How to Jump Start a Car

Sawyer Chevrolet, Inc. is your source for high-quality used cars in the Catskill area, but that’s not all. We aim to provide you with answers to all your questions on service, repairs and more. Our service center is here to meet all your needs, and if you drive, that will inevitably include service-related questions at some point or another! Keeping that in mind, if you need to know how to jump start car battery, read on or contact us, because we can help you learn all the details you need to know, and eliminate your anxiety while saving you from spending money unnecessarily on a jump start car service.

How to Jump-Start a Car: Step by Step

While calling a jump start car service if your car won’t jump start is an option, it’s always a good idea to try to jump start a car battery yourself, as it’s not a difficult process. You may also need a person and another vehicle for this and a set of jumper cables. With all the proper materials, here’s how to jump start a car:

1. Face the two vehicles with the batteries towards each other’s hoods. Most vehicles have batteries in the engines, meaning they’ll usually face hood-hood. Some foreign cars, though, have the battery in the trunk. After you’ve parked the vehicles, turn them off and set the parking brakes.
2. Gain access to the batteries. Note: you may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
3. Find the positive and negative battery terminals. Make sure they are clean and free of any corrosion or dirt.
4. Take stock of your cables and separate the red ends from the black ends. You don’t want them to touch, ever, as they could spark. Next, connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
5. Uncoiling the battery cable, hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
6. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery.
7. Connect the last black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame.
8. Once everything is hooked up securely, start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery. You may try to start the engine right away, but it’s probably a good idea to let the car with the good battery run for a bit, then try starting the engine of the other vehicle.
9. Once the dead vehicle has been successfully jump-started, carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed on, and keep the other vehicle running.
10. Be sure to keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. Consult your owner’s manual for more info on recommended times. It’s also recommended that you get your battery tested and/or replaced ASAP.

Jump Start Car Battery: Additional Car Battery Tips & Tricks

If your car won’t jump start, and you are trying to figure out what’s wrong with your car, there are a few potential issues that may be presenting themselves:

1. If you try to start the car but only hear a clicking sound, the starter might not be functioning.
2. If the electrical systems in the car turn on, but the engine does not, then the issue could be a number of things including the ignition switch, starter, or even something as simple as a fuse. It’s a good idea to bring your vehicle to a qualified service center for further diagnostics and investigation.
3. Don’t forget to keep your vehicle running for a while after it’s received a jump. That allows the battery to recharge some after it’s been completely drained. Note that some batteries still can hold a charge for some time after being jumped; usually this is the case after a vehicle with a good/newer battery has been sitting idle. A remedy to prevent this is using a battery trickle charger. Sometimes, though, an old and worn out battery that requires replacing is the reason for a car needing a jump.

Learn More About Jump Start Car Service & More with Sawyer Chevrolet, Inc.

Are you interested in moreservice and maintenance tips? Our team is happy to help! Or if you are looking to upgrade your vehicle to a new option, the team at Sawyer Chevrolet, Inc. has plenty of options and great financing choices. Contact our service team online or call us at (518) 303-2798 to learn more about our battery services.