Six Steps to Jump Starting a Vehicle Safely
If your vehicle’s battery suddenly dies, a quick fix is to jump start the battery using another vehicle and a set of jumper cables. This may require the help of another driver on the road, should the battery die during a commute, or you can call a friend or neighbor should it happen close to home.
Regardless, you will need a vehicle with a similar sized engine as well as the jumper cables to connect both batteries.
Also, before doing anything you should quickly inspect your engine and perform a few checks to ensure everything is safe to jump start, including:
- Damage to the battery, be it leakages or corrosion. Never jump start if this is the case, as it’s safer to call an auto repair specialist.
- Electronics and headlights are turned off, and the keys are out of the ignition.
- Removing any metal devices and objects away from the battery to ensure it doesn’t create dangerous sparks
- Ensure there are no naked flames
- Don’t be smoking
Step One
Be sure that both vehicles are in neutral (or park) with the ignition turned off while being parked within close proximity with each other. Pop the trunk on each vehicle and check that the jumper cables can reach both engines.
Step Two
Grab the red cable (positive) and attach one end to the positive terminal on your vehicle’s car battery followed before attaching it to the same terminal on the working battery. These are easily recognized by the POS or + situated on the battery. It should also be noticeably larger than the negative terminal.
Step Three
Grab the black cable (negative) and attach it to the negative terminal on the working battery.
Step Four
Using the same black cable, attach the other end to some sort of metal material on your vehicle that isn’t close to the battery. This can be a bolt, bracket, struck or possibly a jump start pole, although these poles will not be present in every vehicle.
The main point at this stage is to make sure the black cable is only connected to the negative terminal on the working battery, making sure to connect the other end to metal fixture away from the dead battery.
Step Five
Turn on the engine for the working vehicle, letting it run for a moment on its own.
Step Six
Now attempt to start your own vehicle. If everything goes according to plan then your engine should come to life. If not, be sure to double check all the connections for the cables, and maybe allow the working engine to run for 5-10 minutes before starting again.
If it still doesn’t work, the chances are you need a new battery, meaning there will be no quick fix!
Remember!
Don’t turn off your engine if you get it working again, as you will want to keep it running to help charge the battery – aim to drive for at least 15 minutes before turning off the engine.
If the next time you try to start the engine and nothing happens, you will more than likely require a replacement battery as it can no longer hold a charge.
We at Jan’s Towing strongly promote and encourage safe driving. We also know that sometimes things go wrong and you may need roadside assistance in the future. When you need help with your vehicle while on the road, Jan’s Towing offers fast & reliable towing and roadside assistance – everywhere in the San Gabriel Valley, such as Azusa, Glendora, Covina, West Covina, Arcadia, Irwindale, City of Industry, Rowland Heights, and beyond. In Inland Empire, we service the cities of Fontana, Rialto, Bloomington, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and surrounding cities. We will respond immediately on a 24/7 basis, so give us a call right now at (626) 914-1841 if you are in need of towing or any roadside assistance!
