My battery jump charger blew up in my face !! Why ?

[Jon Read]

So I have a portable pocket style jump starter device for my Mondeo (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08LKY23WX/). I have a poor functioning battery which is being replaced on 13th December, in the meantime I have been using my jump starter to get the car started each time, it needs it doing all the time, I have used it about 12 times with no problem always started it instantly. I also have a mains car battery charger which won't charge the battery above 12.2v hence me getting a replacement.

Anyway, today I attached the jump starter kit and when I crocodile clipped the positive red clamp to the battery it blew up, my jump starter was literally smoking and stank of smoke like a old cap gun smell, there was a massive load of sparks and a bang, shocking when not expected. I have never had so much as a spark before, let alone that much. The red cable literally blew apart and the portable battery charger was hot in places. Although the charger still turns on, it is broken as it won't turn off manually and the torch no longer works. 

When I first connected it I first connected the negative as I usually do, then the positive. I am now terrified of using anything on my battery, but I need to get it started to get it to the garage on the 13th. I could call the AA but the less I use them the cheaper I can get each renewal. I am going to get a replacement jump starter, but it is less than a year old and worked great for the previous 12 times, I was amazed how good it worked, car would start instantly when connected and turned on, guess that made me a bit cheapskate in replacing the battery sooner.

Any ideas what may have caused this ? It was very cold out and I keep the charger in my car, and I had tried to start the car 3 times before attaching battery to the jump starter. Should I have connected the red lead first ? 

Other issues before this went bang is my climate control centre ticks a lot and sometimes doesn't come on, it will go on and off during a journey. I also have a permanent yellow ABS light on my dashboard. Unsure if they are related at all, but those things have been happening for a few weeks and I have used the jump starter okay when those issues had already begun. 

Thanks !!

(you may notice I am not a major car guy, so not overly technical on car stuff)

 

 

 

[Jonro2009]

I always attach the red positive lead first and connect the black lead to the earthing point on the chassis and not the battery. 

[Jon Read]

Damn, I always thought it was the other way around (as in red first, black second). Maybe this is the reason ? I can't remember how I have done it before now you mention this, I wonder if I used to always do it the other way around ? Damn it, wish I could remember, I have done it so often can't believe I can't remember. I definitely remember this time though.

[Jonro2009]

Always positive first is what I was taught, if you ground the car first and then accidentally touch the positive lead to the earthed car it will short the battery - that's unlikely what happened to you though.

A depleted battery produces (I think it's) hydrogen, this is a highly flammable gas. The potential for sparks is always on the last connection, and the greatest spark potential is from the positive terminal. The most likely explanation is that the bad battery created a short because of the gases.  That's why I connect the ground to an earth point on the chassis (follow the thick black lead from the negative terminal and it will go to a suitable 'lug'), that way any sparks are far away from the battery.

Perhaps on the 13th you can jump the car from another vehicle?

*Red to bad battery

*Red to donor

*black to bad battery

*black to ground point on donor

Reverse for removal.

[TomsFocus]

'Red to dead' is a good way to remember where to start.  

 

I hate jumping batteries myself.  Many years ago I watched someone else blow a battery (as in the casing!!) when disconnecting a big garage type jump pack without switching off/unplugging first!  Not sure how these small jump packs work, is there an on/off switch at all?  If not, that could explain it...

I was also given a top tip by an old tech at college, if charging indoors or it's a calm day, blow across the battery before disconnecting the charger to remove any gasses that may have built up.

[Jon Read]

Thanks everyone. Just curious but my friend has a car battery that is square rather than rectangle like my Mondeo battery. He says I can have it for free and he has never used it, I think it is 60 something for power where-as mine is about 72. He said it came from a saloon type car so should be okay. Is he right ? I have a 2.0 petrol. Not sure how a square battery will fit though unless it is the same size front to back. 

[Jonro2009]

3 hours ago, Jon Read said:

Thanks everyone. Just curious but my friend has a car battery that is square rather than rectangle like my Mondeo battery. He says I can have it for free and he has never used it, I think it is 60 something for power where-as mine is about 72. He said it came from a saloon type car so should be okay. Is he right ? I have a 2.0 petrol. Not sure how a square battery will fit though unless it is the same size front to back. 

It will be far too underpowered for the Mondeo in my opinion. He said it came from a saloon type car but he has never used it, does that mean he is the second owner of the battery or the car it was in was never connected 🤷‍♂️

[TrevorB]

NO NO NO - You need to fit the correct battery for the car

[Jon Read]

I will need to ask him how he came about it, but from what I can remember he said he bought it for a Honda Accord he had but sold the car before he got a chance to use it, something along those lines. But when I saw it I thought it looked an odd size compared to what I have already as it looks more square than rectangle. 

[TomsFocus]

Judging battery compatibility from the shape of car it was originally bought for is certainly a new one on me!

As above, buy the right one.  Needs to be silver calcium for the SmartCharge on Ford's of this era.  

[isetta]

Can’t say. It might be silver calcium, it might not. Will it fit in the battery tray? And be safely secured? We can’t tell. Are the terminals in the correct position so cables safely reach the correct terminals? Some batteries have them opposite way round. Often you can use a smaller battery than the makers original spec as the spec is for more like worse case scenario climate etc for country sold in . Eg warmer south coast regular use not as battery demanding as eg frozen Scottish highlands. But the likelihood is it won’t be suitable. 

[Jonro2009]

1 hour ago, isetta said:

Can’t say. It might be silver calcium, it might not. Will it fit in the battery tray? And be safely secured? We can’t tell. Are the terminals in the correct position so cables safely reach the correct terminals? Some batteries have them opposite way round. Often you can use a smaller battery than the makers original spec as the spec is for more like worse case scenario climate etc for country sold in . Eg warmer south coast regular use not as battery demanding as eg frozen Scottish highlands. But the likelihood is it won’t be suitable. 

