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Follow
these straightforward instructions and you'll
able to deal with the challenge of jump starting
a car quickly and safely.
How To Jump Start A Car
What you will need:
- A car with the same voltage battery as your
own, fully charged
- A set of jumper cables
- A wire brush (Optional)
- Safety glasses
- Rubber gloves (Optional)
Car batteries can lose their charge for more
than a few reasons. Leaving the lights on has
to be the number one reason. A dead battery is
such an unexpected thing that most of us are caught
unprepared. It's times like these when many of
us rely on the kindness of strangers to jump-start
our cars, but sometimes you need to be the kindly
stranger or at least the one who knows which cable
goes where.
Before you start:
When you're stranded in the mall parking lot
or on the side of the road asking passing motorists
if they'll give you a jump start for your car,
you'll find that there are two kinds of motorists:
those who have jumper cables and those who don't.
If you get your own set of jumper cables, and
keep them in the car, you'll increase your chances
of getting a jump-start by about a billion percent.
What you need to get is a good set of heavy gauge
(4 to 8 gauge) copper jumper cables that are at
least 10 feet long. They will pay for themselves
the first time that you're stuck with a dead battery.
Check the battery first:
- Batteries have an electrolyte solution inside
them that contains sulfuric acid. If that solution
is frozen, don't try to jump it. If your battery
has removable vent caps, you can look inside
to see if the liquid is frozen (replace the
caps after looking). It's not easy to tell otherwise.
DO NOT TRY TO JUMP-START A FROZEN BATTERY!! THE
BATTERY COULD EXPLODE!!
- If there are cracks in the battery casing,
don't try to jump-start it; it's shot. Get a
ride and buy a new one.
- If there is white or green or blue "snow"
around the battery terminals, clean it off with
a wire brush. Wear gloves, if you can, because
that stuff can be nasty if it touches your skin.
When this "snow" forms, it's an indication
that you may need a new battery.
- Make sure that the batteries in both cars
are the same voltage. Unless you're getting
a jump from a 1972 VW Beetle, this shouldn't
be a problem. There are not too many cars running
on six-volt batteries any more. The cars should
not be touching, and both ignitions should be
off.
- Each battery has two terminals, one is marked
positive (+); the other is negative (-). The
positive terminal usually has a cover over it
and a bunch of other wires attached to it. The
negative cable is usually just an uncovered,
plain black cable.
Attach the cables in the following order:
1. Attach one end of one cable to the dead battery's
positive terminal.
2. Attach the other end of the same cable to
the positive terminal of the battery in the starting
vehicle.
3. Attach one end of the other cable to the negative
terminal of the battery in the starting vehicle.
4. Attach the other end of that cable to the
engine block of the car with the dead battery.
Look for unpainted metal surfaces and be sure
it will clear anything moving when the car starts.
Do not attach the negative cable to the dead battery
itself.
- Stand back from the hood areas of the cars.
Do not smoke while you're doing this. Safety
goggles are always a good idea.
- Start the car that's providing the jump start.
- Wait about five minutes, and then try to
start the car with the dead battery. If it does
not start, stop trying and wait a few minutes
longer. Try again for no more than thirty seconds.
If the car still doesn't start, chances are
that it's not going to. Time to call a tow truck.
- Remove the cable connections in the reverse
order that you put them on. That means that
the first disconnection is from the block, and
the last is from the positive terminal of the
car that has just been started.
Now after all is said and done, there is a matter
of etiquette. Personally, I thank the hell out
of the person who was kind enough to stop and
help me out. I will also offer them $5.00 or $10.00
for helping me. Generally the person giving the
jump will refuse the money. Being a Good Samaritan
is often thanks enough for them. This is entirely
up to you and your conscience.
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