Almost everyone has had a situation where they’ve needed to jump start their car. But do you know how to do so safely? Follow these tips from Miller Auto Care and stay safe.
Park Close Together
You can’t move the car with the dead battery, of course, so park the vehicle with the good battery close to the car with the problem battery. Make sure that no parts of the cars touch each other. Start out with the hoods of both cars up and both cars turned off.
Be Careful with Jumper Cables
When jumper cables aren’t connected to anything, they’re inert. But it’s important that once you start connecting them to anything, you’re extremely careful to not let any of the ends touch each other. The proper procedure to start out is to attach one red cable to the positive post on the battery that is dead.
Next connect the other red cable to the positive post on the good battery. Next you want to connect one end of the black cable to the negative post on the good battery. The other end of the black cable should be connected to the frame of the vehicle with the dead battery. Never attach it to the negative post of the bad battery.
Start the Car with the Good Battery First
Once the cables are attached correctly, start the car that has the good battery first. Let it run for a couple of minutes before you try to start the other car. Starting the car strains the good battery, so you need to let it catch up a bit before adding the strain of starting the car with the bad battery.
Disconnect Both Ends of the Cable Carefully
Next it’s time to try starting the car with the bad battery. Ideally it will start up right away, and as soon as it does, disconnect the jumper cables from both cars carefully. Make sure that the cables don’t touch anything metal on the car or each other.
Get Your Battery Checked
This situation is one that demands that you follow up afterward. You need to get your car’s battery inspected, and possibly replaced. It’s also a good idea to get the alternator checked in case that’s the source of the trouble overall.
Battery trouble in your car? Contact Miller Auto Care in Medford, OR today. We’ll test your battery and alternator and let you know exactly what’s going on with your car’s electrical system.