How To Jump A Car Battery
We’ve all had that dreaded moment; you go to turn on your engine, eager to start your journey, and nothing happens. You go to check your fuel and the tank is full, so you wonder why your car won’t start. Suddenly you realize that your car’s battery may be flat. This is an annoying yet avoidable situation, with the right preparation, you can have your car back on the road in no time.
If you’ve had this happen before then hopefully you are already set with a reliable pair of jumper cables which can jump your car battery, the final part of the puzzle is to learn precisely how to do this. In this article, we’ll answer that exact question and find out how to jump a car battery.
Steps To Follow
Attach the Cables
Presuming a fellow motorist has offered their vehicle as help to jump your battery; the first step is to place both vehicles next to each other and place both cars in ‘Park’ or ‘Neutral.’ You’ll then want to locate the batteries and battery terminals under the hood of each vehicle and attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of the battery in both vehicles. (The terminal will be marked with a ‘’POS’’ or a ‘’+’’ on it, or is bigger than the negative terminal.)
Then attach one of the black clips to the negative terminal on the working battery and then place the other black clip to a shiny, clean nut on the engine block of the vehicle with the dead battery. Be careful not to place this other clip to the dead battery as this could cause an explosion.
Start The Vehicle
With the cables and clips in place, you can now safely start the working vehicles engine. Leave the engine to run for 5 minutes with the jumper cable connected and then attempt to start the non-working vehicle. The non-working vehicle should now start. If it doesn’t then allow the working vehicle to charge the battery for a further couple of minutes.
Remove The Cables
Once the non-working vehicle’s engine has started, then the car is now working, and you can safely remove the cables from both engines. You’ll want to remove the black negative clips before moving onto remove the positive red clips.
Take The Vehicle For A Short Drive
Now that the engine is running be sure not to switch it off right away. To assist in the charging of the battery, you can take the vehicle for a short 15-minute drive to help warm up the engine, and your car should be all set to go!
What Shall I Do If The Car Battery Won’t Charge?
If the battery still doesn’t charge, then it may be time for your car battery to be replaced. Jiffy Lube is on hand to assist with any car battery replacement needs. Our experts can quickly determine if the battery needs replacing or if there are any other issues at hand. Drop into your local Jiffy Lube today and get your vehicle back on the road where it belongs!