Jumpstart a Dead Car Battery
A dead car battery can happen to the best of us, usually at the worst time! Being prepared for this unfortunate situation can save you time and money. Jumper cables are an essential items to keep in your car. Once you have them, here is how to use them:
WARNING: When connecting the negative (black) cable to the dead car battery, do not place it directly on the post. Clamp it to a clean, unpainted surface somewhere under the hood, the engine block is usually a good place. (See below for thorough instructions.) Car batteries, even if they are sealed, can leak gas. If a spark occurs when you clamp the negative cable to the post, it could ignite that gas and explode. You want to be sure to attach it somewhere away from the battery.
WARNING: If your cables are attached to an electrical source (like your battery) make sure your positive and negative cables don’t touch. This could create a dangerous spark! This is true for regular jumper or a jumper pack.
Before you begin, if your battery posts have covers on them, (pictured above) make sure you remove them before you attach the jumper cables to the posts.
1. Turn off both vehicles, open your hood and locate your battery. If you cannot locate your battery check your owner’s manual. Note that the positive terminal is marked with a red cross and the negative terminal is marked with a black line. On older vehicles, the positive and negative signs will be directly on the battery.
2. Get your jumper cables ready.
Positive and negative clips.
3. Connect one end of the red (positive) jumper cable to the positive terminal on the DEAD car battery.
4. Connect the other red (positive) cable clamp to the positive terminal of the GOOD battery.
5. Connect one end of the black (negative) jumper cable to the negative terminal of the good battery.
5. Connect the other black (negative) cable to a clean, unpainted metal surface under the dead battery’s hood. The engine block is a good place. It is important that you do not connect the negative cable to the negative terminal of the dead car battery. It can be very dangerous. Once the connection is made, if it is working properly, you will notice a click or spark.
NOTE: Here is a wider view. The negative clamp is attached to the engine block.
6. This is a good example of how the cables should be placed. Start the car with the working battery and allow it to run for about 2 to 3 minutes before starting the dead car. If you attempt to start the car and it clicks, but doesn’t start or it turns over slowly, give it more time to charge and check to make sure your cables have a good connection. Once the car is started, remove the cables in reverse order (1. Remove the negative clamp from the dead battery ground. 2. Remove the negative clamp from the good battery. 3. Remove the positive clamp from the good battery positive. 4. Remove the positive clamp from the dead battery.)
Jumper Pack
Here is a picture of a portable jump starter:
What is it exactly? It’s a ”Knight in Shining Armor.” With a jumper pack you can jumpstart your vehicle without another vehicle or traditional jumper cables and it is a much faster process. This is a great item to keep in your car. A quick google search will turn up hundreds, most cost between $70 – $200. If you happen to be lucky enough to have one, here’s how to use it!
WARNING: If your cables are attached to an electrical source (like your battery) make sure your positive and negative cables don’t touch. This could create a dangerous spark! This is true for regular jumper or a jumper pack.
NOTE: Sometimes the jumper pack may not give you any signs that it is working. It may not have any lights or make any noise that indicates it’s charging. Just start your car and see if the jumper pack did charge your battery before you assume that it didn’t work.
1. Make sure that your portable jump starter is fully charged.
1. Open your hood and set your portable jump starter on the dead car battery or on a stable location near the battery.
2. Connect the positive clamp to the positive post and the negative clamp to a ground (an unpainted metal surface).
3. This is an example of the jump starter attached to the ground on the engine. Once the pack is properly connected turn the pack on and charge your battery!
