Everyone who drives a car needs to have a set of good-quality jumper cables in his trunk and to know how to attach the cables to the vehicle's battery. Having them and knowing how to use them could save you the cost of an expensive roadside service call. It looks easy, but there is a right way and a wrong way to attach them and a right way and wrong way to remove them. Using jumper cables improperly can cause damage to your vehicle and possible serious injury to you and those nearby.
Ask the person providing you with the jump-start to position his vehicle so it faces yours. Raise the hood on each vehicle.
2
Inspect the positive and negative battery posts and terminals on both batteries. The battery terminals need to be clean and free of corrosion, a greenish-gray buildup caused by battery electrolyte. If corrosion is present, brush the terminals clean with the wire brush. Make sure you wear gloves and eye protection, because the battery electrolyte contains sulfuric acid, which can burn your skin and blind you if it gets in your eyes.
3
Locate the positive battery post on each battery. The positive post can be identified by the letters "POS" or the plus sign (+) stamped on the battery next to the post. The positive post can also be identified by the fact that it is noticeably larger in diameter than the negative post.
4
Attach the red battery jumper cable clamps to the positive posts on both batteries. Always connect he positive cables first. Twist them back and forth several times to make sure that they are making solid electrical contact with the posts. A solid, metal-to-metal connection must exist for the electric current to flow properly.
5
Connect the black jumper cable clamp to the negative battery terminal on the battery in the vehicle providing the jump-start. Connect the other end of the black jumper cable to a solid metal ground on your vehicle. Do not connect it to the negative post on your battery. An accidental spark could cause an explosion by igniting the hydrogen gas given off by the battery.
6
Start the vehicle providing the jump-start and hold it at a fast idle. Get in and start you vehicle. If your car does not crank over, check the cable connections to make sure they are tight. Once you have started your vehicle, leave both cars idling for a few minutes.
7
Disconnect the jumper cables from your vehicle without shutting your engine off. Disconnect the black ground cable first, then the red, positive cable. Disconnect the cables from the other car.
