Have you ever been stuck with no one to jump you off? Read on to learn one of the simplest forms of auto repair.
One of the most convenient options available for car owners is the ability to jump start the car. A dead battery doesn't have to mean you're stuck waiting for a tow truck. It may not even mean you need a new battery. Leaving the headlights on could be enough to drain the voltage, but the battery will usually charge itself back up to snuff after a bit of driving. Of course, to do that, you'll need a jump. Another vehicle or a battery pack (sold at most big box and auto parts stores) can be used for the boost. You don't need to be an auto repair expert to jump off a car, but there are some safety precautions you should take.
Your first step is to pull the booster car as close to the dead vehicle as possible. It's easy to misjudge the distance gap when you're in the car, so leave as little room as you can (without clipping the car, of course). Open up the respective hoods and turn off the car giving the boost. The jumper cables are usually color coded to avoid confusion. The red cable is the positive side and the black is the negative side. It's extremely important not to confuse the two.
To begin the jump starting procedure, connect one of the red cables to the positive post on the dead battery. It should be labeled with a (+) sign, possibly colored red itself. Remove the rubber protection tab before hooking up the end of the cable. Take the other red cable and connect it to the positive post on the booster battery. Take one of the black cables and connect it to the negative post on the booster battery. Now, common wisdom would entail connecting the other black cable and connecting it to the negative post on the dead battery. This is unwise, as it will often spark when the vehicle is started. This could easily ignite fumes and cause an explosion. Instead, clamp it to the frame of the vehicle or some other solid metal ground.
Once everything is hooked up properly, start the booster vehicle. Depress the gas pedal slightly, pushing the RPMs up to around 1200. Keep this going for a minute or two, letting juice flow into the dead battery. Move to the dead vehicle and crank it up. It should pop right to life, depending on how dead the battery was. If it doesn't, make sure the cables are connected tightly and properly. Try again. As long as there isn't some other problem, the engine should spring into action. Remove the cables, being careful not to let the ends touch and extra careful not to let the ends of the red cables come into contact with anything metal.
