One in ten people have experienced this before
You wake up and get dressed, ready to start your day, you walk up to your car and start it. And all you hear is a clicking noise and a red battery sign flashing on your dashboard. Sad news for you my friend, this may mean two things, either your battery is completely dead or is low on charge and may need a little boost to get it going.
There are two main methods that you could use to jump-start your car, the most common or old-school way should I say, using another car battery, which is not always possible when there isn’t any other car around you. And the second one, the new school/ more independent way, using a jump starter kit.
In this article, we are going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to jumpstart your car using another car or when using a jump started kit.
We will also share with you some tips on how to prevent this from happening again.
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Jump starting using another car
This method involves using another car (a running car) with a fully charged battery while following a couple of steps. To begin, start by locating a set of super cables and the battery location on each car, then make sure to park them close to each other in order for the cables to reach each end easily.
For safety: make sure that both cars are in parking or neutral position with all lights and electronics such as radio switched off as well as any other accessories plugged in the 12v sockets. Don’t forget to engage the handbrake while you are in there.
This method involves using another car (a running car) with a fully charged battery while following a couple of steps. To begin, start by locating a set of super cables and the battery location on each car, then make sure to park them close to each other in order for the cables to reach each end easily.
For safety: make sure that both cars are in parking or neutral position with all lights and electronics such as radio switched off as well as any other accessories plugged in the 12v sockets. Don’t forget to engage the handbrake while you are in there.
Carefully and patiently follow the following steps
- Properly locate and connect the leads jumper cables to the jumpstart device (some devices may not require this, as they may come with jumper cables directly connected from the inside).
- Start by connecting the black jumper cable’s clamp to the negative(-)terminal of the dead battery, Then connect the other end of the back cable to the negative(-)terminal of the good battery.
- Follow it by connecting the red jumper cable’s clamp to the positive (+) terminal of the dead battery terminal, then carefully connect the other end of the red jumper cable to the positive terminal of the good battery.
- Make sure that the cable is not reversed eg:(positive to negative or negative to positive).
- Start the car with a good battery and wait about 3-5 minutes
- Let the car idle for a few minutes, and make sure that the red battery lights on the dashboard disappear.
- Drive the car around for a couple of minutes, then switch it off and on again to make sure that the battery has been charged.
Jump starting using a Portable Jump Starter
Unlike the old school method that requires having a donor car to help you jumpstart your car, Jump-starting a car using a portable jump starter is more efficient and independent, because you may find yourself out alone in the woods where no one can help you. However, the two methods share quite a lot of similar steps.
With all safety precautions in place.
- Car safely parked in parking/Neutral position with the handbrake engaged.
- Car ignition off along with all lights and electronics
Carefully and patiently follow the following steps
- Carefully connect the black jumper cable’s clamp to the negative (-) terminal of the dead battery.
- Follow it by connecting the red jumper cable’s clamp to the positive (+) terminal of the dead battery terminal.
- Make sure that the cables are not reversed eh:(positive to negative or negative to positive).
- Switch on the jump-starter
- Then proceed to start the car with the dead battery.
- Wait approximately 5minutes, then disconnect the jump start cables
- Let the car idle for a few minutes, or take it for a short drive while making sure that the red battery lights on the dashboard disappear.
- After driving the car around for a couple of minutes, switch it off and on to make sure that the battery has been charged.
Be sure to check our recommended compact portable jump starter kit
Why is my car battery dead ?
How to know if your car battery is faulty and how do you test it?
A car battery often goes flat or loses charge when left parked for a long time. This may be due to some electronics being left on for a long period of time, such as lights, radio, or even the alarm system. And may just need to jumpstart boost, or charge if you are not in a hurry. In some cases, this may be just because the battery has aged and can no longer hold the charge properly and needs to be replaced.
When it comes to charging your car/truck battery, you need something reliable and safe to use, we would recommend you have a look at the “KING Powering” Bench Battery Charger / Starter.
A professional heavy-duty and reliable 35A battery charger with a 180A jump starter. Suitable for vehicles with 12V and 24V batteries.
There are a few things you need to know. A healthy and fully charged car battery should measure and maintain a voltage of about 12.6 Volts still. And around 13.6 to 14.7 volts when the car is running.
So, you may have jump-started your car and nothing happened, there are a couple of things we would suggest to you before you decide to throw that battery away. But first, here are some of the common signs that your battery may be faulty:
- A red battery light appears on the dashboard
- Slow engine crank when starting the car
- The car requires frequent jumpstarts
How to avoid having a dead battery and Tips
- When leaving your car unattended make sure that all electronics are off, such as headlights, interior lights, radio to name a few
- If you are going away for a long time, you can simply disconnect one of the battery terminals and it should be all good until you come back.
- Always carry jumper cables in your car at all times.
- Invest in a portable jump-starter kit
Testing your battery using a Multimeter
- Switch the multimeter selector to DCV (Direct Current Voltage), select a higher voltage than your battery for example if your battery voltage is 12V (often written on the battery case), select a voltage higher on the multimeter (15 / 20V)
- Connect the red (+) positive cable of the multimeter to the positive terminal and connect the black to the negative terminal of the battery.
- Proceed by reading the voltage value on the multimeter’s display. This value shouldn’t be below 12.6, if it is the case then you might have a faulty battery.
- To confirm this, start the car, and read the result if the voltage drops below 5 volts while the car is running. You definitely have a bad battery that needs to be replaced ASAP.
Be sure to check out our range of Multimeters
Testing using a battery Tester
If you want more advanced diagnostics, you can get yourself a Battery tester. They are extremely accurate and they show you more than just the voltage that you get from a multimeter. A battery tester can provide you with more data such as the battery’s life, and actual cracking voltage and give suggestions on whether the battery needs to be charged or fully replaced.
Click here to check out our wide range of battery testers
Commonly asked questions
Q: Can you get hurt jump-starting a car?
Not if done correctly.
Q: Do you start the car before or after connecting the cable?
You connect the cables first, this minimizes the risks of sparks or confusion.
Q: Do you need to rev the car while jump starting?
No, it’s not necessary, you can just turn it on and leave it idle for a couple of minutes or take it for a short drive to allow the alternator to recharge the battery.
Q: Which car do you connect the jumper cables to first?
It’s always advised to start with the car with the dead battery, in case of a mistake when the ends touch themselves, you have fewer chances of making the charge any lower.
And Voila. Congratulations on making it to the end. We hope that this article was insightful and has provided you with all you need to know on how to properly and safely jumpstart your car with confidence and all the steps you need to follow to get your car back on the road.
We at autosupply, pride ourselves in the quality of the products we offer as well as our amazing customer service. Be sure to visit autosupply.co.za to find any car-related products. We got you covered.
