We’ve all been there! Stuck in a parking lot with a dead battery. If you’re lucky enough to have never experienced this, congratulations, but eventually, you’ll need to learn how to do it! We’ll give you step by step instructions on how to do this safety.
All you need is a set of jumper cables and another car.
Step 1 – Park the working car next to your dead one and turn off the engine. Open the hood of both cars and locate the battery in each. If you can’t find the battery, use your owners manual. It should tell you exactly where the battery is. After you find the battery, examine it for leaks. If you see any fluid or gas leaking (rotten egg smell) from your battery, do not proceed. These materials could be explosive and lead to injury. If you see corrosion at the +/- connections, clean them off with a rag before attaching the jumper cables.
Step 2 – Attach the jumper cables. Jumper cables have black and red clamps. Red = + (positive) and Black = – (negative). It is extremely important that you don’t get these mixed up. First attach the red + clamp to your dead battery. Next attach the red + clamp to the live battery. Third, attached the black – clamp to the donor battery. Lastly, connect the last black – clamp to a chunky piece of metal like a bracket or an engine bolt on your car. This is important because it grounds the current. Be sure not to touch the clamps together when connecting them to the battery or else sparks will fly.
Step 3 – Start the engine of the donor car and let it run for a few minutes. This will give the dead battery some time to recharge. Make sure you turn off all the electronics in your dead car like the AC, the radio and the parking lights. This will make it easier for you to start your car.
Step 4 – Try to start your car. If it does not start, let it charge a little longer and rev the engine a little bit. This will generate a greater charge by the alternator of the live car. If you car, still does not start, it may be time to call a tow truck because your battery is dead!