If you take proper care of your car, you may not need to do jumpstart a vehicle for years. But it’s important to know how to jump-start a car in case of an emergency.
Jump-starting a car battery is a basic skill that every driver needs to know. It’s not something that’s done regularly and never at a convenient time, but with some knowledge and by following a few simple steps, it doesn’t take long to jump-start a car.
You can be back on the road in a matter of minutes. To jump-start a car, you need jumper cables, also known as booster cables, to connect the dead battery in your car to a fully charged battery in another vehicle. It’s a great idea to keep a good set of cables along with other roadside emergency equipment in the trunk of your car.
Read on to learn how to jump-start a car by following these simple steps.
How To Jump Start a Car?
Follow this step-by-step guide for using jumper cables safely.
#1. Park.
Park both cars close to each other without touching. Make sure both vehicles are completely off and the parking brake is engaged.
#2. Prep.
Open both hoods and locate the batteries. Remove the plastic hood if needed. Find the positive and negative battery terminals.
The positive terminal will be marked with a plus sign (+) and the negative terminal will be marked with a minus sign (-). If there is no symbol indicator, the positive terminal will be connected with a red cable and the negative terminal will be connected with a black cable. Make sure they are free of corrosion.
Make sure the jumper cables are unwound and untangled.
#3. Attach.
First, Hook the RED clamp to the positive terminal (+) of the dead battery. Next, attach the RED clamp from the other end of the cables to the working battery’s positive terminal (+). Then, attach the BLACK clamp to the negative terminal (–) of the working battery.
Last, attach the BLACK clamp to an unpainted metal part on the engine, such as a bolt or bracket, of the car with the DEAD battery. Some models have a grounding bolt marked with a (–) placed solely for this purpose.
#4. Start ‘er up.
Start the working car and let it run for 2 minutes. Start the dead car and allow it to run for 2 minutes so it can recharge.
#5. Remove.
Remove the cables in the reverse order they were attached (i.e., black/your car, black/good car, red/good car, red/your car)
#6. Let ‘er run.
Let the jump-started car engine run for several minutes at least or drive for at least 20 minutes to allow the alternator to charge the jumped battery.
Related Article: How to Charge Car Battery?
What if the car doesn’t start after the jump start?
If the dead car doesn’t start after a few minutes of being powered then:
- Do you hear a clicking noise? Your starter might be malfunctioning.
- Does your electrical system still turn on? You might have an issue with the ignition switch, battery, starter, or fuse.
- Check the connections and repeat letting the car give the jump run.
- Try starting the car again.
- If the car does not start after several attempts, the battery may be too far gone to be jump-started.
FAQs.
Without cables – the bump start (only works for manual cars). Turn on the ignition. Have your friends start pushing the car, or let off the brakes if you’re on a hill. Once you’re moving at a fast walking pace, bring up the clutch quickly and the engine will start.
If you’re going to jump-start your car by yourself, you can expect the process to take about 10-15 minutes. If you have a professional jump-start your car, then it might take a little less time.
Most of the time, NO, you can’t jumpstart a car with a bad starter unless you repair it. When the battery is dead, jumper wires or boosters are employed. You use a second battery to provide the necessary electricity to start the car.
It is possible in some cases to jumpstart a vehicle that has a faulty alternator, as long as the battery has enough charge to keep running. However, the alternator should be replaced as soon as possible.
