How to Jump-Start a Car

At Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet, we’re proud to serve as your go-to destination for all of your servicing needs. We’re here to help answer your questions like how to properly jump-start a car so you don’t have to call a jump-start car service, saving you money. Learn more below, but don’t hesitate to contact our service center if you have any questions along the way.

The Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car

Even though you can contact a jump start car service if the below doesn’t work, it’s best to try to jump start a car battery yourself. Good news — this is a fairly easy process! You will need another person and their vehicle, as well as a set of jumper cables. With everything ready to go, follow these steps on the proper way to jump start a car:

1. Face the two vehicles with the batteries facing each other, which sould be hood-hood. After you’ve parked the vehicles, turn them off and set the parking brakes.
2. Gain access to the batteries. Note: you may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
3. Find the positive and negative battery terminals. They should be clean and free of any corrosion or dirt.
4. Take stock of your cables and separate the red ends from the black ends. Make sure that they never touch, as they could spark. Next, connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
5. Uncoiling the battery cable, hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
6. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery.
7. Connect the last black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame.
8. With everything hooked up securely, start the engine of the vehicle with a good battery. You may try to start the engine right away, but it’s better to let the car with the good battery run for a bit, then try starting the engine of the other vehicle.
9. Once the dead vehicle has been successfully jump-started, carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed on. Keep the other vehicle running.
10. Be sure to keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. Check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for more info on recommended times. It’s also best to have your battery tested and/or replaced as soon as possible.

Additional Car Battery Tips & Tricks

There could be other reasons besides a dead car battery as a reason for your vehicle not starting. These reasons could be the following:

1. Only hearing a clicking sound when you try to start the car could mean that the starter isn’t functioning.
2. If the car’s electrical system turns on, but the engine does not, then the issue may be several things like the ignition switch, starter, or a fuse. Don’t hesitate to visit our Charlotte service center for diagnostics and investigation.
3. Let your vehicle continue running for a bit after it’s received a jump to allow the battery to recharge after being completely drained. Keep in mind that some batteries can hold a charge for some time after being jumped, and this is often the case after a vehicle with a good/newer battery has been sitting idle. A battery trickle charger can help prevent this. Sometimes, an old and worn-out battery that requires replacing is the reason for a car needing a jump.

Learn More Service Tips With Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet!

If you need additional service and maintenance tips, we’re here to help! Whether you need a routine oil change or a battery inspection after it was jump-started, give our service team a call or schedule a service appointment right at home. We offer competitive prices and service specials to help make your visit more budget-friendly.