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Step 1
Read your owner's manual, as it will describe any peculiarities involved in jump-starting your vehicle.
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Step 2
Pull a car with a charged battery next to the car with the dead battery, situating the two batteries as close together as you can without allowing the two cars to touch.
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Step 3
Turn off both engines, pull out the keys, put both cars in park, engage the emergency brakes and open the hoods.
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Step 4
Attach a red-handled/positive jumper cable clamp to the positive terminal (the one with the plus sign) of the charged battery.
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Step 5
Connect the other red-handled clamp to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
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Step 6
Attach the neighboring black/negative cable to the car with the dead battery. Clamp it somewhere where the current can ground out, such as a bolt or bracket on the engine. You can also attach it to any metal, unpainted part of the vehicle's frame.
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Step 7
Ground the other black/negative cable on the charging car, as described in the previous step. Be careful, as a small spark may be produced.
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Step 8
Attempt to start the car that has the dead battery.
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Step 9
Re-adjust the red/positive clamp on the dead car if there is no response; try re-clamping it to the terminal or turning it for a better connection. Keep trying to start the dead car.
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Step 10
Once the dead car is running, remove the clamps one at a time in reverse order.
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Step 11
Allow the jump-started car to run for half an hour in order to charge the battery. It will charge whether driving or idling.
Comments
rls1024 said
on 5/18/2009 "Step 3 - Turn off both engines, pull out the keys, put both cars in park, engage the emergency brakes and open the hoods."~~~Why would you need to jump start a car if the engine were running? Wouldn't the car that needs to be jump already be in "park"?Open the hood - you can't be serious...~~~"Step 8 - Attempt to start the car that has the dead battery."The charging vehicle has to be running or you would more than likely drain the good battery as well. ~~~I certainly hope the author of this "How To" has AAA raod service!
linkart said
on 4/6/2009 Excellent article and video on jump-starting a car. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow! 5*
traffikon2009 said
on 1/16/2009 Does pumping the gas pedal improve the amperage to the car being jumped?
Dave
Spinducky08 said
on 8/22/2008 It's also a good idea (if you aren't comfortable using your car as the "jump" vehicle - for fear of battery damage) is to invest in a portable "jump station", which are available at most auto parts, Wal-mart, those type of stores (Some can be found as low as $50). You can keep it in the trunk and what's great about these is that they're easy to use, have clear instructions, and it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you have everything hooked up correctly. It's just a matter of connecting the clamps and flicking a switch. However, the use of a jump station is limitted to the size of the vehicle. I've found that mine will start my small GMC Safari, but will not start a full-sized commercial cube(box) Van with large 8 cylinder engine. Of course, you will only need one that will be able to handle most regular non-commercial vehicles.
Brother-Wayne said
on 5/5/2008 Excellent video! I would suggest adding a CAUTION to ensure the red(+) and black(-) clips do NOT touch each other, causing a short circuit, when the clips on the opposite end are connected to a battery.
Brother Wayne