As you are learning to drive, there are a number of things you need to learn. Not just how to turn the wheel and use the gas, but also how to change a tire and jumpstart a vehicle. Having that knowledge will make the process a lot less stressful when you actually need to use it, so Certified Auto Repair has some tips to help out.
Get To Know Your Jumper Cables
If you’ve never used jumper cables before, they can be intimidating at first. There are two sets of clamps, a red and black one, on each end of the cables. It’s a good habit to make sure you never touch the clamps against each other, but it’s only dangerous when one end is connected to a live battery. Make sure the cables aren’t knotted and stretch them out so you can see how close the cars need to be to each other.
Get Your Cars Close Together
Jumper cables are only just so long, so you’ll need to strategically pull the working vehicle up next to the dead one. You’ll need to connect the two engines with the cables so get the vehicles as close together as possible. Shut off the working vehicle and open the hoods of both cars.
Connect The Jumper Cables
After making sure both vehicles are off, you’ll need to connect the jumper cables. Connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery first. Then attach the red clamp on the other side to the positive post on the good battery. Next, take the black clamp on that same car’s end of the cable and attach it securely to the negative post on the good battery. The last black clamp needs to attach to the negative post on the bad battery.
Jumping The Vehicle
After the cables are connected, start up the working vehicle and let it run for at least one minute. If the battery just needed a little help, the dead vehicle should start up with little issue. If you leave the batteries connected for longer than five minutes with the working car running, then the battery may be completely dead or you may have a deeper problem with the vehicle.
Having to jump off a car can be scary, but with these tips from Certified Auto Repair in Henrico, VA, you should be just fine to make it happen. If you need help with a dead car, we are also always here to help!
