How to Jump Start a Car

If you find yourself in Dallas-Fort Worth with a vehicle that won’t start, chances are you’ll need to jump-start your car battery. Check out our easy guide at Autobahn Jaguar Fort Worth Certified Pre-Owned & Service on how to properly jump-start a car so you don’t do damage to your battery (or yourself).

What is the Proper Way to Jump Start a Car?

To jump a car battery, you’ll need a set of jumper cables and another vehicle with a healthy battery. A flashlight is also a good tool to always have in your vehicle if you run into any issues at night. Then, follow these steps:

1. Park the dead car and the healthy car facing each other, with both engines off and both parking brakes engaged for safety.
2. Open the hood of each car and locate the batteries. Sometimes there is a plastic cover on the battery terminals that you will have to remove.
3. Locate the positive and negative terminals, and be sure they are free of corrosion and dirt before proceeding.
4. Connect one of the jumper cable red clamps to the positive post on the dead battery.
5. Connect the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the other car’s healthy battery.
6. Clip the black clamp to the negative post on the healthy battery.
7. Clip the final clamp to any unpainted metal surface on the dead car’s frame.
8. Start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery, and letting it run for a few minutes to provide charge before attempting to start the dead battery on the other vehicle.
9. Once the vehicle has been jump-started, carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed on, then shut off the car that was used to help jump-start the dead car.
10. Keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery is properly recharged. Consult your owner’s manual for more info on recommended times.

More Battery Tips and Tricks

When you’ve tried these steps but your car won’t jump start, it may be time for a battery replacement, but it may be indicative of other problems. Here are some ways to troubleshoot if the jump-start doesn’t work:

• If you hear clicking sound when you attempt to jump the battery, this may mean the starter is malfunctioning. Schedule service at Autobahn Jaguar Fort Worth Certified Pre-Owned & Service in the DFW area for a replacement.
• If your headlights appear dim or they don’t turn on at all, this may indicate that the car battery is too damaged or low on charge to be jump-started.
• If the electrical systems of the car turn on, but the engine fails to start, this could indicate an issue with the ignition switch, battery, starter, or a fuse. Take your car to a local authorized Jaguar service center so they can diagnose the issue.
• As a pro-active measure, you can sign up for a jump-start car service/roadside assistance service like AAA, and many new vehicle warranties now include 24/7 roadside assistance services.

Turn to Autobahn Jaguar Fort Worth Certified Pre-Owned & Service for Service

When you are ready to take your vehicle in for service in the Dallas area, rely on Autobahn Jaguar Fort Worth Certified Pre-Owned & Service for everything from routine maintenance to major repairs to guidance for buying a used car. Contact us with any questions, like how to rotate tires, how much a transmission costs, or what TPMS means.