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Car Parts home > Car
Parts Info Center > Jumpstarting an engine
Jumpstarting an engine
 When
done properly, jumpstarting an engine is a safe and relatively simple
procedure. Of course, jumpstarting an engine can be very dangerous
if done improperly. Therefore, know that even after you have finished
reading this article on jumpstarting an engine, you will still not
be an expert.
Be sure to read the owner’s manual of your car before you
attempt a jumpstart. If you have any questions, be sure to talk
to a professional, first. Jumpstarting an engine can be different
depending one which car you are trying to give power to. Just because
you know how to do it on one car, it does not necessarily mean that
you are an expert at jumpstarting an engine of another car. Some
car cannot handle the power surge that a jumpstart can give it.
Again, refer to your owner’s manual.
1. Turn off your ignition. You want to save any extra power that
may still be in your battery.
2. Park the “helper” vehicle (the one with the fully
charged battery) near the disabled vehicle, but do not let the two
cars touch.
3. Take a rag and remove the cell caps from the batteries of both
cars and then cover the holes with clean rags so that no acid splashes
out (covering the holes also keeps hydrogen gas in).
4. Take the ends of one of the jumper cables and attach it to the
positive posts of both batteries. It does not matter whether you
attach the red or green (or whatever) end to the positive posts,
as long as you stick to just one color. If you put the red end on
the positive post of one of the cars, then be sure to put the red
end on the positive post of the other vehicle.
5. Now you can take one end of the second cable (the green end,
in this instance) to the post of the “helper” vehicle
(the charged battery).
6. Now take the final end of the second cable and ground it by clipping
it onto a clean and unpainted parts of the broken-down car’s
engine or frame or other clean and metallic part. Do NOT attach
this cable to the post of the discharged battery.
7. Before moving onto the next step, make sure that none of the
four cable clips can accidentally contact each other or drop into
the moving parts of the engine once it is turned on.
8. After you have taken a minute or two to check these things, you
can continue and turn on the “helper” car’s engine.
9. Make sure that all of the accessories (lights, radio, A/C, etc.)
are turned off in both cars, then start the engine of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
10. If it does not start at first, try it again in a moment. If
it still does not start, you may need to replace your battery.
11. The way in which you remove the jumper cables is important,
too. First remove the negative (ground) cable from the previously
disabled car’s engine. Then remove it from the post on the
“helper” car’s battery.
12. Now you can disconnect the first cable (the red one, in this
case) from the positive posts of the batteries in both cars.
13. Remove the rags and replace them with vent caps. Dispose of
the rags.
I hope that this guide on jumpstarting an engine will help you
when it comes time to jumpstart your own car (which, of course,
we hope never happens). Again, to reiterate, be sure to check your
owner’s manual about jumpstarting an engine before you attempt
this on your own.
In general, an owner’s manual has very good advice on how
to jumpstart your car. Remember to always play it safe when jumpstarting
your car!
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