When you are preparing to jump start a car, position the vehicles for an easy stretch of your jumper cables. Be sure the cables attach securely to the battery posts.
It's easy to jump start your car if you have a dead battery. Batteries go dead for all sorts of reasons, but usually it's our fault. This is a good thing, because that means a simple jump-start will get you back on the road with no permanent damage. What You'll Need:
1. Another car, running
2. Jumper cables
3. Safety glasses
4. Wire brush (optional for cleaning connections)
You'll need to park the running car next to the dead car in such a way that the jumper cables can reach both batteries. If you aren't sure where the batteries are under each hood, take a peek* before you park.
Important TIP:
*Never drive with your hood raised. Not only do you have no visibility, you could damage your hood components or the hood itself.
Don't be nervous about your battery connections, but also know that it's very important that you do not mix up the cables or you can do serious damage! With both cars parked next to each other, turn both keys to the OFF position. Not only will this protect your car's electrical system from any surges, it's always safer under the hood with the engine off. Here are the connection steps:
*Attach the jumper cable to the most secure attachment point you can find on the car's permanent battery cables. If they are corroded, it may help to wiggle the jumper cable end around a bit while it's attached to the car's cables or battery. *You might be tempted to attach it to the "-" side of the dead battery, but this isn't recommended. In the old days, batteries leaked small amounts of acid, which could turn into flammable gas around the battery. This gas could explode if the cable caused a spark just above the battery.
*I have seen some people clamp the negative cable onto the rubber cable covering of the positive side while they walk across to the other car. This is a NO NO. If one of those sharp teeth were to pierce the rubber cover and reach the wires inside, you could do serious electrical damage to one or both vehicles!
1. Another car, running
2. Jumper cables
3. Safety glasses
4. Wire brush (optional for cleaning connections)
You'll need to park the running car next to the dead car in such a way that the jumper cables can reach both batteries. If you aren't sure where the batteries are under each hood, take a peek* before you park.
Important TIP:
*Never drive with your hood raised. Not only do you have no visibility, you could damage your hood components or the hood itself.
Don't be nervous about your battery connections, but also know that it's very important that you do not mix up the cables or you can do serious damage! With both cars parked next to each other, turn both keys to the OFF position. Not only will this protect your car's electrical system from any surges, it's always safer under the hood with the engine off. Here are the connection steps:
- Be sure both ignition switches are in the OFF position.
- Locate the "+" (positive) and "-" (negative) sides of each battery. They should be clearly marked on the battery itself. On newer cars the positive (+) side often has a red cover over the battery post and wires.
- Attache the red cable to the "+" side of the good battery
- Attach the other end of the red cable to the "+" side of the dead battery
- Attach the black cable to the "-" side of the good battery
- Attach the other end of the black cable to a section of unpainted metal on the dead car. This can be as small as the head of a bolt located nearby.
*Attach the jumper cable to the most secure attachment point you can find on the car's permanent battery cables. If they are corroded, it may help to wiggle the jumper cable end around a bit while it's attached to the car's cables or battery. *You might be tempted to attach it to the "-" side of the dead battery, but this isn't recommended. In the old days, batteries leaked small amounts of acid, which could turn into flammable gas around the battery. This gas could explode if the cable caused a spark just above the battery.
*I have seen some people clamp the negative cable onto the rubber cable covering of the positive side while they walk across to the other car. This is a NO NO. If one of those sharp teeth were to pierce the rubber cover and reach the wires inside, you could do serious electrical damage to one or both vehicles!
Disconnecting the Jumper Cables:
Disconnecting the jumper cables doesn't need to happen in any specific order, but be sure you don't let the red and black cables touch each other at the end when they are still connected to one battery.*
Important TIPS:
*If you want to be sure, you can disconnect the black (negative) cables first, then go back and disconnect the red. Remember, the red (positive) cables are the ones that can cause a short of they touch the car while they are connected to the battery.
*If the dead car doesn't turn over or turns over very slowly, check to see if your battery or connections are corroded. If they are, sometimes a little wiggling while the cable clamp is connected will make your connection better.
