You may have some problems with your car battery at some point. When you are going to start up your car, you may find out that your battery is dead. In this situation, you can use either a portable jump battery or another vehicle. This procedure is very useful for people of all ages so that you can take care of yourself out on the road. Once you do all procedures properly, you will be able to start your car right away.
What You Need to Prepare
Before you can recharge your car battery, you have to prepare all items and accessories that you need. Jumper cables and power sources are the only things that you need to have in hand. The power source could be a portable jump battery or the battery from another vehicle.
Jumper cables are usually thick and long insulated cables that come with toothy clips. These clips are commonly known as the alligator clips. They have two different colors, black and red. Both colors indicate positive or negative polarity. The black clip has a negative polarity, while the red clip has a positive polarity. Jumper cables will connect your dead battery with the power source.
Tips on How You Jump Start a Car
a. Always check the donor battery as the power source
It is very important for you to check the donor battery before you jump start your car battery. You should match the voltage system of your dead battery with the donor battery. For example, a 12-volt battery and a 6-volt battery should never be used together, otherwise, they will cause serious damages to both batteries. Make sure that the donor battery still has enough power to be shared with the dead battery.
b. Put your car in a neutral position
After you are ready with the procedure, you can put your car in park or in a neutral position. Don’t forget to turn off the car and put your car on the parking brake position. It will ensure that your car is not moving around during the process. Open your car hood for getting access to your car battery. Check the surrounding for ensuring that your car doesn’t disturb other people during the procedure is done. It will take a few minutes for the procedure to be done completely.
c. Attach the alligator clips correctly
You have to learn how you can attach the alligator clips correctly. There are 4 clips that are available on your jumper cables. They are 2 red clips and 2 black clips. The red clips are connected to the positive terminal on the dead battery and the donor battery. One black clip is connected to the negative terminal from the donor battery. Another black clip is connected to any unpainted metal part of your dead car. The metal struts holding the hood open can be a good place to clip the second black clip.
d. Start the donor car
After all of these clips are connected, you can start the donor car. This procedure will ensure that the battery can supply enough power to the dead battery. During this process, you can idle the donor car. What you need to do is just waiting for the process to be done completely. You can know if the process is done by checking the interior light. If your interior light is turned on, there is enough power from your car battery. Then, you can try to start your car. If your dead battery has enough power, you will be able to start your car smoothly.
After your car is jump-started, you can unclip the clips with the reverse order. First, you are going to remove the black clip on the metal, then the black clip on the negative side of the donor battery, followed by the red clip from the donor battery, and the red clip from your car’s battery. It is recommended for you to run the car for at least 10 – 20 minutes without stopping. It will ensure that your battery can get back to its normal performance. If you have difficulties in jumping start your dead battery, you can contact professional mechanics for helping you with the whole process.
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