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What causes jumper cables to get hot? Should I be worried?
My bestie needed a jump so I went over to their house and we connected the cables. But I noticed they were getting really hot, so we stopped and I disconnected them. What causes jumper cables to get hot? Is it dangerous?
Matt Terzi · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
We’re glad you acted quickly and disconnected the jumper cables before they melted! Yes, jumper cables getting excessively hot is a major concern. There are a few different potential causes for jumper cables getting hot, melting, or even smoking:
- Connecting the cables to the wrong terminals is the most common cause of hot jumpers. The** red cable connects to the positive terminal** and the black one to the negative terminal. Make sure they’re set up properly to avoid damage to the cable or the cars.
- Poor or loose connections to terminals are also a common cause of overheating. Ensure the cables are firmly and properly attached to the battery terminals to handle these high volumes of electricity transfer.
- Shoddy jumpers can heat up and burn out. Some jumper cable manufacturers use aluminum to reduce costs, but these cheaper cables are prone to overheating and often poorly transfer current.
- Damaged jumper cables can also cause trouble. Always make sure you visibly inspect the cables and their connectors to make sure they aren’t physically damaged or frayed.
- Using the wrong gauge of jumper cable can cause issues. Jumper cables are rated for size, from zero to 15, with higher gauges being smaller. A repair shop will have gauges zero or one. Most consumer cables are three or four. Anything lower than four can overheat and possibly even melt.
We hope this helps you keep your jumper cables from overheating or melting in the future! And we also hope you’ll use the
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