What is the correct way to jump-start a car?
2 Answers
The correct way to jump-start a car is: 1. Turn off the vehicle, open the battery protective cover to expose the positive and negative terminals of the battery; 2. Identify and confirm the positive and negative terminals of the battery; 3. Take one jumper cable, connect one end to the positive terminal of the dead battery and the other end to the positive terminal of the live battery; 4. Take another jumper cable, connect it to the negative terminal of the live battery, and connect the other end to the engine block or body of the dead vehicle (do not connect negative to negative). Then start the live vehicle. Car jump-starting, also known as boosting or borrowing power, is a method of connecting another vehicle's battery or an external power source to a vehicle with a depleted starting battery to start the engine.
I'm familiar with this. The sequence is crucial. First, park the two cars facing each other, not too close to avoid a short circuit. Pop the hoods and identify the positive and negative terminals on the batteries—this is key. Attach the red clamp to the dead battery's positive terminal first, then to the booster car's positive terminal. The black clamp goes to the booster car's negative terminal, and the other end to an unpainted metal frame on the dead car—never directly to the negative terminal post to avoid sparks! Keep the booster car running and rev the engine slightly for 2-3 minutes before attempting to start the dead car. Once it starts, don’t rush to disconnect the cables. Turn the AC to max to drain some power, then shut off the engine and restart to test stability. Remove the cables in reverse order of connection to prevent accidents.
