The beginner’s guide to jump-starting a car

A dead battery is a common occurrence for any car owner. It is irritating to say the least, especially if you need to be somewhere to carry out your daily routine, but this problem can be quickly resolved if you know the correct way to jump-start a car.

Why is the proper method important? As you may know, cars have various electrical components, so a simple blunder can cause serious damage to these components, which in turn could result in heftier repair bills.

To jump-start the battery of your car (let’s call it Car A), you will need another car with a healthy battery (Car B), as well as good-quality jumper cables.

Firstly, park Car B close to Car A to ensure that the jumper cables can reach the positive and negative terminals on both cars. Once in the correct position, turn off Car B’s engine.

Next, connect the red clamp of the jumper cable to the positive terminal (usually marked ‘+’) on Car B’s battery. Then, attach the other red clamp to the positive terminal of Car A’s battery.

At this point, you probably already know what to do with the black jumper cable. That’s right, connect the black clip to the negative terminal (marked ‘-‘) of Car B’s battery.

However, do not connect the other black clamp to the negative terminal of Car A’s battery. Instead, clamp an unpainted metal object like the bolt of the suspension shock tower.

After ensuring all clips are securely connected, start Car B and let the engine run idle for a few minutes.

Then, try to start Car A. If unsuccessful, repeat the process but this time, let the engine of Car B run a little bit longer. If the engine still fails to start, your car may have a more serious issue than just a flat battery.

If the engine comes to life successfully, let it run for a while. Then, begin to remove the jumper cables in reverse order. Lastly, drive your car to the nearest battery shop to have it replaced with a new one.