How to Jump Start a Car

When you know how to jump start a car, you can save yourself time and money, as well as keep yourself safe. It’s one of the most essential car tricks every Ooltewah driver should know. The service team at Mtn. View Chevrolet has compiled an easy guide to show you how to jump start a car. Take a look, then contact us if you have any questions.

How to Jump Start a Car Step-by-Step

All you need to jump start a car is a set of jumper cables and a running vehicle. If you have roadside assistance or a service like AAA they can jump start your car for you, but it might be quicker to work with a friend or good samaritan. Here’s how:

1. Have the car with the good battery park facing the other vehicle then turn off the vehicle. Engage the parking brakes on both vehicles.
2. Open both hoods and find the battery terminals. They might be under a removable plastic hood.
3. Identify the positive and negative terminals. Make sure they’re clean and free of any corrosion.
4. Connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery. Uncoil the battery cable and hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
5. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery. Connect the final clamp to an unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame.
6. Start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery first, then the one with the dead battery.
7. When the dead vehicle has been jump-started, remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed on. Shut off the car that was used to help jump-start the dead car.
8. Keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery is well-charged.

If your battery was dead, this should do the trick in reviving it. If it doesn’t, that’s a sign of other problems. It might be time to replace the battery. If you hear a clicking sound when you try to start the car, that’s a sign of a faulty starter. If the car’s electrical systems turn on but the engine doesn’t, that could be a problem with the ignition switch, battery, starter, or a fuse.

Schedule Service with Mtn. View Chevrolet

The service team at Mtn. View Chevrolet is here for all of your automotive car needs. From checking the charge on your battery to installing a new one, schedule service with us, then check our service specials to get a great deal when it’s time to replace your battery!