Hopefully, you’re reading up on how to jump-start a car battery before you need to do it. The reason is, you going to need to use jumper cables. If you’re stuck with a dead battery then chances are excellent you do not have any of those in the car. If you do, wonderful! If you’re reading this before your battery goes dead then put jumper cables on your shopping list. You should always have them, no matter the age of the vehicle.
How to Jump-Start a Car Battery
Park the car that is working in front of the car with the dead battery, facing it. Park the car about 18” away, not letting the cars touch.
Put both cars in park. For manual transmissions, use neutral. Set the parking brake to keep either car from moving.
Turn both cars off and remove the keys from the ignition.
Put the jumper cables on the ground and straight them out, making sure that the clamps are not touching any other clamp or metal object.
Wipe the battery terminals so that you can see which is + and which is -. The icon is usually on top of the post where you will be attaching the jumper cable clamp.
Attach the red jumper cable clamp to the + battery post on the car that has a good battery. On the same car, attach the black cable clamp to the – battery post.
Hold the unattached jumper cable clamps far apart, one in each hand and walk to the dead battery. Find an unpainted metal part that is clean in the engine area, such as a nut. Attach the black jumper cable clamp to that nut. This is a safety ground.
Have a friend start the car that has the good battery.
Attach the red jumper cable clamp to the + battery post on the dead battery. Let it sit for about 2 minutes then start the car that has the dead battery. It should start right up.
