I have a 8 plate cell shown in the attached picture. I submerged it into purified water (a tad over a liter of water), and added .5 teaspoons of baking soda (I hear this isn't the best electrolyte, but I just wanted to make sure the plates were good). As soon as I completed the circuit with my car's battery, it seems like it shorted out. Sparks came out from the terminal which I connected to the battery, and the engine started to die down. Also, after I disconnected everything, the plates were room temp, but the bolts (also stainless steel) were hot. While I assume that means the cell was drawing a ton of Amps, I don't see why.
What am I doing wrong?