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i have a 2001 pontiac sunfire with a 2.2 engine.two weeks ago when i went out to start it i found out the battery was stone cold dead.after chargeing it up over night i tried hooking it up again but after putting on the negitive cable i started to screw in the positive and it started sparking like crazy.i checked it with my multi meter and saw a reading of – 12.81.that sounds about normal to me,but i’m no expert.without having a normal battery in the car i see no way of checking anything.has anyone come across a problem such as this.i do plan to get a new battery in a few days,so hopefully that may solve my problem.i just thought i’d check in here to see if any other ppl have had something simular happen.thanks for any response on this topic.
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I take it the battery and cables are hooked up correctly? Its normal to see or
hear a small arc. but to have continuous sparking not normal. When we hook
up the battery cables. negative is first off and last on.http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-electrical-problems
Sounds as if you may have some type of serious short-to-ground.
To confirm, first disconnect the battery , then take a multimeter and test the resistance between the positive and the negative battery terminals of the vehicle.You sure you didn’t leave any loads turned on like the key in the “on” position or the headlights, etc. ? Any good load being turned on would give you a decent spark show. If nothing is turned on then I’d say something shorted out on the car and drained the battery and is still shorted out giving you the sparks. Could be anything from a melted/worn-through wire to a relay stuck in the on position.
I had a problem with an car a while back, I made a map of the relays & fuse positions and then pulled them all. Applied the battery and one-by-one I added the fuses and relays back in until one relay sparked, it had melted “on”.
If the door is open or the ignition is on when you go to connect the cable it would make a spark as you say. Any electrical loads that are on when replacing the cable could cause that. Also, as many have pointed out, make sure you’re hooking it up correctly.
More info on electrical issues here.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-electrical-problems
Info on no starts here.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-no-start-problems
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