Dead Battery? Learn How to Jump Start Your Car with This Handy Cable

Have you ever been stranded with a dead car battery? It is a very common and frustrating experience for many car owners. Signs of a dead battery include hearing a clicking sound when trying to start the engine, dimmed lights, or slow power windows. Instead of panicking, the best solution is to jump-start the car. You can effectively jump-start a car using another vehicle and a jumper cable. A jumper cable will cost you around Rs. 500 (may vary). Check out the steps to jump-start a car.

Step to Jump – Start the car
Park another car close
To jump-start a car, you need another vehicle with a good battery. Park another car near the car with the dead battery, placing them nose-to-nose or their batteries closest to each other. Make sure the cars don’t touch each other.

Locate the batteries and their terminals

Most car batteries are located in the engine bay, but some may be in less accessible areas. Locate the batteries and identify the terminals, which are marked with + (positive) and – (negative) signs. The positive terminal usually has a red wire, and the negative terminal has a black wire. Jumper cables also come with color-coded clamps in red and black.

Connect the jumper cables to the battery terminals

1. Make sure the ignition of the working car is off.
2. Connect the red clamp to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
3. Set the black clamp on the ground or plastic part avoiding any metal parts of the car.
4. Connect the other end of the red clamp to the positive terminal of the good battery.
5. Connect the black clamp to the negative terminal of the good battery.
6. Attach the remaining black clamp to the piece of unpainted metal under the hood of the car with the dead battery.

Start the engine of a good car
Start the car engine with a good battery and let it idle for two to three minutes. This allows the dead battery to gain some charge. Then, try starting the car with a dead battery. If it won’t start, turn the key off and let the other car idle for 10-15 minutes before trying again. If the car still won’t start, the battery may need to be replaced or there may be a problem with the alternator.

Disconnect the jumper cables

Once the car starts, let the engine run to allow the battery to charge. Carefully disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse order of connection:

1. Remove the negative clamp from the unpainted metal piece.
2. Remove the red clamp from the positive terminal of the dead battery.
3. Place the clamps on the ground, making sure they do not touch each other.
4. Remove the red clamp from the good battery.
5. Finally, remove the black clamp from the good battery.

By following these steps, you can effectively jump-start your car and get back on the road without further delay.