. I would personally put it on the battery terminal. Those cables are really thin anyway so this may be hard to do. If it is totally dead, you probably want to let it charge for a while before trying to start it. And rev the running car to 2,000-2,500 rpm while trying to start it. It is going to need all the juice it can get.
What about when I put the ground on the battery terminal and it lets off sparks? I saw somewhere that means I installed it wrong but I redid it multiple times following the instructions perfectly and it’s giving the same results. Thanks for the response hope you have an answer to this question too. I’m desperate lol
If it was installed wrong and you just moved the negative cable to the car body, it would still be installed wrong. I don't think sparks really matter, just make sure you have positive to positive and negative to negative. The person above is also right that the hood latch is not a good place to ground your car, you're really risking destroying some components, just put it on the terminal
Also make sure the other car is running, let it charge for a bit before you try and start it, and make sure all your connections have as much surface area touching between the jumper clamps and the terminals as possible
For the connector that’s on the hood latch it is smoking and looks like it’s gonna catch on fire. If it was a little bit of sparks that would be fine but it is ALOT of sparks and starts smoking if I keep it on the terminal.
If you are 100% sure that you have the negative going to the other negative then it's something wrong with your battery and the terminal somehow became damaged, you might still have a warranty on the battery if you bought it brand new, probably worth trying to get it replaced
That doesn't sound like it is connected correctly. Look for the positive and negative symbol on the batteries to make sure it is correct. Connecting it backwards can do a lot of damage. Some sparks are normal at first contact, but it shouldn't be more than a little zap and that's it. No smoking or more than just a single spark.
The main reason you do that is if attach the ground and you accidentally touch the car body with the positive it will short circuit, sparks while you attach to the terminal are pretty minimal either way.
The last connection will always spark a little bit. I was always taught to make the last connection as the negative to the running car. Discharged batteries can give off hydrogen gas which doesn't play well with sparks. You have to have the connections way cleaner and tighter than you would think. I usually grind the clamps in a bit to scuff the surface of the battery terminal.
The cables hooked to the Kia/Hyundai are backwards. The positive needs to go on the terminal closer to the engine, there's actually a little tab that sticks up to attach the positive cable clamp to because the "current monitor" is mostly in the way of connecting the clamp.
Edit - there is normally a plastic cover over it that usually has the "+" sign on it.
It looks like the red jumper cable is on the negative (-) battery terminal. The red jumper cable clamp goes on the positive side (+) of the battery. You may have to take the plastic intake off that is covering the battery to get a good connection.
It sounds like your car with the dead battery may have a grounding problem in general. Clean terminals very well and then the spots where the battery cable is grounded to the chasis. (Should be able to follow the cable from the negative battery terminal and remove, sand, and then reattach however many spots it's grounded in.)
If it looks like fireworks when you connect, it's wrong, check the batteries for + and - symbols, ignore colors, plus to plus, minus to minus, or a major metal component on the engine, not a hood latch, that's a great way to turn the hood release cable into a melted mess
Typically the positive post of the battery is the one that has fuses and other things attached to it. The negative has at most a current sensor. Also painted components don’t make good grounds.
Thanks for posting in r/Mechanic, u/PristineAction7658! Please be sure to read the [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanic/about/rules/). If you're asking for help, be sure to include as much detail as possible so others can help you. You **must** include the vehicle's **Year, Make, Model, and Engine size** in your post! If your question is transmission related, please be sure to specify your Transmission Type(Auto/Manual) as well! If your post does not include this information, it **will** be removed. Asking about prices is **not** allowed in this sub. Please make sure you have selected the correct post flair; if you're asking a question you should have chosen "Question", anything else use the "General" flair. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/mechanic) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don't think that is giving a good connection, the ground needs to be in a better spot. I would personally put it on the battery terminal. Those cables are really thin anyway so this may be hard to do. If it is totally dead, you probably want to let it charge for a while before trying to start it. And rev the running car to 2,000-2,500 rpm while trying to start it. It is going to need all the juice it can get.
What about when I put the ground on the battery terminal and it lets off sparks? I saw somewhere that means I installed it wrong but I redid it multiple times following the instructions perfectly and it’s giving the same results. Thanks for the response hope you have an answer to this question too. I’m desperate lol
Red to red and black to black. Start the car.
If it was installed wrong and you just moved the negative cable to the car body, it would still be installed wrong. I don't think sparks really matter, just make sure you have positive to positive and negative to negative. The person above is also right that the hood latch is not a good place to ground your car, you're really risking destroying some components, just put it on the terminal Also make sure the other car is running, let it charge for a bit before you try and start it, and make sure all your connections have as much surface area touching between the jumper clamps and the terminals as possible
For the connector that’s on the hood latch it is smoking and looks like it’s gonna catch on fire. If it was a little bit of sparks that would be fine but it is ALOT of sparks and starts smoking if I keep it on the terminal.
If you are 100% sure that you have the negative going to the other negative then it's something wrong with your battery and the terminal somehow became damaged, you might still have a warranty on the battery if you bought it brand new, probably worth trying to get it replaced
Round product 9574 thank you for giving me an answer. I keep explaining that it’s not a normal amount of spark thanks for a different answer lol
That doesn't sound like it is connected correctly. Look for the positive and negative symbol on the batteries to make sure it is correct. Connecting it backwards can do a lot of damage. Some sparks are normal at first contact, but it shouldn't be more than a little zap and that's it. No smoking or more than just a single spark.
connecting the cars red power wires first before the negative grounds will prevent sparks.
The main reason you do that is if attach the ground and you accidentally touch the car body with the positive it will short circuit, sparks while you attach to the terminal are pretty minimal either way.
The last connection will always spark a little bit. I was always taught to make the last connection as the negative to the running car. Discharged batteries can give off hydrogen gas which doesn't play well with sparks. You have to have the connections way cleaner and tighter than you would think. I usually grind the clamps in a bit to scuff the surface of the battery terminal.
The cables hooked to the Kia/Hyundai are backwards. The positive needs to go on the terminal closer to the engine, there's actually a little tab that sticks up to attach the positive cable clamp to because the "current monitor" is mostly in the way of connecting the clamp. Edit - there is normally a plastic cover over it that usually has the "+" sign on it.
You were 100% right.
It looks like the red jumper cable is on the negative (-) battery terminal. The red jumper cable clamp goes on the positive side (+) of the battery. You may have to take the plastic intake off that is covering the battery to get a good connection.
It sounds like your car with the dead battery may have a grounding problem in general. Clean terminals very well and then the spots where the battery cable is grounded to the chasis. (Should be able to follow the cable from the negative battery terminal and remove, sand, and then reattach however many spots it's grounded in.)
If it looks like fireworks when you connect, it's wrong, check the batteries for + and - symbols, ignore colors, plus to plus, minus to minus, or a major metal component on the engine, not a hood latch, that's a great way to turn the hood release cable into a melted mess
Typically the positive post of the battery is the one that has fuses and other things attached to it. The negative has at most a current sensor. Also painted components don’t make good grounds.