How to Jump-Start a Car

You’re ready to head home from work to your garage. You push the ignition button or turn the key in your vehicle. Nothing happens. You try again, and nothing happens. You probably want to jump-start your car to see if the battery can be revived and you can head home from Round Rock. Luckily, learning to jump-start a car battery is relatively simple. Sometimes, you’ll find the instructions in your owner’s manual. But, we make it easy because we’ve got step-by-step instructions on how to properly jump-start a car in case you want to know this ahead of time.

Discover how to jump-start a car from the team at Covert Buick GMC Austin. Despite the inconvenience, jump-starting a car is relatively easy. When you’re done reading this, you’ll know how to properly jump-start a car like a pro!

How to Jump-Start a Car: What You Need

You need two basic things to jump-start a car battery.

1. Jumper cables, preferably a robust set at least 10 feet long
2. A second battery to supply power to the dead battery

The second battery can come from another vehicle that has a working battery or a portable battery jumper for your car that you can buy at automotive supply stores. Either one will work when you try to jump-start a car battery. For our purposes, we’ll have step-by-step instructions when using a second vehicle.

Another option is to use a jump-start car service, typically through a towing service or a service center that offers mobile services. A jump-start car service may be more expensive than having a friend or family member come and get you with a second battery.

How to Properly Jump-Start a Car

Now, we’ll go step by step on the proper way to jump-start a car.

1. Have the two vehicles face each other with the batteries as close as possible. Most vehicles have batteries in the engine compartment towards the front.
2. After you’ve parked the vehicles, turn them off.
3. Set the parking brakes so that they don’t accidentally roll away. 
4. Raise the hood on both vehicles.
5. Locate the batteries. 
6. Find the positive and negative battery terminals. The positive terminal is typically red while the negative terminal is usually black.
7. Get out the jumper cables. 
8. Separate the red ends from the black ends. 
9. Make sure the ends of the jumper cables don’t touch each other. That could create a short circuit. 
10. Connect a red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
11. Clip the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the working battery with the charge.
12. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery. 
13. Connect the last black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame. Look for a metal bar or part that keeps a portion of the engine in place as the ideal piece of metal for this.
14. PRO TIP on the proper way to jump-start a car: It’s vitally important to connect the jumper cables in this order. Otherwise, your car won’t jump-start.
15. At this point, the electrical connections are made, so don’t touch the clamps or the terminals. You could cause a spark, or you could even drain the good battery and then the car won’t jump-start.
16. Start the engine of the vehicle with a good battery. 
17. Let the car with a good battery run for a bit to strengthen the battery.
18. PRO TIP on the proper way to jump-start a car: Gradually press the accelerator of the vehicle with the good battery until the RPMs of the engine get to about 1,500. Idling is around 800 RPMs. This is because when the vehicle with the dead battery starts, it’ll slightly drain the battery of the good vehicle. The person in the good vehicle will notice a dip in the power when the other vehicle tries to start the engine. If the vehicle with the good battery stalls, your car won’t jump-start.
19. Try starting the engine of the vehicle with the dead battery. 
20. If the vehicle with the dead battery starts, carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed while keeping both vehicles running.
21. Remove the black clamp from the unpainted metal surface first, then remove the other black clamp, then the red clamp on the good vehicle, then the red clamp on the vehicle that needed the jumpstart.
22. Keep the engine running on the jumpstarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the alternator to recharge the battery for a time.
23. Keep driving!
24. If you notice you need a jumpstart again after turning your engine off once you get home or to a vehicle service center, there might be another problem with your vehicle. Consider calling a jump-start car service or a tow truck to bring your vehicle to our service center in Austin.

Additional Car Battery Tips & Tricks: Car Won’t Jump-Start

There are plenty of reasons why your vehicle may not start even if you try jump-starting it. If your car won’t jump-start, there may be something else going on beyond the battery. These repairs may require a service center to diagnose, and you may need your vehicle towed. 

1. If you try to start the car but only hear a clicking sound, the starter might not be working properly. 
2. If the electrical systems of the car turn on, but the engine doesn’t, then the issue could stem from the ignition switch, starter, or even something as simple as a fuse. It’s worth bringing your vehicle to a qualified service center to look at the problem further. Doing so can alleviate more expensive problems later.
3. If your battery light remains on even after you jump-start the car or if you frequently need to jump-start the car battery, it might be a problem with the alternator not being able to recharge the battery when the vehicle runs. We highly recommend coming to a service center for a new alternator. Alternators are special electrical generators in your car, and they may wear out over time.
4. Don’t forget to keep your vehicle running for a while after it’s received a jump. That allows the battery to recharge after it’s been completely drained. If the battery still won’t recharge, consider that there could be a problem with the alternator.

Turn to Covert Buick GMC Austin Near Cedar Park for Car Service!

Do you need regular car maintenance near Leander? Do you want more car-care tips? Contact us or call (512) 910-4708, and we’d be happy to help. Make sure to look over our service specials to see if you could save some money on your next vehicle maintenance.