Do you know how to jump-start a car? We all hope we’ll never have to deal with a dead car battery in a parking lot around Van Buren, but mistakes happen. You could accidentally leave your interior lights on all day, or simply not realize that your car’s battery is getting too old. No matter the situation, knowing the steps to jump-start a car battery can be a huge help for yourself or a friend someday. In this guide, the service pros at Spitzer Buick GMC explain how to properly jump-start a car! Read ahead to ensure you’re prepared to perform a jump-start car service.
The Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car
While you can call a jump-start car service if none of the tips below work, it’s always a good idea to try to jump-start a car battery yourself, as it’s not a difficult process. You will, however, need another person and another vehicle for this, as well as a set of jumper cables. Once you have access to all of that, here is what to do. Note — if you don’t feel comfortable recruiting a stranger to help you and you’re in a new area of Arcadia alone, you may wish to just call a jump-start car service. Otherwise, it’s easy to learn how to jump-start a car.
How to Properly Jump-Start a Car
- Face the two vehicles with the batteries facing each other. Most vehicles have batteries in the engines, meaning they’ll usually face hood-hood. Some foreign cars, though, have the battery in the trunk. After you’ve parked the vehicles, turn them off and set the parking brakes.
- Gain access to the batteries. Note: you may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
- Find the positive and negative battery terminals. Make sure they are clean and free of any corrosion or dirt.
- Take stock of your cables and separate the red ends from the black ends. You don’t want them to touch, ever, as they could spark. Next, connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
- Uncoiling the battery cable, hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
- Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery.
- Connect the last black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface of your car’s frame.
- Once everything is hooked up securely, start the engine of the vehicle with a good battery. You may try to start the engine right away, but it’s probably a good idea to let the car with the good battery run for a bit, then try starting the engine of the other vehicle.
- Once the dead vehicle has been successfully jump-started, carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed on, and keep the other vehicle running.
- Be sure to keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. Consult your owner’s manual for more info on recommended times. It’s also recommended that you get your battery tested and/or replaced ASAP.
My Car Won’t Jump-Start: Additional Car Battery Tips & Tricks
If you follow the steps for how to properly jump-start a car, but you find that the car won’t jump-start, we’ve got some tips to help troubleshoot. There are plenty of reasons aside from a dead car battery why your vehicle may not be starting. Here are just a few worth noting:
- If you try to start the car but only hear a clicking sound, the starter might not be functioning.
- If the electrical systems of the car turn on, but the engine does not, then the issue could be several things including the ignition switch, starter, or even something as simple as a fuse. It’s worth bringing your vehicle to a qualified service center for further diagnostics and investigation.
- Don’t forget to keep your vehicle running for a while after you jump-start the car battery. That allows the battery to recharge some after it’s been completely drained. Note that some batteries still can hold a charge for some time after being jumped; usually, this is the case after a vehicle with a good/newer battery has been sitting idle. A remedy to prevent this is using a battery trickle charger. Sometimes, though, an old and worn-out battery that requires replacing is the reason for a car needing a jump.
Learn More About Car Care at Spitzer Buick GMC!
If you don’t have a good handle on the proper way to jump-start a car, or if your car won’t jump-start at all, turn to Spitzer Buick GMC for help. Schedule service to get started, and learn more about battery service at our McComb-area dealership. Looking for more car care tips? Read our service guides to learn more at your leisure!
