Can i connect a relay to a jump start terminal.

[Edgar1989]

I am trying to add additional exterior lights to me car.
The battery is located to the rear of the car, rather than trailing wires right through the car. Can I wire the relay into the jump start terminals that are present in the engine bay? Would this still provide power for this?

 

[pirate]

Depends upon the vehicle, but usually yes. Normally the "jump start" terminals are present in the engine bay simply to facilitate jump starting as the battery is buried in the boot...actually a good configuration IMHO, as the battery stays cool, and is protected from the weather, splashing, salt etc.
Thus, the 2 terminals in the engine bay are "live" all the time, so you can take a feed from there. However...they may also be connected all the time, even when the ignition is off, so you are basically running your new circuit directly off the battery. This may mean that any auto shut-down circuitry if the battery gets low, will not work. If the engine bay terminals are disconnected when the ignition is off, it's ok for an added circuit, but if not, you have to be aware that your new lighting, if left on, could drain the battery, so it would be best to power the new circuit from those terminals, but break the feed through the ignition switch.
There are other ways of feeding extra cicuits, and you may have spare outputs available in the fuse box, so i would check that out first.

 

[DPG]

Depends upon the vehicle, but usually yes. Normally the "jump start" terminals are present in the engine bay simply to facilitate jump starting as the battery is buried in the boot...actually a good configuration IMHO, as the battery stays cool, and is protected from the weather, splashing, salt etc.
Thus, the 2 terminals in the engine bay are "live" all the time, so you can take a feed from there. However...they may also be connected all the time, even when the ignition is off, so you are basically running your new circuit directly off the battery. This may mean that any auto shut-down circuitry if the battery gets low, will not work. If the engine bay terminals are disconnected when the ignition is off, it's ok for an added circuit, but if not, you have to be aware that your new lighting, if left on, could drain the battery, so it would be best to power the new circuit from those terminals, but break the feed through the ignition switch.
There are other ways of feeding extra cicuits, and you may have spare outputs available in the fuse box, so i would check that out first.

Important - remember appropriate fusing!