It happens to everyone at some point in time. Your car won’t start. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t driven it in a while or if you just drove it to the grocery store. It could be because you left your lights on, or it could be for no reason other than your battery or alternator is starting to fail. The results are the same; the car won’t turn over and start and you are stranded until you can find someone with jumper cables and who know how to jump start your car. Or maybe you are one of the very few who are prepared for emergencies, carry jumper cables in your car and know how to use them properly.
Well, first off, every car needs to have an emergency kit which includes items like a flashlight (with recently checked batteries), blanket, tools and a tire jack, water, warning reflectors or flares, a throw away camera (under $10 at Walmart and very handy if you are ever in an accident) and, of course, jumper cables. Its amazing how many people on the road today either don’t have these items or don’t have a clue of if they do or how they work. According to the Institute for Highway Safety up to 80% of people do not have the proper safety equipment and training preparation for a typical breakdown.
In this article we are going to deal mainly with the jumper cables as the other items are quite obvious in their use and if you don’t know how to change a tire we have an excellent how to article on that. Regardless of if you are stranded at a shopping mall or on the side of the road, you will need to find another car to jump off of (either by asking around for help at the shopping mall, calling someone with your cell phone or flagging down help on the highway). If you are alone and especially for women, it is advised that you call for help and it is especially a good idea to have some kind of towing coverage like Triple A (AAA) as they will come out and jump your car for you for free just about anywhere – I even saw a AAA driver stop at a Target and put on a bullet proof vest before proceeding to a call from a very bad neighborhood – now that’s service!
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Now, back to jumpstarting your car, truck or SUV properly. First check the jumpstart or booster cables. Make sure there are no frays or bare wires. Then check the dead battery for cracks, leaks and loose connections (it could be as simple as a loose or dirty connection that just needs tightening, reattachment or cleaning). Once you’ve checked that then, if available place a damp cloth over the battery vent covers (only applicable for vented batteries some units are permanently sealed and don’t need this step) to keep down the chances of released gasses igniting from sparks.
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Make sure the booster car is running and in neutral or park. Next, connect the positive cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery. Then connect the other positive connection to the positive terminal of the booster battery. Then connect the negative cable to the booster (not the dead one) battery terminal (obviously it will be the only one that will reach). Now it is important to note that for the final step you connect the other end of the negative cable to the engine block, frame, or similar metal parts located at least a foot away from the actual battery. This will help to lower the chances of sparking and igniting the explosive gasses that most batteries create during regular use and under jumpstart conditions. Make sure you do not look directly at the battery or stand too close as they can explode and jumpstarting can be dangerous. Do not smoke when jumpstarting a car. Proper eye wear should be worn and be careful not to get acid from the battery on your clothes, skin and eyes. The car should now be started. If it doesn’t start you can try again. Once the car is started you can remove the cables in the reverse order as listed above by starting with the negative cable connected to the engine block.
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