How To Jump Start A Car - A Simple Guide

We have all experienced it at one time or another, you go to start your car and you hear it, the click click sound of a dead battery. If your lucky you will be in a spot where it is easy to get help to get you started, but some times your not, sometimes your the only person around and those old jumper cables wont save you now. This is when a portable jump starter or booster pack comes into there own, making it easy to getting that dead battery kicked back into life.

But like all electrical devices there is a correct way to use them, and in the case of your vehicle using a jump starter incorrectly could damage your vehicle and result in costly repairs. So to make sure you have all the information you need to correctly use your jump starter safely we have prepared this guide on how to jump start a car. All the information needed to keep you and your vehicle safe, as well as how to prolong the life of your jump starter is contained below.

Learning how to jump-start a car yourself isn’t difficult. Below are the basic steps to restart your car: 1. Make sure your car is in a safe position. 2. Engage the parking brake for safety. 3. Open the hood and locate the battery, Remove any plastic terminal covers if needed. 4. Determine the positive and negative battery terminals. 5. Make sure the terminals are free of corrosion. 6. Connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery. 7. Connect the black clamp to an unpainted metal surface of your car. 8. Make sure the main switch on the jump starter pack is in the on position. 9. Check that the jump pack itself and the cables are not going to interfere with moving engine parts 10. Try to start your engine.

Table of contents

1. Warning – Before You Start
2. When Is It Unsafe to Use a Car Jump Starter
3. How To Jump Start A Car
4. Does My Jump Starter Need Recharging After Use

Warning – Before You Start

There are two main dangers that are commonly associated with jump starting any vehicle: damaging delicate components inside electrical system, and blowing up the battery. Both of these situations can be a consequence of crossing the positive and negative cables or shorting these cables out.

There is a possible that the battery could blow up if you’re using a car jump starter, and that’s why it’s so important to make sure to hook the cables up to the correct battery terminals. If your battery is accessible, then you’ll want to hook up the (+) positive red jump starter clamp to the positive battery terminal. The (-) negative black jump starter clamp needs to be connected to a clean, unpainted part from the car’s body, frame, or engine, which isn’t near any moving parts such as fan or accessory belts, or the battery.

The primary reason that you don’t hook up the (-) negative black jump starter clamp to the negative battery power terminal is that doing this typically creates sparks. If your battery has failed due to overcharging, or caused through an internal mistake, it may be filled with flammable hydrogen vapours, which could seep out regardless of whether the battery is sealed. Sparks may ignite these hydrogen vapours, which could cause the battery to explode, that can then shower you with acid. Even though this isn’t very common, it could potentially cause serious injuries.

When Is It Unsafe to Use a Car Jump Starter?

If you drive a hybrid car, then it’s typically safe to use a car jump starter within the auxiliary battery. These kind of auxiliary batteries are usually 12V, exactly like regular car batteries, but they’re generally much smaller. The other sort of battery contained generally in most hybrids uses an alternative, much higher voltage versus 12V used by conventional cars and trucks. That means you will not be able to jump start the primary batteries in your hybrid having a car jump basic. If you are unsure as to whether it is safe to use a jump starter on your vehicle always consult a mechanic or your car dealer.

Steps – How To Jump Start A Car

So that you are familiar with your battery location and the location of possible remote battery connection points it is always a good idea to check your vehicles manual before trying to jump start your vehicle.

• Turn ignition off before making cable connections.
• Release the hood latch and lift the hood. Place the hood prop in the designated hole on the underside of the hood to hold it up. Some hoods have hydraulic props that will hold the hood open and no hood props will be required.
• Locate the battery. Some car batteries are not in the motor cavity. In these cases you’re going to be looking for a red plastic cylindrical cap with a large + sign on it. This is a jump post for the battery. These jump posts can be in a variety of locations depending on the make and model of your vehicle, but most manufacturers place them in conspicuous places for occasions such as this. If all else fails, refer to your owner manual.
• Remove the plastic jump post caps by lifting them off by hand. You may also see a similar looking black cap with a – insignia on it for the negative jump post. If not, you can use the frame of the car. If the battery is in the motor cavity, you can attach the jump pack directly to the battery.
• If your jump starter has a power isolator switch ensure the power switch is in the off position.
• Battery corrosion can prohibit a good connection from the jump pack to the battery. Your battery post should be a clean grey color, if it has green, blue or white look to it then it has a layer of corrosion. Digging the clamps into the soft lead compound of the positive terminal with the power switch of the jump pack off might be a way to get a cleaner connection in a hurry.
• Attach the red positive clamp of the jump pack to the red positive battery terminal or jump post. Attach the black negative clamp to a non moving metal part of the car away from the battery, but within reach of the battery jump pack. A part of the frame would be okay, but do not attach to the painted fender. If you have a jump post option for the negative terminal, you can attach the black negative clamp to that.
• Locate the power button on the jump pack and turn your head away from the jump pack and battery when you turn it on. This is a safety precaution as batteries have hydrogen gas and lead acid inside them. The hydrogen gas is highly flammable and can explode in certain circumstances. By connecting the black negative clamp to a metal ground and not directly to the battery, you have diminished this risk.
• Check to make sure the jump pack itself and the cables are not going to interfere with moving engine parts such as a fan or any belts.
• Make sure your vehicle is in neutral or park.
• Attempt to start the vehicle (turn on the vehicle ignition). If the vehicle doesn’t start within 6 seconds, let the jump starter cool before making another attempt.
• If the vehicle starts, go directly to the jump pack and turn the power switch to off.
  Some jump starters have a digital display that will tell you the car battery voltage, if your jump starter is this type then your jump starter will be displaying the voltage coming from the cars alternator to the car battery. If this reading is below 13V then you could have a problem with the alternator not charging the battery correctly and a visit to your mechanic should be considered.
• Disconnect the negative clamp first and then the positive.
• If the vehicle does not start, let the jump starter cool for a couple of minutes in between non-successful start-ups before attempting to start the vehicle again or you may damage it.

Does My Jump Starter Need Recharging After Use?

Every time you use your jump starter to start a vehicle a little power is drained from your jump starters batteries. Depending upon the size of the batteries in your jump starter you may be able to start may vehicles on one full charge but to maintain your jump starter in peak condition you should always top up the batteries. If your jump starter has over charge protection than you can just plug it back in and forget it. If however you have no over charge protection the following times are a general rule of thumb.

• After a single jump start: 1 hour
• After multiple jump starts: 12 hours or overnight

All jump starters will have a charge indicator that will tell you when the batteries in your jump starter are fully charged and you can turn off the power.