That loose battery terminal trick from my uncle cost me a tow

My uncle told me last fall that you can just jam a penny or a screw into a loose battery terminal to get the car started. Said he did it for years. I tried it on my 2005 Civic in the parking lot of a grocery store in Tacoma last Tuesday. Got the car started but the terminal arced so bad it melted the plastic around the post. Had to call for a tow and replace the whole battery cable end. Has anyone else had a sketchy quick-fix backfire on them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles5088d ago

Nah, your uncle probably did it fine but you just messed up the angle, user error.

joel_mason227d ago

Wait, did you try adjusting the blade depth before you started cutting? I messed that up my first time trying to match someone else's setup and ended up with a jagged edge that looked nothing like what they did. You gotta check that the blade is cutting straight too, sometimes it's just a tiny bit off and throws the whole thing. Also make sure you're not forcing the cut, let the tool do the work and guide it steady. Little tweaks like that usually fix the problem.