You slide into the driver’s seat after a long day at work. All you want to do is go home. You press the start button and the engine refuses to start. You notice that the lights on the dashboard do not light up. You’ve got a dead battery. Boulevard Auto Repair is going to list the steps to jump-start the battery below. Once you get the engine started, come to our shop so we can test the battery.
Park the Cars
Find a friendly coworker or stranger who will be willing to allow you to use their car battery to jump-start your car battery. Once you have located the good Samaritan, ask him or her to park their vehicle with the engine facing your engine. Leave about 18 inches worth of space between the vehicles so you have a working space. Set the parking brakes in both vehicles so they don’t move.
Pop the Hoods
Next, open the hoods and secure them. Make sure there is no danger of a hood dropping onto your head. Locate the car batteries and remove any battery covers. Some batteries are covered with a plastic cover in engines. Others are not. Inspect the battery terminals on the battery that is dead. If they are corroded, you will need to clean them before you can jump-start the battery.
Connect the Cables
If the terminals are okay, grab the jumper cables. Attach the cables in this specific order. One positive clamp to the positive terminal on the jumper battery. One positive clamp to the positive terminal on the dead battery. One negative clamp to the negative terminal on the jumper battery. One negative clamp to the negative terminal on the dead battery. Do not change this order.
Fire Up the Engines
You are now ready to jump-start the dead battery. First, ask your good Samaritan to turn on the engine in his or her car. Once the engine is running, you can ignite the engine in your automobile. If all is well, the battery should get jumped and the engine should start.
Disconnect the Cables
Leave the engine running and disconnect the battery cables. You’re going to do this in the opposite way you put them on. Remove the negative clamp from the negative terminal on the jumped battery. Remove the negative clamp from the negative terminal on the jumper battery. Remove the positive clamp from the positive terminal on the jumped battery. Remove the positive clamp from the positive terminal on the jumper battery.
Finally, stop by Boulevard Auto Repair in Sherman Oaks, CA, so we can test your battery to see if it will build up a charge and hold it or if it needs to be replaced.
