If your car battery has ever died, you will know what it feels like. It’s that moment when you feel panicky and you can’t turn the key. After that, you know there is work ahead. In the event of a car breakdown, we have discussed what you should always carry in your car. That includes jumper cable.
Grab your cables and let’s get started!
- Find a willing participant who will give you a jump
To get a jumpstart you will need another functioning car battery. This can be accomplished with a portable battery (also known as a jump box) or another vehicle. You might be able to find someone willing to help you out if your situation is public. If you find yourself stuck and no one is available to help, ask someone you know to bring their car to you.
2) Park the Cars Correctly
Car batteries are traditionally kept under the hood. To avoid this, park the cars close together or front-to-back. This is to ensure that cables can reach each battery. Many companies make vehicles with the battery in their trunk. You need to be able to identify where the battery is so that your assisting car can park in the right place.
3 Turn both Cars Off
After they are in place, turn the engines off and put them in Park.
4 – Open Hood and Attach Cables
Now it is time to start the jumping process. Take your jumper cables out of the vehicle’s hood. You’ll find one terminal on each battery and one on the other. You must ensure that both vehicles are fully turned off. Here are some instructions on how to attach the cables.
Red clamp to the (+) terminal of a dead battery
Red clamp for positive (+), terminal on the working battery
Black clamp to negative (+) terminal of working battery
Another black clamp to an unpainted, metal object for dead car
It is very important to make sure the 2nd black clamp does not attach to the battery. This is because the grounding connection it serves is being used. Attaching it to the dead batteries increases the risk of sparks, explosions, or fire when the car is starting up. Instead, attach it to a metal piece of the car such as the chassis, bolts on the engines, or other parts.
5 Start the Working Car
After you have attached the jumper cables properly, start the engine of the vehicle and let it run for at least a minute. This will give the dead battery time to recharge from the car’s battery.
6 Start the Dead Vehicle
You can start the car with the dead battery. Hopefully, the battery will start charging and the engine will turn. If nothing happens when you turn the key, turn it off completely. Let the working car run for 5-10 minutes more before trying again
If it doesn’t happen again, your battery might be dead and you’ll have to replace it.
7) Remove Jumper Cables
Once both cars are in motion, you can remove the jumper cables that were used to reverse the order. This means that you need to remove:
Black cable made of grounded metal
Black cable for the negative terminal on a car used in work
Red cable from the positive terminal on a car for work
Red cable starting from, the dead positive terminal
Once the cables have been removed, you can thank your good Samaritans for their help and then drive the car around for a couple of minutes to let the battery recharge. If the car does not start after a jump start, don’t turn it off again or you might need to do the same. You can still pack your car and hit the road once it has started. It is important to replace your battery ASAP. Otherwise, you could find yourself in need of another jump when you start your car.
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