Nothing is more frustrating than heading to your car, turning the key, and realizing that your battery is dead. Whether it’s a cold morning or you’ve accidentally left your lights on overnight, a dead battery is a common issue for many drivers. Fortunately, jumpstarting your car is a straightforward process that can save you time and money, as well as the hassle of calling a tow truck. Let’s walk through a step-by-step guide on how to jumpstart a dead car battery so you’re prepared the next time your car refuses to start.
What You’ll Need to Jumpstart a Car
Before getting started, you’ll need a few basic items. Here’s what you should have on hand:
- Jumper cables: These are essential for connecting your dead battery to a live one.
- A second car (with a charged battery) or a portable jump starter.
- Protective gloves: For safety and comfort when handling the cables.
Once you have these items ready, you’re good to go!
Step 1: Position the Vehicles
To jumpstart your dead battery, the first step is positioning the vehicles. Park the car with the working battery as close as possible to the car with the dead battery. Ideally, they should be close enough for the jumper cables to reach both batteries but without the vehicles touching each other. Turn off the ignition in both vehicles and engage the parking brakes to ensure safety.
Step 2: Connect the Jumper Cables
Now it’s time to connect the jumper cables. This step requires caution, as improper connections could result in electrical damage or even sparks. Here’s how to properly connect them:
- Red to Dead: Attach one end of the red (positive) cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
- Red to Good: Connect the other end of the red cable to the positive terminal of the charged battery.
- Black to Good: Attach one end of the black (negative) cable to the negative terminal of the good battery.
- Black to Ground: Instead of connecting the final black cable to the dead battery, clamp it onto an unpainted metal surface on the dead car’s engine block. This serves as a grounding point and helps prevent sparks near the battery.
Make sure all connections are secure before proceeding to the next step.
Step 3: Start the Working Vehicle
With everything connected, it’s time to start the car with the working battery. Allow it to run for a couple of minutes. This will send some charge to the dead battery, prepping it for ignition. During this time, you can gently rev the engine of the working car to help speed up the charging process but don’t overdo it.
Step 4: Start the Dead Vehicle
Attempt to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If all goes well, the car should start up. If it doesn’t start right away, wait another minute or two with the working vehicle running and try again. If the dead car doesn’t start after several attempts, it could indicate a more serious issue, such as a faulty battery or alternator.
Step 5: Disconnect the Cables
Once the dead car is running, it’s time to disconnect the jumper cables, but you’ll want to do this in the reverse order of how you connected them:
- Remove the black cable from the grounded metal surface.
- Remove the black cable from the negative terminal of the good battery.
- Remove the red cable from the positive terminal of the good battery.
- Lastly, remove the red cable from the positive terminal of the dead battery.
Be sure to avoid letting the clamps touch each other or any metal surfaces during removal to prevent short circuits.
Step 6: Keep the Car Running
After successfully jumpstarting your car, allow it to run for at least 15 to 30 minutes to ensure the battery gets a sufficient charge. Driving around is even better, as it helps the alternator recharge the battery more efficiently. If the car fails to hold a charge after this, the battery might need to be replaced.
Tips to Prevent Future Dead Batteries
No one wants to deal with a dead battery more than once. Here are a few tips to help prevent it:
Turn off all lights and electronics when exiting your vehicle.
Check the battery terminals for corrosion regularly and clean them if needed.
Replace an old battery before it completely fails. Most car batteries last about 3 to 5 years.
Is your car’s battery acting up? Get it checked out before it dies for good. Book your battery inspection and replacement with 5 Star Auto Service today and avoid unexpected breakdowns.