Every driver experiences that heart-stopping moment of a dead battery. It usually happens at the most unexpected times, which is why everybody should learn how to jump-start their vehicle. Even though it might look intimidating at first, jump-starting a car is a procedure that is much simpler than it appears. Let's start with the items you will need.
Before you can recharge and get going, you will need a power source (such as another powered vehicle) and jumper cables. Jumper cables are long-coated cables with toothy clips. The clips are identifiable by color, generally red and black, to symbolize positive and negative polarity. The red clip is positive, whereas the black clip is negative.
We highly advise that you constantly keep a set of dependable jumper cables in your vehicle at all times. As we have said, you never know what can happen! A set of jumper cables can be purchased at any auto parts store or a big box store for less than $30 and will last you for years. Most motorists store their jumper cables in their trunks.
What You Need to Know About Car Batteries Beforehand
Car batteries have two fundamental points, called terminals. There is a positive and a negative terminal. Connecting cables to the right terminal are of utmost importance to complete the circuit and supply power to the dead battery.
The positive terminal is the bigger of the two and is usually indicated with a "+" symbol. The positive terminal will connect to the positive clip (red) on the jumper cable. The negative terminal is the smaller nub and is usually indicated with a "-" symbol. This terminal will be attached to the black clip on your jumper cable.
7 Step Guide on How to Jump Start a Car:
- Check the batteries.
- Properly position both vehicles and make sure both are turned off. Make sure the ignitions are off for both cars and put on the parking brake.
- Open the hood of each car.
- Attach the clips in the following order.
- Red to Dead (vehicle with the dead battery)
- Red to Doner (vehicle with the working battery)
- Black to Donor
- Black to Metal - Connect the black clip on a grounded surface on the vehicle with the dead battery. A grounded surface is any unpainted metal part of the dead car that is not directly next to the battery. An example of a grounded surface could be one of the metal struts that holds the hood open.
- Start the engine on thedonor car.
- Start your engine on the car with the dead battery. If your engine starts without any problems, leave both vehicles on for several minutes to allow the battery to charge.
- After several minutes, you may unclip the cables from both cars in the REVERSE order that you clipped them on.
Now you know how to make this job a breeze! If your battery continues to go dead, you may need a new one. Feel free to contact our expert technicians at inMOTION Auto Care, and we'll give you a complete inspection and discuss the possible solutions for your battery.