No worries! Step-by-step on how to jumpstart a car

So you’ve just had a great weekend out of town. You’ve enjoyed the sights and sounds of your destination, pampered yourself in the hotel amenities and just relaxed all your worries away. It’s time to come home, ready to face all the challenges your job has in store for you after your vacation.

Suddenly you reach the garage, you realize you’ve left your headlamps on the night you arrived that Friday night and the battery is all drained out! All the worries and anxieties you’ve flushed out just came crashing back in, like a wave of depressive energy. People tell you that you could just “push-start” or “Clutch-start” your engine but you tell them meekly that; “its an automatic”.

Losing battery charger on your car is not a pleasant experience

If you leave your headlamps open it drains away from your car’s battery so low that it can’t even give off enough power to start. Your car's battery is rechargeable and does so when the engine spins its alternator to do so, that is why you don’t lose a charge right away by driving or just placing your car on idle. So if you have an electronic part running while your car is turned off, in just a few hours, you are royal, screwed.

>>> Read more: Car Won't Start? Here's a list of possible car starting problems

Push starting or clutch starting a car with a dead batt only applies to manual transmission cars

Don’t worry, these things happen, even to the very best of us, it cannot be helped. When all you’re looking forward to is to get to a soft bed and rest, even the best car guys can make this mistake. We here at Philkotse.com have you covered and are ready to give you some tips and tricks as to how to jumpstart your car!

1. How to jumpstart a car: First things First

Of course, the most important part of how to jumpstart a car is to have some quality jumper cables. You can get them from your trusted car accessories shop and shouldn’t cost much. You can easily store them in your car’s trunk with the rest of your tools, you do have tools don’t you? That’s another must.

A good set of jumper cables are always good to have

These can come in handy just in case your battery dies or engine stalls. You also need a good Samaritan to help you out as you would need their vehicle to recharge your battery just enough to get the starter working. Having a set of jumper cables can help YOU play the kind stranger as well.

>>> Worth to note: Jump starter, jump box or charger - Which is the best?

2. How to jumpstart a car: Follow these steps EXACTLY

Step #1

Firstly, you have to take out your trusty jumper cables and straighten them out nice. Make sure that you have these stored in a dry place, preferably in a toolbox to avoid corrosion. Remember that you are dealing with direct electrical contacts, you don’t want your jumper cables frayed or your metal parts rusted for safety.

Step #2

You then have to make sure that both vehicles are parked next to each other. Keep them at Park or Neutral and shut off the engine for both of them. The battery on the “donor” car would be doing the heavy lifting once you start the jump-starting process.

Step #3

The jumper cable usually comes in a red and black wire connected to red and black electrical clamps or clips. Attach one of the red clips to the POSITIVE terminal of the DEAD battery. It is usually marked with a PLUS sign or POS abbreviation. If these are not available, the positive terminal post is usually larger than the smaller one. The other end of the red clip clamps on to the positive terminal of the car with the good battery.

Step #4

You then have the black clips and clamp it onto the NEGATIVE terminal of the good battery. Take the other end and DO NOT CLIP it to the dead battery terminal but on to an UNPAINTED metal part of the car, this will act as a grounding mechanism to avoid untoward shocks, you can clamp it on to the car’s UNPAINTED metal frame for safety.

>>> Related post: 2 must-know tips to reactive dead batteries on road

How to Jump-Start A Car | The Art of Manliness

Step #5

Stand clear of the car’s body panels and start the car with the GOOD battery and have it run for a few minutes. What is happening in your dead battery is piggy-backing on the power flow being generated by the running car, just enough to charge the dead battery to give it enough juice to start the engine. This process usually takes a few minutes. Take this time to offer your gratitude to your Good Samaritan.

Step #6

After a good 10-15 minutes try starting the car with the dead battery. If it fails to check the connections we made but do not remove them, just make sure they are properly connected. If the interior lights are turning on, you must have a different problem usually related to the starter.

If the engine runs, you aren’t in the clear quite just yet. Remove all the clamps in the opposite order we made earlier, first the grounding clamp, then the negative clamp, then on to the black clip on the donor car and then the red clip as well and then finally on the dead battery.

Step #7

Keep the engine running for at least 15 minutes to have the alternator running and recharge the battery to its original state and then drive around for another 5 minutes to ensure optimum levels.

>>> Worth to note: Top 9 common mistakes to avoid when jump-starting your car

3. How to jumpstart a car when there are no cars nearby?

If you are really out of luck and there are no cars anywhere, there is still a way to jump-start the car, you just need a little foresight. There are a few power banks out there available at your local car accessory shops that can actually jumpstart your car!

It comes with a complete set of instructions and can cost quite a pretty penny. I definitely think they are worth it especially if you have an automatic transmission powered car where clutch starting is not an option.

You can purchase special battery packs to charge your battery back up

There you have it, boys and girls! I hoped you learned a thing or two in class today! Make sure to follow Philkotse.com of Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook! We’re gonna have so much fun over there and keep us on your bookmarks as well to make sure you don’t miss out on highlights, news, reviews, and insights on the local car industry!

>>> Visit our website regularly for more useful tips on car maintenance.