Ultimate Guide For Drivers Who Don’t Know How To Jump Start A Car

Driving with a flat battery is impossible because it doesn’t have enough power for a vehicle to start or light up. When this happens, you can start your car with some tricks up your sleeve and maybe some help from another person, which is called “jump start.” Knowing how to jump start a car will be very helpful in certain situations: you can handle the matter by yourself if your car ends up dead in the middle of nowhere. Or, you can give a hand to someone in need.

How to tell if your battery is dead

Before deciding to go with this solution, you need to make sure the flat battery is stopping your car from starting up. Try turning the ignition, if you hear the engine cranking, the problem is not about a dead battery and it’s no point jump starting your car.

On the other hand, if the vehicle does nothing when you turn the car key, it’s likely that the battery is dead.

What you need to jump start a car

• Jump leads: 1 working pair
• Another car: one with a full battery

Now, Let’s take a few notes about safety cautions when using jump leads with Onroadtips. Batteries release flammable gases so you must be careful.

Check the jump leads and battery

• Don’t jump start a battery if it’s leaking or damaged.
• Don’t use damaged jump leads.
• Stop the process immediately if the jump leads get hot.

Jump start your car in a safe environment

• Take off any dangling clothing item like a tie or scarf.
• Keep all metal objects away from the batteries, including your rings, watch straps, necklaces, clips, etc.
• Do not smoke or keep naked flames near the batteries.

Be careful with the jump leads

Do not remove the jump leads when the engines are still running.

How to jump start a car with leads

This method only works if you can get help from another person whose car battery is fully charged. Now, here are 6 steps of how to jumpstart a car.

Step 1: Line up the cars

• Park the cars so that their batteries are in proximity of each other.
• Keep the ignitions off and the handbrakes on.

Step 2: Connect the jump leads

• Connect the positive terminal of the working battery with that of the flat battery using the red jump lead.
• Attach the black jump lead to the negative terminal on the working battery.
• The other end must be attached to an earthing point far away from the fuel system and the flat battery.

Step 3: Start the cars

• After connecting the leads, wait for three minutes. Then, turn on the engine of the working car and let it run for a minute.
• Next, turn on the engine in the car with the dead battery.

Step 4: Let the cars run

Leave them to idle for about 10 minutes, at a fast pace.

Step 5: Turn off the engines and disconnect the jump leads

• Turn off both engines first.
• Then, remove the black jump lead from the earthing point, take the other end of the black jump led away from the negative terminal of the working battery. After that, remove the red jump lead from the positive terminal of the working jump lead. Lastly, disconnect the red jump lead from the positive terminal of the dead battery.
• Don’t let the leads touch one another or the cars.

Step 6: Restart your car

Try turning on the ignition and see if the car starts up.

How to jump start a car with a battery booster pack

In case you cannot get help from another person, it’s handy to have a battery booster pack in your vehicle. This is how to jump start a car by yourself when you are all alone.

Before implanting this method, you also need to take safety cautions, including making sure the battery is not leaking or damaged, keeping every metal objects far away, and taking off dangling clothing items.

Step 1: Check the battery booster

• Ensure the pack is fully charged.
• The pack must be placed in a stable place, not on the engine.

Step 2: Connect the jump leads

• First of all, attach the red positive jump lead of the battery pack with the positive terminal of your car’s battery.
• Then, the black negative jump lead must be connected to an earthing point on the car, preferably the chassis or unpainted metal on the engine block.

Step 3: Turn on the pack

After connecting the jump leads, switch the pack on.

Step 4: Start the car

Turn on the ignition in your car and see if it starts up.

Step 5: Leave the engine to run

• Let the engine run for 5 minutes.
• After that, turn off the booster pack and leave the engine to continue running for another 5-10 minutes.

Step 6: Turn off the engine and remove the leads

• Turn the engine off.
• The leads must now be disconnected in the reverse order to how they were connected.

Step 7: Restart the car

Turn on the ignition to see if your car starts up.

How to jump start a car by pushing

Jump-starting a car is also called push-starting, in which you take advantage of a downhill slope or the help of others to push your car to get it to start up. However, it’s worth noting that this way only works if your vehicle is a manual car.

Now, follow these 4 steps to push start your vehicle.

• Step 1: If your car is facing downhill, you may not need a push, just hold the brake. Otherwise, get a few people to help you push the car.
• Step 2: Push in the clutch and put the vehicle into the second gear. Switch on the ignition.
• Step 3: Have helpers push the car or release the brakes depending on whether you need people’s help or facing downhill.
• Step 4: When the car moving walking-fast, you need to quickly bring up the clutch and the engine should start. As soon as it starts, it’s time for you to push the clutch pedal and let the engine idle. Let your car run as it charges.

How to avoid a dead battery

For the car’s alternator to maintain the charge level of the battery, you need to drive the vehicle on a regular basis. For those who need to park it for a long time, you should use a battery maintainer or trickle charger, which can recharge a flat battery.

Depending on the temperature and use, a car battery can last from 3 to 5 years. For example, hot weather takes a bigger toll on the battery life than cold weather. Therefore, you need to get the battery inspected routinely.

Those living in hot weather should get a new car battery Philippines every 2 years while those living in colder weather can do this every 4 years.

How to jump start a car: FAQs

Can I push start an automatic car?

No, because automatic cars have an open clutch that prevents this particular activity. Those with an automatic car have to jump start it.

Is it dangerous to push start a car?

There are obvious risks when you push start a car, including injuries as you enter the vehicle as it’s rolling, especially downhill.

Can you push start a car if its battery is completely dead?

It won’t work. This is the end of our comprehensive guide on multiple ways of jump-starting your car. The process of how to jump start a car contains only a few steps. But for effectiveness and safety, you need to follow each of them correctly. Otherwise, you may get yourself in danger or fail to get the car started.