You hopped in your car, ready to hit the road for the work commute, or perhaps a social event, only to find that your vehicle won’t start. While ever so often it’s inevitable, it puts a dent in your day, and no one likes to sit around and wait for assistance. If you want to take matters into your own hands, read up on how you can jump-start your vehicle, step by step.
Here’s What You’ll Need
It’s pretty simple! All you will need to jump-start your vehicle are two items: jumper cables and a power source, whether that’s a vehicle or a jump battery or box.
Did you know the clips on the jumper cables are called alligator clips? Labeled in red and black colors, the red clip is an indication of positive polarity, while the black cord is an indication of negative polarity. If you have ever utilized roadside assistance services, you have probably seen a jump box, which has cables that directly connect to the vehicle’s battery, replacing the need for another vehicle.
The car battery has terminals, both positive and negative. The positive is labeled as “+” or “POS,” while the negative terminal will be labeled as “-” or “NEG.” It’s simple — the positive terminal connects to the positive clip, and the negative terminal connects to the negative clip.
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How To Jump Start A Vehicle From the Help Of Another Vehicle
- Step 1: First things first, it’s time to check the batteries. The vehicle, or donor, so kindly giving you a hand needs a strong battery with plenty of charge, so ensure it has enough voltage. It also needs to be a matching voltage type, whether that’s 6V, 12V, ect.
- Step 2: After, hop in the driver’s seat and put each vehicle in neutral, and once done, turn them off. Now, you must utilize your parking brake.
- Step 3: Now, open the hood of each vehicle to access the battery.
- Step 4: It’s time to play a little game of “connect the dots,” so connected the alligator clips in this order:
- The red clip on the donor vehicle should be connected to the positive terminal on the battery of the dead vehicle. And the red clip on the dead vehicle should be connected to the positive terminal of the donor battery.
- After, the black clip on the dead vehicle should be connected to the negative terminal on the donor’s battery. Now, connect the dead car’s black clip to a metal area without paint, of the dead vehicle. Pro tip: the area should not be next to the battery. If you’re unsure where to put it, connect it to one of the metal pieces that hold up the hood of the vehicle.
- Step 5: Now, rev up the car! Start the donor car, giving the dead vehicle power.
- Step 6: Idle the donor vehicle.
- Step 7: For a test, turn on the interior light of the dead vehicle. If it turns on, the vehicle may be charged up and ready to go.
- Step 8: Now, start the dead car. Make sure you drive around for a while before turning it off.
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