Things You May Need: - these are good to keep in your trunk for emergencies
Battery Cables - this is a must, you can't jumpstart your car without them (unless it's a manual transmission)!
Rags
Toothbrush, baking soda, water OR
can of Coca Cola (if your terminals are corroded, you can clean them with these items)
Safety Glasses
Preparation:
Line up both cars so that the batteries are as close as can be.
Make sure the cars are in park, the engines are off, and not touching each other before you connect
the cables.
Inspect both batteries. If either battery is cracked and/or liquid is leaking out, STOP IMMEDIATELY!
If you try to jump start a cracked or leaking battery, it will explode, and battery acid will
dissolve your eyes.
Make sure all headlights, turn signals, stereos, etc. are turned off. Unplug radar detectors,
cell phones, everything! Jumpstarting your car with any of these on or plugged in can damage the
item.
Locate the Positive (+) and Negative (-) terminals of both batteries
so you know exactly which one is which. All batteries are clearly marked so if you can't
find it, this probably means the terminals are corroded. You can clean off this corrosion with a
toothbrush and a baking soda/water solution (Coca Cola works, too, if you don't have baking soda).
Wipe off any excess with a rag.
If you have tools, loosen the wires from the terminals, clean them off, then retighten the wires
to the shiny posts. Corroded posts and wires prevent the power from getting through the cables
and into your battery to revive it.
Connecting The Battery Cables:
The cables must be connected in this exact order:
Usually the positive (+) cable is red or orange, and usually the
negative (-) or "ground" cable is black.
Connect one end of the positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) post of the dead battery.
Connect the other end of the positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) post of the good battery.
Connect one end of the negative (-) cable to the negative (-) post of the good battery.
Connect the other end of the negative (-) cable to a good solid metal part of the engine on the
dead car. Usually a giant shiny nut on the engine block will do. A painted, dirty, or oily nut will
not work. You usually want to avoid placing the negative (-) cable directly on the dead
battery to minimize the chance for explosions. You should only use the ground post on the dead
battery as a last resort.
Start the good car now. Let it sit idling for a few moments before trying to start the dead car.
Once ready, try to start the dead car. If it starts, let it sit for a moment, then disconnect the
cables and try to start it again. If it starts right up, you're good to go! If not, there may be another
problem, like bad cables, battery is truly "dead", alternator is bad, etc.
Disconnecting The Battery Cables:
The cables must be disconnected in reverse order of connecting them:
Disconnect the negative (-) cable from the engine block of the car that was jump started.
Disconnect the other end of the negative (-) cable from the negative (-) post of the good battery.
Disconnect the positive (+) cable from the positive (+) post of the good battery.
Disconnect the other end of the positive (+) cable from the positive (+) post of the dead battery.