I'm up in the Highlands and upgraded my battery to a more powerful one, particularly the CCA, the cold weather was killing the old one.

[Jon Read]

Hey everyone. Me again. So, it seems the battery is not as square shape as I first thought, but it is still less in size than my existing one, I will attach photo in this message. Tom above mentioned it has to be Silver Calcium, my friend who kindly gave me the battery for free is adamant this doesn't matter and is only a "bonus" feature, and that on a 2003 Mondeo it isn't really important, especially as I don't expect to still have the car in 2 years time. He says that is more about longevity. Can anyone confirm ? I notice online it says Silver Calcium batteries for Fords came in in 1997 until 2004 (and than just calcium after that). But can a standard lead acid car battery still work even if not at optimum ? So for instance, installing a lead acid battery is this just that it won't last as many years or will the car not work properly with it ? What are the negatives of me using lead acid over calcium ? I couldn't see on the battery anything about the type, but my friend assumes it probably isn't Silver Calcium, I have no idea if calcium though. It has a "contains lead" sticker on, but with even calcium ones also contain lead ? 

 

  

[erictcleric]

Don't risk it. Get the right battery for the car. A silver calcium battery is still a type of lead acid battery, but it uses a different layout and chemical mixture to a regular lead acid battery. This is done to improve power available for cranking and also to work correctly with the smart charging system. If you use a regular lead acid battery then the smart charging system might try and feed more power to it than the battery can handle. I don't think you want an overheating battery. 

[nicam49]

There's a saying, isn't there about not looking gift horses  in the mouth. It's free and times are hard... if it's in good order better than your own - I'm talking batteries now - accept it,with gratitude, charge it and use it. With it being lower cca than ideal be prepared to give it a top-up charge occasionally. The smart charge will tend to overcharge it, true, but short to medium term its very  useful and with winter /Xmas here it's a money saver. 

Anyway, it's now the 15th - your op said you were getting a new battery on the 13th so I guess this is purely academic now. anyway :-l) 

[unofix]

Well I probably wouldn't use it on my Aston Martin Vantage, but as Nick has said if it's better than what you have (still talking batteries) then in a 2002 Mondeo I'd give it a try. It may only last a few months, it may last longer.

In an ideal world then spend the £140 and buy the correct battery, but not everyone has the good fortune to be able to spare that kind of money.

[erictcleric]

2 hours ago, unofix said:

Well I probably wouldn't use it on my Aston Martin Vantage, but as Nick has said if it's better than what you have (still talking batteries) then in a 2002 Mondeo I'd give it a try. It may only last a few months, it may last longer.

In an ideal world then spend the £140 and buy the correct battery, but not everyone has the good fortune to be able to spare that kind of money.

That's a fair point, but just in case: Euro Car Parts have 42% off at the moment, which brings the cost of a Mondeo-spec higher CCA Lion battery down to a much more palatable £60, or £50 for a the lower CCA version. Might be worth considering if finances allow and the plan is to hang on to the car for a while.

[TomsFocus]

Euro car parts have a sale on??  😲

 

[erictcleric]

I know, I was surprised. Next thing you'll be telling me that DFS is also having a sale. Still, it did seem a pretty good price for a battery, although sadly AGM batteries are still stupidly expensive. I'll have to scrap the car if my battery fails.

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, erictcleric said:

Still, it did seem a pretty good price for a battery, although sadly AGM batteries are still stupidly expensive. I'll have to scrap the car if my battery fails.

Yes, in fairness, their battery deals are often pretty good.  If I keep the Golf, I'll probably need one for that, but it's looking like ~£200 for an AGM battery.

**Edit** I take that back...the exact same battery for the Golf (Exide EK700 AGM) is around £100 plus postage on several other sites.  And only £95 with free postage on amazon.  So maybr find the right battery on ECP then search elsewhere for any better prices!

 

[unofix]

6 hours ago, erictcleric said:

Euro Car Parts have 42% off at the moment,

Someone will telling me next SCS have a Christmas sale on (ends Good Friday) 🤣

[Jon Read]

The mechanic said my friends battery wasn't powerful enough at only 60ah, so he installed the below 71ah battery instead. It doesn't appear to be silver calcium either though. The mechanic said this didn't matter (he's not a Ford specialist so maybe didn't know). So many different views. If my car wasn't 2002 with only 2 years of life left I might have demanded a silver calcium one, but not sure I can be bothered now. I did a quick test drive and all seems okay, dashboard lights are even brighter than before oddly. Not sure how it will perform going forward but will have to wait and see I guess. 

battery he fitted : https://www.hardwarexpress.co.uk/100-car-battery-ybx3100-12v-71ah-680a-yuasa-2496-p.asp

 

 

 

[erictcleric]

That's calcium/calcium. A silver/calcium would be required to meet all the Ford specs, but that should be adequate.

Silver Calcium batteries for Ford vehicles - information guide (yuasa.co.uk)

It's unlikely to overheat from charging as a non-calcium battery would.

[TomsFocus]

To save starting a new thread...if anyone else needs a battery right now, Tayna's eBay shop are offering 10% off with the DECSALE code.  Makes my AGM battery just £86.40 with next day delivery.  

Tayna Batteries | eBay Stores

[erictcleric]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

To save starting a new thread...if anyone else needs a battery right now, Tayna's ebay shop are offering 10% off with the DECSALE code.  Makes my AGM battery just £86.40 with next day delivery.  

Tayna Batteries | eBay Stores

That's a good link. Just looked mine up and it's less than half the price of other online battery emporiums. I may have to get a dozen, just in case.