Newb Question about jump starting

[RIPws6]

So I took my Camaro to the grocery store tonight to grab some milk before they closed and this guy and his son were standing outside their Lexus with a set of jumper cables on the ground. He begged me to jump start his car. I shrugged, figured OKAY! Help a neighbor! So I popped the hood and started scratching my head. I had read somewhere the battery wasnt where its supposed to be (lol) but I did see the red cap with the + sign on it. Figured that was a positive terminal. I checked my cars owners manual and it wasnt too helpful so I popped the cap marked + and put the negative on the hood arm. When he tried to start his car, I could hear mine bog down some so I new we were making a connection but his car never would do a darn thing. I wished him luck and went to get my milk before being a good neighbor screwed me out of my cereal in the morning. My question is....was I Doing the right thing? After doing some reading, I know the battery is in the fricking trunk, but is that positive terminal meant for jump starting?

[Carver1]

Yes. the positive is for jump starting. The negative should have been on bare metal though. That is most likely why it bogged. Next time try to attach the neg to something not painted, preferably somewhere on the engine. Just don't get close to anything moving!

[Apex Paul]

Originally Posted by Carver1

Yes. the positive is for jump starting. The negative should have been on bare metal though. That is most likely why it bogged. Next time try to attach the neg to something not painted, preferably somewhere on the engine. Just don't get close to anything moving!

The red post is just as you said. The ground post is on the driver's side inner fender near the air intake.

[RIPws6]

Thanks for the replies. I feel a lil better now.

[1BADLS3]

Originally Posted by RIPws6

Thanks for the replies. I feel a lil better now.

And the fact that your car was dimming/bogging down says his car was drawing plenty enough current to start, but was likely another issue than a dead battery. That, or it was a REALLY dead battery and couldn't even keep up with current running through it.

But, FYI, painted surfaces are never a very good ground. GM did us some injustice by placing the negative/ground terminal in kind of an obscure place. They should have labeled it better so the unsuspecting will easily find it.

[Grimlock]

I had to help jump a friend's car one time and it took a bit over 20 minutes for her car to start. When I asked someone, they said the gauge of the wire wasn't big enough to transfer enough electricity or something and that and bigger wire gauge would've been nice. Not sure how valid that is, but it makes sense to me since I know a bit about speaker wires and gauges.

[PoorMansCamaro]

Originally Posted by Apex Paul

The red post is just as you said. The ground post is on the driver's side inner fender near the air intake.

I wonder what a good alternative for the negative is, if I removed my post because of the injen intake.

[RIPws6]

I felt bad leaving the dude but have to admit that having a Lexus owner compliment my car (why not, mine was running) was pretty cool. I did my best to help out but I was pretty sure he had problems with that Lexus way beyond my ability or desire to figure out. But I did score my 2 gallons of mik before the store closed. lol!

[HDDAN]

Originally Posted by RIPws6

So I took my Camaro to the grocery store tonight to grab some milk before they closed and this guy and his son were standing outside their Lexus with a set of jumper cables on the ground. He begged me to jump start his car. I shrugged, figured OKAY! Help a neighbor! So I popped the hood and started scratching my head. I had read somewhere the battery wasnt where its supposed to be (lol) but I did see the red cap with the + sign on it. Figured that was a positive terminal. I checked my cars owners manual and it wasnt too helpful so I popped the cap marked + and put the negative on the hood arm. When he tried to start his car, I could hear mine bog down some so I new we were making a connection but his car never would do a darn thing. I wished him luck and went to get my milk before being a good neighbor screwed me out of my cereal in the morning. My question is....was I Doing the right thing? After doing some reading, I know the battery is in the fricking trunk, but is that positive terminal meant for jump starting?

Under your hood on the driver's side, is a little red cap, underneath this is the positive. On the inner fender, you will see a spike with a ball on the end. It is unpainted, this is the ground. This is also how you attach a battery tender.

[DesertCamaro]

Not to thread-jack but can you attach a battery tender to the posts under the hood or is it best to attach it directly to the battery?

[Apex Paul]

Originally Posted by DesertCamaro

Not to thread-jack but can you attach a battery tender to the posts under the hood or is it best to attach it directly to the battery?

I don't see why not. The Dodge Viper has a similar remote battery connection (battery is mounted between the rear wheels, access through the wheel well when the tire is off). Battery tender working fine for several years now.