Following these steps, let’s jump-start that car.
You’re going to want to get the two vehicles close, battery to battery — most likely, front to front but be prepared for the one-off with the battery in the rear — but never touching.
Put each car in park or neutral, making sure the engines in both vehicles are shut off and the parking brakes are set.
Open the hood or trunk and locate the battery in each car. Make sure you can identify the positive and negative terminals on each battery. Usually, red indicates positive and black is negative, but you can also look for “+” or “POS” and “-“ or “NEG” to be certain. And you want to be certain. Another helpful clue is that frequently the positive post is a larger diameter than the negative post.
Attach the cables. You’ve got a red, positive cable and a black, negative cable. First attach the red, positive clamp to the positive terminal in the car with the good battery. Then attach the other red clamp to the positive terminal on the dead battery.
Next, attach the black negative cable to the negative terminal on the good battery. Lastly, attach the remaining black clamp, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, not to the negative terminal on the dead battery, but to an unpainted metal part in the engine compartment away from the battery, such as a nut on the engine block. (Note: you’re always instructed not to attach that last clamp to the negative terminal, but rarely do you see an explanation for why it isn’t done. Technically it would work, but there’s a slight risk of a very bad outcome. Batteries can off-gas highly volatile hydrogen, and when you make that last contact there is likely to be a small arc, which could spark an explosion. Considering a car battery is full of sulfuric acid, and considering that your face is likely to be right above the battery when that happens, you can see why you might not want to take that risk, no matter how small it may be. So yeah, away from the battery is good).
Start the vehicle with the working battery. Let it run for a couple minutes. Next, start the car with the dead battery and keep it running.
Remove the jumper cables, reversing the order in which you connected them (negatives followed by positives). Thank that stranger profusely. Proper etiquette doesn’t require an offer of any payment; they’ll be in the same spot someday. But do pay it forward — we’re all in this together.
Drive your car for a good 15 minutes before shutting it down in order to allow the battery to get a good charge.
Congratulations! You’re good to go. And you’ll probably remember to turn those lights off, at least for a while. What if you’re in the middle of nowhere, without the benefit of a kind stranger or random passerby upon whom you can rely? Well, there is another, more expensive option to simple jumper cables. A number of companies make battery amp starters that can take the place of another vehicle, providing the juice necessary to jump your dead battery. Some can be used to power not only your dead battery, but a range of peripherals.
We like the CAT 2000 Amp Jump Starter because it has enough stored energy to jump start a tractor trailer, so your whip will present little challenge. It also comes with an emergency light, because what if your battery dies at night?
You’re going to want to get the two vehicles close, battery to battery — most likely, front to front but be prepared for the one-off with the battery in the rear — but never touching.
Put each car in park or neutral, making sure the engines in both vehicles are shut off and the parking brakes are set.
Open the hood or trunk and locate the battery in each car. Make sure you can identify the positive and negative terminals on each battery. Usually, red indicates positive and black is negative, but you can also look for “+” or “POS” and “-“ or “NEG” to be certain. And you want to be certain. Another helpful clue is that frequently the positive post is a larger diameter than the negative post.
Attach the cables. You’ve got a red, positive cable and a black, negative cable. First attach the red, positive clamp to the positive terminal in the car with the good battery. Then attach the other red clamp to the positive terminal on the dead battery.
Next, attach the black negative cable to the negative terminal on the good battery. Lastly, attach the remaining black clamp, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, not to the negative terminal on the dead battery, but to an unpainted metal part in the engine compartment away from the battery, such as a nut on the engine block. (Note: you’re always instructed not to attach that last clamp to the negative terminal, but rarely do you see an explanation for why it isn’t done. Technically it would work, but there’s a slight risk of a very bad outcome. Batteries can off-gas highly volatile hydrogen, and when you make that last contact there is likely to be a small arc, which could spark an explosion. Considering a car battery is full of sulfuric acid, and considering that your face is likely to be right above the battery when that happens, you can see why you might not want to take that risk, no matter how small it may be. So yeah, away from the battery is good).
Start the vehicle with the working battery. Let it run for a couple minutes. Next, start the car with the dead battery and keep it running.
Remove the jumper cables, reversing the order in which you connected them (negatives followed by positives). Thank that stranger profusely. Proper etiquette doesn’t require an offer of any payment; they’ll be in the same spot someday. But do pay it forward — we’re all in this together.
Drive your car for a good 15 minutes before shutting it down in order to allow the battery to get a good charge.
Congratulations! You’re good to go. And you’ll probably remember to turn those lights off, at least for a while. What if you’re in the middle of nowhere, without the benefit of a kind stranger or random passerby upon whom you can rely? Well, there is another, more expensive option to simple jumper cables. A number of companies make battery amp starters that can take the place of another vehicle, providing the juice necessary to jump your dead battery. Some can be used to power not only your dead battery, but a range of peripherals.
We like the CAT 2000 Amp Jump Starter because it has enough stored energy to jump start a tractor trailer, so your whip will present little challenge. It also comes with an emergency light, because what if your battery dies at night?
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