This article answers the popular question: How do you jump-start your car battery?
It happens to the best of us. We leave a light on in the vehicle or accidentally keep the door ajar, and we come out to our vehicle only to find it won’t start. We’ve all been there! But luckily, when your battery goes dead, it doesn’t mean it’s time to panic. We want to help you be prepared in this situation, get your battery charged, and get you back on the road.
Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to correctly jump-start your vehicle’s battery:
Step 1: Locate your jumper cables
Keeping jumper cables in your vehicle is important! Even if you don’t ever need them, jumper cables should always be a part of your car’s emergency kit.
Step 2: Locate another vehicle with a charged battery
Your car’s battery may go dead at an inconvenient time. Most strangers are willing to jump in and help out if they can get back on the road quickly too. Understanding how to quickly and efficiently jump-start your vehicle will save you (and fellow strangers) time in this situation ever arises.
Once you locate an individual with a vehicle with a charged battery, you can proceed to Step 3.
Portable Jump Starter
Some people choose to purchase a portable jump starter to carry in their car at all times. The portable jump starter is essentially a positively charged battery, but it doesn’t require assistance from an extra vehicle. For information on how to jump-start your vehicle using a portable jump starter, read this article by Auto Simple.
Step 3: Rearrange the booster vehicle
Jumper cables usually come in lengths ranging from 10-20 feet. Because of this limited length, it requires you to reposition the booster vehicle to be within a distance so that the jumper cables can reach both vehicles. Due to the nature of parking lots, it may not always be possible to get both vehicles to be hood-to-hood facing each other, so you can also position the vehicles side-by-side and the cables will usually reach.
Step 4: Turn the ignition off
It’s important to turn both vehicles off and set the parking brakes. Turn off all accessories, lights, radio, and climate control in the vehicles if they continue to run for a duration following the ignition shut off.
You also have the option of keeping the booster vehicle ignition on to keep the booster battery sufficiently charged. To avoid ruining your booster battery, you should keep the booster vehicle ignition on, or start it up shortly before you are connecting the jumper cables.
Step 5: Locate the batteries & locate the terminals
Raise the hood of the cars to access the batteries and locate the positive and negative battery terminals.
Step 6: Connect the jumper cables
Please note: If you do not connect the jumper cables correctly, the ‘jump’ will not work properly.
Your jumper cables are made up of two spring-loaded clamps. First, attach the red clamp to the positive (+) terminal on the dead battery, followed by attaching the red clamp to the positive (+) terminal on the booster battery. Follow this same sequence with the black clamps.
Step 7: Start the Vehicle
Put the key in the ignition, and proceed to turn on the vehicle. If it does not turn over right away, give it a few minutes for the booster battery to give the dead battery enough juice to start up.
Step 8: Keep the jumped car running
Once the jumped vehicle ignition turns on, keep it running! The alternator needs time to sufficiently charge the battery fully. If you shut off the car too soon, your battery may not be charged enough to turn the vehicle back on without the help of a booster vehicle.
Step 9: Disconnect jumper cables
First, disconnect the negative (-) clamps, followed up the positive (+) clamps, ensuring that the positive and negative clamps don’t touch.
If your battery won’t jump, contact Truman’s Automotive.
There are many reasons why your battery continues to go dead, resulting in your vehicle not starting even after properly jumping it – including full battery replacement, starter replacement, or an alternator replacement.
Just like any piece of equipment on your vehicle, batteries sometimes just go bad. Contact Truman’s Automotive & ADAS Calibrations to schedule your appointment today!