One of the most common inconveniences that every driver will encounter at least once in their lifetime is a dead battery. While it’s very common, most people have no idea how to correctly jump-start a dead battery (and many people are actually scared to try). Unlike changing a flat tire, jumping a battery requires a little help from your friends. As long as you’ve got jumper cables and someone with a running car to help you, it’s really easy to jump-start your car. Here’s how to get some life back in your car battery:
(Pay special attention to the connection order – that’s one of the most common and overlooked causes for unsuccessful jump-starts)
Before you start, you’ll need jumper cables. If you don’t have any, you may want to make sure your trusty assistant brings them. When your helper arrives, have them park close enough to your vehicle so that you can connect the jumper cables to the batteries with plenty of extra slack. Most cables are about six feet long. You should also check your owner’s guide for details about your vehicle battery location and terminal placement if you’re not already familiar with where it is.
- Open both vehicle hoods and locate the batteries.
- Remove any terminal covers and corrosion. It’s important to remove corrosion so that the cables make a good connection.
- Attach the positive (RED) jumper cable to the positive (RED) terminal of the dead battery. Make sure that both metal clamps are firmly in contact with the terminal.
- Attach the other end of the positive (RED) jumper cable to the positive (RED) terminal of the assisting battery.
- Attach the negative (BLACK) jumper cable to the negative (BLACK) terminal of the assisting battery.
- Attach the remaining end of the negative (BLACK) jumper cable to an exposed metal part of the disabled vehicle’s engine, away from the battery and the carburetor/fuel-injection system. DO NOT ATTACH TO THE REMAINING NEGATIVE TERMINAL!
- Start the assisting vehicle’s engine.
- Start the disabled vehicle’s engine.
- Allow both vehicles to run connected for about three minutes.
- While leaving the jump started vehicle running, disconnect the cables in the reverse order that they were attached and close the hoods.
You should keep the jump-started vehicle’s engine running for at least half an hour to allow the battery to fully charge. You should then visit King Auto Corner’s service department to get the jump-started battery tested or replaced as soon as you can.
We hope you found this post helpful! Remember, you can always come back and read this on your mobile phone if you’re stuck and you need a refresher.