5 Tips to Jump a Car Battery

It doesn’t get much worse than slow cranking or hearing a click when trying to start your car when you need to be somewhere, soon. But a dead battery isn’t the end of the world. With the right knowledge, a simple jumpstart gets you back on the road.

This basic skill can save you time, money, and frustration down the road. Here are five tips to help you jump a car battery like a pro.

jumpstart dead car battery

Tips for Jumping a Car Battery

Jump-starting a car battery might sound simple but there tends to be some confusion about it from inexperienced people. To clear up the confusion, below are top 5 tips to successfully jump start a car battery.

#1 – Short Jumper Cables

Short jumper cables are better to use than long jumper cables. People think that longer cables are better because it gives you more room around the non-functioning car. However, the energy between the batteries tends to diminish if you use a longer cable.

It is better to use a thicker jumper cable that is only around 10 feet in length. The longer cables tend to go up to 20 feet. You should stay away from them.

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#2 – Focus on Positive and Negative

It is important that the positive and negative clamps on each end of the jumper cable are connected to the appropriate positive and negative terminals of the car batteries. The red colored clamp on each end of the cable represents the positive clamp. This will connect to the positive terminal of the battery.

The black colored clamp is the negative clamp and that connects to the negative terminal. Always be sure to check for these connections or else you could damage the battery and possibly the car if you mix them up.

#3 – Keep the Car Off

If the car with the good battery is currently running, it needs to be turned off first. You need to connect the jumper cables to the terminals of both batteries while both cars are off.

Once you have done this, you will first start the car with the good battery and let it run for a couple of minutes. This will give the battery enough time to charge. Now you will attempt to start the car with the bad battery. It should turn over now and start up.

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#4 – Clean the Terminals

corroded car battery

If your battery still does not function, it may be due to corrosion on the terminals. Check your battery’s terminals and see if there are any grime and debris on there. If there is, clean it off thoroughly until there is nothing left. Sometimes this will help make the jump start a success too.

In addition, make sure the terminals are tightly connected to the battery posts. If the connection is loose, power transfer is interrupted.

#5 – Set to Park or Neutral

Automatic transmission vehicles should be set to park before the jump start process. A manual transmission vehicle should be set to neutral. The parking brake should always be used as well.

How Long Should It Take to Jump Start a Dead Battery?

On average, it should take less than 5 minutes to jump start a car battery once the jumper cables are properly connected.

Why Does It Take Such a Long Time to Jump Start?

The amount of time it takes to jump start a car battery depends on a few factors, such as the size of the battery, the amount of power in the battery, and the condition of the battery and its connections. Larger batteries take longer to charge because they have more cells that need to be charged.

If the battery is in poor condition, it will take longer for the charge to be accepted by the battery. Additionally, if the connections are corroded or loose, it will take longer to get a solid connection and allow the charge to flow.

Mark Stevens

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