Ya, car computers can be a little sensitive to excess power that can result from jumping. I always use a booster box unless I have absolutely no other choice.
Like Steverino said, read the manual. They don't recommend using the underhood connections to jump another car because the positive wire and terminal aren't big enough for starter loads (though if the battery is intact and just drained, you could connect there for a while to charge it, then disconnect the Volt and start the other car.) Instead, they suggest opening the hatch and connecting cables to the battery directly.
I was in Northern Minnesota over New Year's. it was in the minus twenties overnight. I used our Volt to jumpstart two of the other cars in our group that wouldn't start. No problem.
It can be done. Note the jumper cables attach from the volt's auxillary battery in the trunk. Like others have said, instructions are in the owners manual.
Owners manual shows terminals under the hood, for jumping a rundown Volt from another car. I wonder why there are 2 different sets of instructions, or for that matter, 2 sets of terminals.
because, the volt needs very little current to start itself (a few amps for several seconds will do it) BUT other cars need a lot of current to start, because the 12 volts that the VOlt sends over has to provide enough power to run the other car's starter motor. Feed 20-30 amps to the other car's battery for a minute and then when the other car is running its starter motor and the line voltage drops to 7 or 8 volts, the draw might be 100+ amps. the Volt's wiring around the 12V AGM battery and DC- to DC converter can support this, but the lines to the front of the car are small gauge wires, intended to allow only enough electricity in to start the Volt's electronics.
And, since you asked. It makes sense to put the "start the Volt" terminals under the hood because even if the volts 12 Volt battery is missing, you can open the drivers door with your key mechanically and open the hood mechanically and power up the electronics enough so that they can start the Volt.... but you cannot get to the hatch without a lot of gymnastics.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
GM Volt Forum
1.2M posts
84.8K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to Chevy Volt electric car owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about hybrid performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, reviews, and more!