A dead car battery can ruin your day. If your battery is old or defective, it may need to be replaced. But if its energy was just drained without the engine running, you should be able to just jump-start it. Here is all you need to know about how to jump-start a dead car battery.
Roadside Assistance
Many companies (such as AAA and USAA) provide affordable roadside assistance services which include starting a dead battery. This is an easy solution but could take hours if they’re busy. Sometimes you can’t wait around.
Jumper Cables
It’s a good idea to have a pair of jumper cables in your trunk. These are very easy to use and usually, come with instructions attached. Here are the basics:
- Ask for help. If you’re in a place with other cars, you’ll need to enlist someone with a car to help you.
- Bring the front of the other car close to yours.
- Connect one red, positive clamp to your positive (+) terminal.
- Connect the other red clamp to the live battery’s positive terminal.
- Connect the corresponding negative, black clamp to the live battery’s negative (-) terminal.
- Connect the remaining negative clamp to an unpainted metal part of your car for grounding. (People often choose the metal struts of the hood.)
- Wait a minute for the battery to charge.
- Try to start your car, with the radio and air conditioning off.
- If this fails, wait another couple of minutes and try again.
- If this succeeds, don’t turn off your engine until you’ve driven around or left it running for a while to charge the battery fully.
- If this fails, you may need a new battery, starter, or alternator. You’ll need to have the car towed to a service center.
Jump Box
If there are no helpful other drivers nearby, you’re probably wondering how to jump-start a dead battery without another car. If you’re near an auto parts store, car dealer, or service center, they will probably have a “jump box,” which is basically a large rechargeable battery with cables attached. This works a lot like jumper cables, but without the other car.
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