My dumb ass car question

[achtungbaby]

Okay, don't beat me up for being dumb, but when you're jump starting a car, is it absolutely necessary to have the negative cable (which is going to the weak battery) attached to the engine block?

[ImrkevinpakI]

lol....

i never did this myself..had my buddy do it..but i would think so.

[mrazntre]

u shouldn't attach the negative to the engine. (although there is a grounding strap on the engine)


it should be attached to the chassis. (some mechanics tell you not to attach the clamp to the negative battery post, i have no clue why.)

see haynes or chilton's for proper jump procedure.. i believe it's dead positive, live positive, live ground, dead ground. i always forget.

[achtungbaby]

Thanks for the tip. I tried jumping it the other day -- no dice. No turnin' over, no nada. kasia mentioned it's probably my spark plugs. (sigh)

Ya know...I took auto shop in high school...I used to change the oil on my Honda...! When did I become such dope?

[mrazntre]

what symptoms are you having? spark plugs could be the culprit. also check the distributor cap and rotor. those go out sometimes.

how did you lose power anyhow?