Jump starting a battery

 

Jump-Starting the Battery

Before you start

Make sure you are not wearing any metal jewelry as it may accidentally cause a short. Also make sure to wear protective eye wear, if an accident happens the batter may explode causing sulfuric acid to get in you eyes. Do not try to Jump-Start a battery if the battery is frozen, cracked or had a bulge, because it will explode. Also, do not use jumper cables that are rusted or have exposed wires as this may also cause an explosion.

During these instructions I will be referring to the car with the dead battery as the "dead car" and the other car will be referred to as the "live car." Make sure you turn off all the electronics on both cars and both engines should be turned off before making the connection.

The tools you will need

 

The Right connection

Make sure you know which terminals are which on the battery. The positive terminal will be marked with a + sign, and the negative terminal will be marked with a - sign. If there are caps covering the terminals, pry them off with your fingers.

Connecting the Cables

The cables must be connected in exact order I explain or the battery could explode. First take the red cable (positive/+) and connect it to the + terminal on the dead car, then take the other end and connect it to the + terminal of the live car. 

Next take the black cable (negative/ - ) and connect it to the - terminal of the live car, then take the other end and clamp it to an unpainted metal part of the dead car. Some cars have a designated place to attach the last negative cable and will have the word "ground" and an arrow imprinted next to it.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT CONNECT THE LAST CABLE TO THE BATTERY!

If you connect every cable to a terminal, the circuit of electricity will complete. If that happens a spark may occur igniting the vapor coming from the battery, causing an explosion.

Have the driver of the Live car start the engine and let it idle for 2 minutes, but don't rev it. Now turn the ignition in the dead car. If the engine starts don't turn it off. You can now remove the cables from both cars. You need to remove them in the REVERSE order that you put them on.

If the dead car did not start, turn off the good car's engine and make sure that the cables are securely attached on the bad car. If the engine still does not start after a couple of attempts, it's time to call a towing service.

Congrats! Now drive that car to a mechanic or a battery shop and get a new one.