We have all been there. You open your car, get inside, turn the key in the ignition and…nothing. Your car won’t start because the battery is dead, but you have places to go. And now?
Luckily, a dead battery is one of the easiest car problems to fix and can be fixed with a simple jump start. Using another car to revive your own seems like a complicated process, but once you get there, you’ll find it’s very simple, even if it takes a bit of time.
So here’s how to start a car and get you back on the road.
What to do before starting your car
What you will need
A car with a dead battery A gas-powered car with a working battery Jumper cables Patience
The most important thing about playing with electricity is making sure it’s safe to do so. This way your car shouldn’t suffer major damage when trying to recharge the battery.
Your first step is to make sure the battery is in good working order. This means making sure it is undamaged and has no leaks of any kind.
If it is leaking, you should stop what you are doing and call roadside assistance. The same goes for jumper cables, as damaged cables can do more harm than good.
It’s also worth making sure you’re not wearing loose or hanging clothes, such as scarves or ties, as there’s a risk of them getting caught in moving engine parts. The same goes for long hair – tie it up before you lean over a running engine.
You should also check that no metal is touching the battery, as this can cause sparks.
How to start your car
- Position both cars so that both batteries are within reach of the jumper cables.
- Turn off both engines and open the hoods, then make sure the hand or parking brakes are on.
- Connect your red jump lead to the positive terminal of the working battery.
- Connect the other end of the red jumper cable to the positive terminal of the discharged battery.
- Connect the black jumper cable to the negative terminal of the working battery.
- Connect the other end of the black jumper cable to a ground point on the car with a dead battery. It can be any unpainted piece of metal in the engine block, as long as it is away from the battery and fuel system.
- Turn on the ignition of the working car and let the engine run for a few minutes.
- Turn on the ignition on the car with the dead battery and try to crank the engine. You may need to pump the accelerator pedal several times before the engine starts. If two or three starting attempts are not enough, wait a few minutes, then try again.
- Once both cars are running, let them idle for about 10 minutes. This will recharge the discharged battery enough to give it an independent start.
- Turn off both motors.
- Remove the jumper cables in the reverse order and make sure the wires do not touch each other.
- Start your car engine.
At this point, your car’s engine should be able to start even without being connected to the second car. If it still won’t start, try repeating steps 1 through 8. After that, you’ll probably need to call a roadside assistance company for help.
How to start a car with a battery booster
If you’ve already planned for this eventuality and have a charged booster battery in your car, the starting process is pretty much the same, but without having to find a second car ready to wait to give you a jump. Here is what you do:
- Make sure the booster is fully charged otherwise all other steps are in vain.
- Connect the red jump lead to the positive terminal of your car battery.
- Connect the black jumper cable to a ground point.
- Start the engine.
- Let the car run for five to ten minutes.
- Switch off the engine and disconnect the battery pack in the reverse order: black then red.
- Restart your engine.
What to do after starting your car
Your car probably needed a jump because something drained the battery to the point where it couldn’t power the starter. Once your car is running, you need to make sure the battery is topped up so you don’t need another jump the next time you want to use the car.
The good news is that the battery charges itself while you drive. Fifteen to 30 minutes of uninterrupted driving with the headlights off will usually do the trick. If you are driving at night, it may take longer.
Can you start an EV?
Yes, you can indeed start an electric vehicle, although the circumstances in which you would need to give an EV a boost are rare.
Electric cars have two batteries. The larger main battery powers the wheels; a smaller 12-volt battery, similar to a regular car battery, powers everything else. The 12V battery recharges using power from the main battery.
This means that the only times you would need a jump are if you let the main battery level drop to zero or leave the car plugged in for too long. Either way, it would still take about two weeks for the 12V battery to lose its charge.
However, most electric vehicles can be started in exactly the same way as a regular gasoline-powered car. I should mention that a jump can only power the 12V battery and will not provide any additional range.
It’s also worth pointing out that 12V EV batteries don’t have the cranking power to start a gas-powered car, so attempting to do so can cause significant damage to the EV’s electrical system.
