How to Jump Start a Car with a Dead Battery Using Another Vehicle in Denton, TX

Here at Speedway Towing & Roadside Assistance we get tons of calls from people that need roadside assistance because their battery is dead. Some people do not have jumper cables to do this on their own. Other people have jumper cables but no one will stop to help them. Some people are just scared that they will do it wrong and cause more damage to their car. Today we want to talk about how to properly jump the battery in your car so that you can safely get back on the road.

Equipment Needed to Jump Start a Car

To safely jumpstart a car you will need a pair of high quality jumper cables. You will want to periodically check the jumper cables in your car to make sure that they are clean and rust free. Dirty or rusty jumper cables will not work as effectively and may cause damage. We recommend that you also have some work gloves and safety goggles just in case. Those items are optional though. Sometimes the area around the lugs will need to be cleaned. If you keep a wire brush in your car it will help you clean the lugs on the batteries if needed. The most important thing that you need though is another car that has a fully charged battery. Even if you have all of the correct tools to jump a car if you do not have another car to help you it will be in vain.

How to Jumpstart a Car with Another Vehicle

You will want to read your vehicle’s owner’s manual before getting started. Some cars have different things that are important to know before you attempt to jump your car. You will want to park the two cars close enough for the cables to reach from one car to the other car. Do not have the cars touching though. Next you will want to turn off the engine in the car with the good battery. In the car with the dead battery you will want to turn off the headlight, indoor car lights, radios, and turn signals in the car. You will also want to unplug any accessories. If you have gloves and safety goggles put them on now. Then you will want to locate the battery in both vehicles. Each vehicle is a little different. Your battery compartment might be in a hard to reach place and your car will have lugs instead. Then connect one end of the red (positive) jumper cable to the red positive post of the dead car battery. Connect the other end of the red jumper cable to the positive post of the fully charged battery. Connect one end of the black (negative) jumper cable to the black negative post of the fully charged car battery. The next step is one that people frequently miss. You will want to ground the circuit to help it from sparking when you connect it to the dead battery. Take the other end of the black jumper cable to a metal part of the dead car that is unpainted. Many people attach the black jumper cable to the engine. This is not safe. Next you will want to start the car with the fully charged battery. Let it idle for five to ten minutes so that the dead battery really charges up. Most people do not let this process happen for long enough. Now turn the engine off and remove the jumper cables in the reverse order of how you put them on. Attempt to start the car with the dead battery. Many people will try and start the car with the dead battery while it is still attached to the jumper cables and the other car is still running. This is a dangerous way to jump your car and we do not recommend it. Once the car starts you will want to let it run for at least thirty minutes before you turn it off if at all possible. You may want to drive it right to an auto supply store to have them check the charge of your battery so that you will know if it needs to be replaced or not.

Towing, Roadside Assistance & More in Irving, Fort Worth, Arlington, Carrollton & Plano Texas

If you are fortunate enough to have jumper cables and a car to help you jump start your car you should be back on the road in no time after a dead battery. Sometimes it just isn’t possible though and you will need to call a tow truck company for some roadside assistance. If this happens to you call Speedway Towing & Roadside Assistance right away. We will get right out to help you!

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