Jeep Gladiators Burn to Death During Battery Jump

[PyrPatriot]

https://smnewsnet.com/archives/4766...ly-extinguish-vehicle-fires-in-lexington-park

Possibly related to the battery

Article

Sponsored

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

Probably due to that 2nd battery that runs the unnecessary & stupid ESS system...

 

[obrianmcc]

probably some human error involved in this one ....

 

[Renegade]

probably some human error involved in this one ....

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Shootist]

That kind of thing is going to happen when the jumper cables either have a short between the leads or they connected them backwards.

 

[AggieJeep]

I‘ve jump-started my JT 4 times now in the first 5500 miles due to faulty batteries. I’m on my third set. Mine hasn’t burned down yet. I will always allow a fraction of a chance for truly strange causes of failures, but this screams ‘reversed cables’.

 

[PyrPatriot]

This may be a specific issue relating to a JT jumping a JT?

All kidding aside, the user manual does have some kind of warning about portable battery packs causing damage, maybe the problem discussed there is the same one here, regarding a voltage or some other electrical limitation

 

[maxpower220]

Looks like a few hard tops could be for sale soon.

 

[propkillr]

I think i will get a fire extinguisher now

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My wife forgot the tailgate of her Grand Cherokee was open in the garage after unloading groceries. A couple of days later she went to meet up with some of her quilting friends and her Jeep sat there unresponsive.
Me - I grabbed jumper cables - made the connection, told her to wait a couple of minutes, then start her Jeep.
No issues.
The Grand Cherokee was set up nicely for jumping with posts specifically for that purpose, away from the battery.
You'd be amazed at the stupid things even self-proclaimed "car people" do when jumping another vehicle. I've seen batteries explode, sparks ignite fumes, all sorts of fun stuff.
That second battery is semi-isolated, and for multiple reasons. BUT, if they had cables reversed, it might have blown that system - or I've seen people hook BOTH cables up to one battery while the other ends lay on the ground in contact with each other. Best to hook both ends of one cable up, then go to the other and if there's no specific connection points like some Jeeps have, then hook the final BLACK clamp to a good ground, NOT the battery.

My call on that one - a person who told the other driver "I know what I'm doing" caused it........because they didn't know.

 

[AggieJeep]

This may be a specific issue relating to a JT jumping a JT?

All kidding aside, the user manual does have some kind of warning about portable battery packs causing damage, maybe the problem discussed there is the same one here, regarding a voltage or some other electrical limitation

The warning in my manual is about ensuring the portable booster isn’t greater than 12 volts. (like 24v).

 

[AggieJeep]

My call on that one - a person who told the other driver "I know what I'm doing" caused it........because they didn't know.

yep. I have seen some older guys back in the day connect to the boost vehicle, then take the free cable ends and rub them together. They wanted to see the sparks to test the boost battery connections. These were the guys to be missing parts of fingers, burns on their faces. Hard working guys, but really never gave thought to safety. Best to RTFM.

I always thought that going out in a blaze of glory could be cool. Exploding batteries ain’t it.

 

[NC Gator]

Probably a new employee at the rental car place... poor Gladiators!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

yep. I have seen some older guys back in the day connect to the boost vehicle, then take the free cable ends and rub them together. They wanted to see the sparks to test the boost battery connections. These were the guys to be missing parts of fingers, burns on their faces. Hard working guys, but really never gave thought to safety. Best to RTFM.

I always thought that going out in a blaze of glory could be cool. Exploding batteries ain’t it.

I got my first mechanic job back in the early 70s working for the family mechanic - he had been an Allis Chalmers mechanic, was then hired to run the shop part of an AMC dealership. Smart fellow, really - he knew his stuff, he knew a lot of tricks, and could listen or look and pretty much tell what was going to be found. HOWEVER, he was very old-school in some respects, too -
For example, when you rebuild or repair a GENERATOR, you polarize it. Right, that is proper. What's not proper is to do this on a battery that has a charger connected and has been charing for the last couple of hours.
It's a bloody good thing he wore glasses when he worked. Battery parts all over the shop, acid spray on almost everything within 30 feet, gashes in his face, his glasses messed up, acid on his face. So someone faster and quicker thinking than I rushed him over to the water hose and proceeded to give him a good dose of plenty of water to the face and eyes first, then all over, then washed down everything that could be washed down.
He was ok, but boy was he shook up. He knew better and admitted same.
The action of momentarily connecting the generator leads to the battery posts of course sparked.... bad enough on a static battery, sitting and doing nothing - but this baby was charging.

Sponsored