Sometimes, we take it for granted that cars start right up upon turning the key. When that doesn’t happen, your mind might turn to the worst-case scenario, instantly derailing your plans. Thankfully, you don’t have to sit there and worry since jumpstarting your car could get it running again.
What are the steps to jumpstarting your car?
According to #savagescotty, you must grab your cables, get to the battery, and:
- Hook up both sides of the red cables
- Connect the black cable to the donor battery
- Hook the other black connector to metal
- Wait, and then fire it up
There’s more to it than that, of course. And auto mechanic Scotty Kilmer is ready to go into it in detail. Just follow along to learn everything you need to know about jumpstarting your car when the battery goes dead.
Scotty’s Steps to Jumpstarting Your Car
If you hop in your car, turn the key, and nothing happens, then you likely have a dead battery. When that occurs, you can follow these steps to see if you can get it started again.
#1. the Jumper Cables Out of the Trunk
The first step simply involves grabbing your jumper cables out of the trunk. If you do not already have some, you’ll need to hitch a ride to the store to get a set or order them online.
Kilmer urges you to make sure you go with a high-quality set that will last you a lifetime — and store them in your trunk when you’re done jumping your battery.
#2. Open Up the Hood and Find Your Battery
Once you have your jumper cables in hand, open your hood. Depending on your vehicle’s year, make, and model, you may need to pull a lever inside the car first. Then, push the tab just under the center of the hook to release the locking mechanism.
Lift your hood into the open position and secure it in place using the hood prop. After that, you just need to locate your battery, which is usually on a tray toward the front of the engine bay.
Before you move forward, make sure you have a charged battery on hand or pull up a good running car in front of yours.
#3. Hook Up the Red Cables to the Positive Terminals
While keeping all of the cable clamps from touching each other, hook one of the red clamps to the positive terminal on the donor battery. If you’re not sure which is which, look for the plus sign that indicates it’s the positive side. Do not let the negative cable touch the other battery terminal or any metal while you do this.
Next, hook the red clamp on the other side to the positive terminal on your dead battery. The same goes for the black cable on the other side.
#4. Connect the Black Cable to the Donor Battery
Now you can go back to the donor battery and hook the black clamp to the negative terminal. This is the one with the minus sign near it. Both clamps should be securely clamped around their respective terminals before you move on.
#5. Hook the Other Side to a Solid Metal Part
Although it might seem like you need to hook the remaining black clamp to the negative terminal on your donor battery, Scotty says that’s not a good idea. He points out that it could fry your electronics or even cause the battery to explode. Instead, look for a solid metal mounting point, like the lift bracket on the back of the engine, and connect it there.
#6. Wait About Five Minutes and Start it up
Now, you wait. You can watch more of Kilmer’s videos on your phone or just sit and stare at the clouds. But whatever you do, don’t walk away from the car while your battery charges. Keep a close eye on it and let the batteries work their magic.
After about five minutes, you can try to start your car. Leave the batteries connected together and go turn your key in the ignition. If it starts, you can take the jumper cables off in the reverse order they were installed.
Didn’t Work? Your Starter Might be Bad Instead
If your battery didn’t start in the end, Scotty indicates that you might have a bad starter instead. You can potentially get around this problem by giving it a light tap with a big stick. So, grab a broom handle or other big stick and locate your starter.
In most cars, they are right near the area where the transmission connects to the engine. Look in the front and the back of that connection point to find your starter.
Once you have it in view, take the stick and give the starter a few good jabs. If that doesn’t work, you can get a helper to turn the key while you try again. If that works, you’ll get one more drive out of that starter. Once you turn off your engine, expect to replace the starter before you can head out again.
If all Else Fails, Check the Gas Gauge and Let it be
If jumpstarting your car or tapping the starter does not get your engine fired up, check your gas gauge.
If you’re out of gas, you’ll need to leave it be until you can fill it up or you could damage your fuel pump. And if that happens, you’ll need to take it into the shop after all.
Don’t forget to pull your Vehicle History to get a complete view of your car’s major issues before bringing it into the shop. Your mechanic will appreciate having a complete overview of your car before starting the diagnostic process.
