What is the correct method for jump-starting a car battery?
2 Answers
The correct method for jump-starting a car battery is as follows: 1. First, prepare two jumper cables; 2. Find a vehicle that can operate normally and position the front ends of both vehicles facing each other; 3. Connect the jumper cables to the batteries, ensuring positive to positive and negative to negative; 4. Start the functioning vehicle first, then start the vehicle being jump-started, and disconnect the cables promptly after starting. Additional information about jump-starting a car battery: 1. If the first attempt to jump-start fails, wait 15 seconds before trying again. 2. If the vehicle fails to start due to reasons other than the battery, continuing the jump-start process may damage the battery. In severe cases, the battery could be completely ruined. It is important to check for other issues, such as a faulty starter motor or fuel system problems.
Recently, my car battery died, so I called a buddy to help jump-start it. Here's how we did it: First, we made sure both cars were parked, engines off, and handbrakes engaged—no movement allowed. I pulled out my set of jumper cables, red and black. First, I connected the red clamp to the positive terminal (the red one) of the dead battery, making sure it was tight and secure. The other red clamp went to the positive terminal of my friend’s car battery. Then, the black clamp was attached to the negative terminal of my friend’s battery, while the other black clamp wasn’t directly connected to my battery’s negative terminal—instead, I found a clean, unpainted metal frame near the engine to clamp it, avoiding sparks and ensuring safety. After that, my friend started his engine and let it run for a few minutes while I waited before attempting to start my car. Once it worked, I removed the black clamps first, then the red ones, step by step. After the jump-start, I drove straight to a repair shop to check my battery’s lifespan to avoid future issues. We made sure to do this on a dry day—never in the rain—and my buddy and I handled it easily in the garage, stress-free.
