did some other research on the subject,… here is what I found so far…
Well, yes and no.
If your car is jumping the dead car, here’s what happens. Let’s say you put the cables on correctly. The instant you finish the connection, your alternator senses the new load and wants to put out a full charge. But if you’re doing the jump with your car just idling, your alternator isn’t turning fast enough to put out all it can. So, it heats up. And yes, you can end up burning out YOUR alternator by jumping someone else’s car.
Even if you get in your car and rev the engine, you’re still asking your alternator to become a battery charger–something is isn’t designed to do for any length of time.
This is a case where being a good friend can end up costing you hundreds of dollars.
You could try leaving your engine off and just jumping with your battery alone. Leave it attached to the dead battery for about 5 minutes. That shouldn’t drain your battery all the way and should give the other battery enough of a boost to get it to start. Then you can start your car and drive it. The key word is drive it–to get the revs up and keep it cool.
Best way to jump a car is with a booster pack.
Rick
I’m a retired ASE Master/L-1 Technician. I still keep current with the latest automotive technology.