Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
An anecdote.
I was southbound on the WV turnpike when traffic halted a couple miles past the middle toll plaza. Seems there was a rollover about the 74 yard stick with a fatality or two.
While stuck there, I strolled up and down the long hill. There was a Powerstroke that had been running OK, but just died, and he couldn't restart it. Another guy with a PS van borrowed some jumper cables and hooked up, to no avail.
I trotted back to get mine (home made, 500A clamps, #2 welding cable, about 22' long), hooked them up and got *huge* sparks. I figured the batteries were dead, so I let it charge a while. Well, it did, and he was able to start it. But I noticed smoke coming from the left front and told him to kill it. The smoke stopped, but it wouldn't crank again, so I re-connected the cables. The smoke started again, and I saw it was coming from his left battery. Thinking quickly, I found a wrench and disconnected that battery. It stopped smoking and the huge sparks stopped, too. But the PS never started after that, even though it cranked nice and fast. (Fuel filter was dry, so they finally switched over to the other tank which was full. Got fuel in the filter, but it still wouldn't start. We even tried a battery disconnect to reset the ECM to no avail. Just then, traffic started moving again, so I couldn't help him any further. )
So I learned that the cables I'd made some 8 years ago and rarely used are adequate to charge a diesel's batteries even when one of them is internally shorted. Maybe Dad's right. Maybe I *could* jump-start the Queen Mary with 'em!
N
I was southbound on the WV turnpike when traffic halted a couple miles past the middle toll plaza. Seems there was a rollover about the 74 yard stick with a fatality or two.
While stuck there, I strolled up and down the long hill. There was a Powerstroke that had been running OK, but just died, and he couldn't restart it. Another guy with a PS van borrowed some jumper cables and hooked up, to no avail.
I trotted back to get mine (home made, 500A clamps, #2 welding cable, about 22' long), hooked them up and got *huge* sparks. I figured the batteries were dead, so I let it charge a while. Well, it did, and he was able to start it. But I noticed smoke coming from the left front and told him to kill it. The smoke stopped, but it wouldn't crank again, so I re-connected the cables. The smoke started again, and I saw it was coming from his left battery. Thinking quickly, I found a wrench and disconnected that battery. It stopped smoking and the huge sparks stopped, too. But the PS never started after that, even though it cranked nice and fast. (Fuel filter was dry, so they finally switched over to the other tank which was full. Got fuel in the filter, but it still wouldn't start. We even tried a battery disconnect to reset the ECM to no avail. Just then, traffic started moving again, so I couldn't help him any further. )
So I learned that the cables I'd made some 8 years ago and rarely used are adequate to charge a diesel's batteries even when one of them is internally shorted. Maybe Dad's right. Maybe I *could* jump-start the Queen Mary with 'em!
N
