How to Jump a 1995 Lumina 3.1

[DesertEagle50]

Hi,

 

As most of you are aware, the battery terminals on many of the w-bodies are located below the washer fluid reservoir and below the intake air boot. This, of course, means that accessing the battery terminals for a jump start is highly inconvenient to impossible depending on what tools you have at your disposal at the time. The location of the auxiliary positive terminal is well documented on this site.

 

But what about a spot to clamp the negative jumper cable? I have read several posts on here where someone has attached the negative cable to the dogbone mount on the engine without issue. I would prefer to perform a jump start by passing as little current as possible through the engine and its delicate electronics. Never mind that you have done it 25 times without issue, it only takes one loose ground or faulty relay, etc and now you have a major issue because you passed 100+ amps through a an electronic device not designed to handle that load.

 

For this reason, I would like to attach the negative jumper cable somewhere on the frame, but I can not find a piece of bare metal to attach to that gives a low-resistance ground. I have charged the battery before by attaching the negative clamp of the charger to one of the hexagonal, hollow half-nuts that secure the cruise control module. It worked great. But the other day, I had to jump the car with the battery reading 9 volts with a 250 amp jump starter. The charger discharged normally but the car never really got much of a boost.

 

Do I just need to bite the bullet and sand the paint off of an area in the engine compartment?

 

Thanks!

[Galaxie500XL]

I've never seen that being a problem...but rather than sand a portion of the body for a ground, why not drill and tap a convenient spot, and install a bolt to attach a ground?

Hi,

 

As most of you are aware, the battery terminals on many of the w-bodies are located below the washer fluid reservoir and below the intake air boot. This, of course, means that accessing the battery terminals for a jump start is highly inconvenient to impossible depending on what tools you have at your disposal at the time. The location of the auxiliary positive terminal is well documented on this site.

 

But what about a spot to clamp the negative jumper cable? I have read several posts on here where someone has attached the negative cable to the dogbone mount on the engine without issue. I would prefer to perform a jump start by passing as little current as possible through the engine and its delicate electronics. Never mind that you have done it 25 times without issue, it only takes one loose ground or faulty relay, etc and now you have a major issue because you passed 100+ amps through a an electronic device not designed to handle that load.

 

For this reason, I would like to attach the negative jumper cable somewhere on the frame, but I can not find a piece of bare metal to attach to that gives a low-resistance ground. I have charged the battery before by attaching the negative clamp of the charger to one of the hexagonal, hollow half-nuts that secure the cruise control module. It worked great. But the other day, I had to jump the car with the battery reading 9 volts with a 250 amp jump starter. The charger discharged normally but the car never really got much of a boost.

 

Do I just need to bite the bullet and sand the paint off of an area in the engine compartment?

 

Thanks!

[RobertISaar]

why are you having to jump it so often?

 

also, if you want to match the battery connections as well as possible, the battery ground cable runs to the frame near the headlamps and to the bellhousing on the engine/trans. there should be a bolt or two there large enough to hook your negative cable up to. technically, the one exactly opposite of the starter is the one used by the battery. i can't think of a shorter/thicker piece of metal that connects to the battery negative terminal.

[Garrett Powered]

I have thrashed some batteries and killed them down to 1.5 volts and bring them back with no damage to stuff. just bad engine to ground straps cause damage in my case. you can fix it easy though.

[skitchin]

[video=youtube;HXVobGGko_k]

[Imp558]

The GTP that my L67 came from made a similar youtube video. I didn't do the S3 oil pand because I wanted to, it was flattened

[Nas Escobar]

You can always swap in a 4th gen Camaro washer bottle into the header panel of the Lumina. Someone has done it to a Monte Carlo on this forum... I think, but I know it's been done before.

 

This would free up your terminals.

[DesertEagle50]

[video=youtube;HXVobGGko_k]

 

pretty funny. pretty cool video. if the front suspension sags as much on that car as it does on mine they are all dead now.

[DesertEagle50]

I have thrashed some batteries and killed them down to 1.5 volts and bring them back with no damage to stuff. just bad engine to ground straps cause damage in my case. you can fix it easy though.

 

Well in my case, something got stuck behind the glove compartment and it wouldn't close. I thought it could wait until the next day when I was off, but it couldn't. The next morning I pulled the fuse and charged the battery with a 1 amp charger for a few hours and then it was fine.

[Schurkey]

I would prefer to perform a jump start by passing as little current as possible through the engine and its delicate electronics. Never mind that you have done it 25 times without issue, it only takes one loose ground or faulty relay, etc and now you have a major issue because you passed 100+ amps through a an electronic device not designed to handle that load.

Completely unfounded fear. The starter passes that current through the engine EVERY TIME you start the engine. You find ANY solid ground on the engine (I use the heavy steel engine lifting loop bolted to the front cylinder head on my 3.4) and you're set.

 

You connect that jumper cable to the BODY, and you could cook the ground straps. Body grounds in most cases aren't intended to handle the starter amperage.