This past week my friends and I were in the car on our way back from our friend’s volleyball game. The car ride was going great, we were almost home when all of the sudden my friend was pulling over to the side of the road. The car scooted to a halt and then stopped. My friend put on the hazard lights and we called another friend to come jump start the car. Luckily my friend knew how to jump his car. If you are like me, you have hoped to never be in this situation due to your lack of knowledge on how to jump-start a car. I am here to fix this! If you want to learn how to jump-start a car, keep reading.
1. Phone a friend
To jump-start your car, you will need another vehicle.
2. Take out your jumper cables
It is always a good idea to keep a set of jumper cables in the trunk of your vehicle in the event that you may need them.
3. Place both cars in the park or neutral gear and shut off the ignition of both cars.
Also, engage both parking brakes.
*make sure you attach each cable in the proper order
4. Attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of your vehicles terminal
The positive terminal either says, “POS” or has a “+” on it. Also, the positive terminal is larger than the negative terminal.
5. Next, attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of your friend’s vehicle.
6. Attach the black clip to the negative terminal on your friend’s vehicle.
7. Then, attach the last black clip to an unpainted metal surface of your car that isn’t near the battery.
It is suggested that you use the metal struts that hold the car hood open.
8. Have your friend start their vehicle and allow the engine to run for a couple minutes.
9. Try to start up your vehicle and let the engine run for 5 minutes!
If it still doesn’t start up, check the positioning of the cables and have your friend run their engine for at least five minutes. After the five minutes try starting up your car once more. If this doesn’t work your battery may be dead and pushing your car or phoning a tow truck may be your only solution.
If you start up your engine, meaning the jump is successful, drive around for at least 15 minutes to recharge your car's battery.
Before getting behind the wheel of a car, know your vehicle and know how to fix it in a time of need. Be prepared for anything from a dead battery to flat tire.
