In the hustle and bustle of your typical day, the last thing you need is a car that won’t start. The good news is that with a little knowledge and some basic equipment, you can jump-start your car in no time.
Where’s the battery?
In most cars, the battery sits in the engine compartment under the hood. However, it may also be located in the trunk or under the rear seat. If you can’t find the battery, check your owner’s manual. Can’t find your owner’s manual? Not to worry. Even when a car battery is hidden in a hard-to-find spot, it’s often wired to the engine compartment to support jump-starting conveniently from under the hood.
A Word on Safety
While it’s extremely rare, batteries can rupture and leak acid, and connecting jumper cables incorrectly can create sparks. For this reason, eye and hand protection is recommended. In the case of a battery that’s been dead for a long time, it’s best to seek professional assistance due to the added risk of complications.
Gather the Right Equipment
If your car has electrical power, but it will not start, you’ll hear a click when you turn the key and some lights may still turn on. The battery is still contributing some power, but not enough to start the engine. In this instance, thin jumper cables and a small battery jump-pack or battery booster should be sufficient.
If your battery is completely dead with no evidence of electrical charge, your power door locks, windows, and interior lights won’t be operational. In this case, you will need to supply all the power from another power source, which means you will need thick jumper cables that can carry more current (3/8 inches in diameter or more) or a large battery jump-pack.
6 Steps to Connecting the Cables
Connecting your car to a power source (whether it's a batter pack or another car) is not difficult. But for your safety, it is important to connect the cables in the following order:
1. To jump-start a dead battery from another vehicle, first make sure the car providing the jump is turned off, and then begin connecting the jumper cables to the car receiving the jump. Identify the positive terminal or connection point under the hood (usually noted by a red cover and a “+” symbol). The surest way to know you have found the positive terminal is to look for the “+” embossed on the actual battery. Clip one of the positive red clamps to the positive terminal.
2. Next, connect the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the car providing the jump, followed by the negative black clamp to the negative terminal of the car providing the jump.
3. Finally, to ensure a grounded connection and avoid damaging the battery, attach the final negative clamp (located next to the positive clamp) to a sizable metallic component of the engine—NOT the negative terminal of the battery. Don't clamp to thin sheet metal, painted surfaces, or fluid-bearing tubes. Also be careful to avoid areas around the belts of the engine and the cooling fans.
4. Start the engine of the car providing the jump and, after letting it run for a few minutes, attempt to start the car with the dead battery. The car may crank slowly, but the goal is to get the engine to start. If the engine does not start, turn off both cars, check all your connections, adjusting the clamps as needed to ensure full contact, and restart the engine of the car providing the jump, followed by the car with the dead battery.
5. If the car still does not start, leave the cables connected and let the running vehicle “charge” the dead battery for 10 to 15 minutes before trying to start the dead car again.
6. Once the car with the dead battery is running, carefully disconnect each connection, starting with the grounded negative clamp on the car that provided the jump first. From there, disconnect the negative clamp from the car that received the jump, followed by the positive cables in whichever sequence is most convenient. Be careful to keep the jump leads and clamps away from rotating components of the now running engine. Also, it’s a good idea to keep the newly re-charged battery in use for 30 minutes before turning off the engine in order to ensure the charge holds. If the battery is nearing the end of its life (usually around 6 years), it may need to be replaced by a mechanic.
The Bottom Line
With a little preparation, you can jump-start your car in less time than it took to read this article. The key is being ready. That’s why we recommend keeping a set of thick, high-quality jumper cables capable of starting a fully dead battery in your vehicle at all times.
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