How to jump-start a car with a dead battery?
2 Answers
To jump-start a car with a dead battery, follow these steps: 1. First, prepare a set of jumper cables. Then, open the hoods of both vehicles to locate the battery terminals. 2. The positive terminal is marked with a plus sign (+), and the negative terminal is marked with a minus sign (-). Connect the positive terminals of both batteries with the jumper cable, and then connect the negative terminals in the same manner. Once the connections are secure, you can attempt to start the vehicle. The typical lifespan of a car battery is 3 to 5 years, depending on usage. Frequent use of air conditioning, music, videos, or forgetting to turn off headlights without the engine running can drain the battery quickly. If your car battery dies, you can also call your insurance company or a 4S dealership, as many offer free jump-start services or towing.
That day I was driving home when my car stalled. Experience told me how to jump-start it. First, ensure both cars are parked stably with engines turned off to avoid danger. Find a kind soul to lend their car and jumper cables. When connecting, first attach the red clip to the positive terminal (marked ‘+’) of the dead battery, then the other end to the positive terminal of the assisting car; attach the black clip first to the negative terminal (‘-’ end) of the assisting car, then the other end to a clean metal frame like an engine bolt on the dead car—never directly to the negative terminal to avoid sparking or explosion. After that, start the assisting car and let it run for a minute or two to accumulate charge, then try starting my car. Once successful, disconnect in reverse order: first the black clips, then the red ones. The whole process is simple but safety comes first. I remind everyone to regularly check battery fluid levels and voltage to avoid aging issues, especially in winter when batteries are more prone to draining. Once, I left the lights on and learned this lesson the hard way.
