To jump start a car, first of all you need a set of jump-leads (sometimes referred to as booster cables). These will give you the opportunity to pipe battery power from another car (the donor) to get yours (the casualty) started. Always buy the best jump-leads you can afford. In general speaking, the thicker is the better.
The battery terminals on cars should be marked with a "+" sign (positive) and a "-" sign (negative) and the jump-leads are coloured red (positive) and black (negative). It's important they're connected correctly.
Once you are ready, follow the steps to jump start your car
- switch off both cars, make sure you remove keys for both cars.
- Connect the red jump-lead to the positive terminal of the donor, and then to the positive terminal of the casualty.
- Connect the black jump-lead to the negative terminal of the donor, and then to the negative terminal of the casualty
- Wait a about 4-5 minutes for the two batteries to stabilise.
- Start the donor car first, and then start the casualty
- Wait five minutes and turn off both cars
- Remove the black jump-lead to the negative terminal of the donor, and then to the negative terminal of the casualty
- Remove the red jump-lead to the positive terminal of the donor, and then to the positive terminal of the casualty.
- Restart the casualty and take it for a drive.
This should solve the problem caused by leaving a light or the radio on. Otherwise, it's necessary to get the battery checked to be sure that it's not going to let you down again.
How To Jump Start A Car
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