January 17, 2024 0 Comments

How Do I Jump-Start a Car?

No matter how much you prepare, one day you will find yourself with a dead battery. It’s one of the certainties of life. The question is: when that happens, are you going to know what to do?
 
Well, there’s nothing to fear because everything you need to know to jump-start the battery back to life is right here for you!

Tips Before Starting

You should always take precautions when jump-starting your vehicle. Certain mistakes can result in an explosion or other dangerous situations that can result in personal injury or death or cause damage to the vehicles involved.
 
If you are careful and follow instructions carefully, there is little to fear. Nonetheless, if you become anxious about making a mistake, consult a professional. Here are some precautions to help keep you safe!

• If your battery is corroded or leaking battery acid, it’s best not to try to jump it yourself, you could suffer burns or other injuries. Let a professional handle it.

 

• Make sure that the jumper cables you intend to use are in good condition.

 

• Batteries give off sulfuric acid and the fumes are highly flammable. Make sure to keep sparks and flame away from the battery; that includes cigarettes.

 

• If you get confused or not absolutely sure which cable goes where and in which order: don’t chance it. Consult a source or a professional because a wrong hookup can cause an explosion or seriously damage both cars involved in the charging process.

 

• Wear eye protection and gloves

 

• Take care to keep the cables out of water or situations where they can spark.

Lets Begin The Jump-Start Process

These instructions will provide you with a safe method to jump-start your dead battery:

1. First, you will need a set of suitable jumper cables.
 
2. You will also need someone else to let you use the battery on their vehicle to charge yours, so if you do not have cables, hopefully, they will. Note: You should always keep a set of jumper cables in your car as a precaution for this very circumstance.
 
3. Locate the batteries on each vehicle, which are usually just under the hood and easily recognizeable. If you don’t see it, there is a chance it could be in a concealed place, or even somewhere else in the vehicle. Consult the owner’s manual if you have trouble.
 
4. Position the functional vehicle’s engine a suitable distance from your engine so that the jumper cables can comfortably reach both.
 
5. Make sure both vehicles are in Park.
 
Warning: Make sure to pay special attention to the order and location for each of the cables because a mistake here can damage the vehicle’s engines or cause a spark that could ignite an explosion.
 
6. Starting with the Red Positive (+) Jumper cables, hook one clamp on the positive (+) terminal on the good battery, then hook the other cable on the positive (+) terminal on your dead battery.

7. Next, take the negative black cables and attach one end to the negative (-)  terminal on the good battery, then GROUND the second black clamp on whatever suitable piece of unpainted metal you can find within this section of the car, as far from the battery as you can. This will prevent one of those dangerous sparks.

8. Take a relaxing breath, the worst is over.

9. Have your helper start his car so that his good battery can begin to fill yours with some life. Make sure to thank this good Samaritan for taking the time (and risking his car) to help you! 

10. Give the battery some time to run, then attempt to start your car. If it does not start immediately, don’t try for more than 15 seconds because you could damage your starter. Once it has had a little time to build some power, attempt to start the dead battery. After an attempt, let it have about twenty seconds to cool down, then you can try again.  

11. When your engine roars (or putters) to life, let it run for a bit to charge. If it still hasn’t started and doesn’t seem like it is going to, there may be a more serious problem, so it may be time to find a car mechanic.

12. Once you feel like your engine is feeling better, remove the jumper cables in the REVERSE order that you installed them as a safety precaution.

13. Close up the hoods and put away any tools that were necessary for the procedure.

14. When you drive on the battery, you want to give it a little over fifteen minutes to get a nice, satisfactory charge, so if you find yourself at your destination before then, take a spin or two around the block. 

You may want to have your battery checked out to make sure that there’s not a deeper problem; moreover, you definitely will if it wouldn’t start. The experts at Best Western Transmission in Colorado Springs are trusted professionals who can make sure that you are ready to roll with no worries.
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