Tips For Jump Starting Your Vehicle
Being stuck with a dead vehicle battery can be quite stressful. You may not know what to do to get your car up and running and need to have it owed to a local auto shop. Thankfully, jump starting a car is not that difficult if you have the right tools and know the steps to take.
Using Another Vehicle
The easiest way to jump start your vehicle will be to use another car that has a working battery. All that you need to do this on your own is a set of jumper cables and the knowledge of how to use them.
Start by having the other vehicle pull up to yours so that the hoods are facing each other. This is the best way to ensure that the jumper cables are long enough to reach each vehicle's battery. You always want to start by using the positive cable, which will be red, and connecting it to the other vehicle's positive battery terminal. Then connect the negative cable, which will be black, from the other vehicle to yours. It is important that you follow this order when connecting the cables and hook them up to the correct battery terminals, or big sparks could come off the battery when connecting them.
Turn on the other vehicle and let it run for a couple of minutes. This will get some power flowing into your battery and essentially charge it. Then you should start the vehicle with the dead battery. Let your car run for a couple minutes so the engine can also start generating a charge for your battery.
Disconnect the cables from the batteries, starting with the red positive cables and then the black negative cables. Your car should be good to start driving immediately.
Using A Battery Jump Starter
You can also jump start a vehicle with a battery jump starting device. These devices must be fully charged in order to use, so if you do keep one in your vehicle, make sure to regularly take it inside to charge. After all, a dead battery jump start will not do you any good if it doesn't work. Consider charging it on the 1st of every month to ensure it is ready to go.
Leave your jump starter in the off position, then connect the red and black cables in that order. Some battery backup devices will beep if you connect them to the wrong terminal. Once the battery is connected, turn the jump starter on and start your vehicle like normal. Give it a few minutes to charge the battery before. To disconnect the battery jump starter, turn it off and then disconnect the cables in the same order to put them on the battery.
If your car still doesn't start after trying one of these methods, you may need a new battery or alternator. At that point, reach out to an auto repair shop for diagnostics and repairs.
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