Last night, my wife’s car decided to leave a vanity light on (the rear hatch didn’t close properly) and drain the battery overnight. Most of us have had this problem one time or another and have had to call the foreman, or the online battery rescue for a jumpstart, or even for a new battery.
But it is easier to handle matters on your own if you own a set of jump cables. A tip here: Get a set of heavy-duty jumper cables. The package may say “Heavy Duty” but if the cable is only as thick as your little pinky, you can sue them for misleading advertising. Get a set that has cables as thick as your thumb and possesses crocodile clips that are actually thicker than A4 paper.
These instructions are useful if you own an automatic car. A manual car just needs a push-start in second gear to start right up. An auto will not be able to be push-started.
Now all you need is a Good Samaritan to stop his car to help you. Firstly, make sure you are both parked safely and both batteries are within the cables’ reach. Make sure that the battery on the Good Samaritan’s vehicle has a similar voltage as your own (12V) and almost a similar rating (a 60 Amp/Hr battery will struggle to start a 100 Amp/Hr battery, but vice versa is okay). As long as you hook up the cables properly, it doesn’t matter whether your vehicle has negative ground and the other vehicle has positive ground, or if your vehicle has an alternator and the other vehicle has a generator.
To start with, take out your jumper cables. One will be red with red clips and the other, black with black clips.
Place both vehicles in Park or Neutral, and shut off the ignition in both cars.
Make sure both handbrakes are engaged.
Attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of your battery.
It either has a red ring around it, a ‘POS’ or “+” sign on it, and is usually is bigger than the negative terminal.
Attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of your new Good-Samaritan-turned-BFF’s car.
Attach one of the black clips to the negative terminal on the BFF’s battery.
Attach the last black clip to an unpainted metal surface on your car that isn’t near the battery. A bolt or a stud inside the engine bay is sufficient. Make sure to connect jumper cables in the proper order. This method avoids unnecessary (but highly entertaining) showers of sparks.
Ask your new BFF to start his vehicle and let the engine run for about 5 minutes.
Try to start your vehicle. Usually your car will start almost immediately. Carefully remove the jump cables in the reverse order of the above and allow the car to idle for a few minutes.
However, if it still won’t start, make sure that the cables are properly connected and have your BFF run his or her engine for another five minutes. Then try to start your car again.
If the jump works and your car starts, do not shut off your engine. Thank your new BFF and drive around for at least 15 minutes to recharge your battery.
But if it still won’t start, your battery may be beyond help. It will then be time to get online for a battery supplier who delivers or on the phone to your friendly neighbourhood foreman.
If the car starts but won’t start the next time you use it, even after running it for 15 minutes, the battery isn’t holding a charge. See the above paragraph for the next step.
I followed my own advice but found out my jump cables weren’t man enough (they must have come free with a packet of crisps). A bigger set of cables revealed that we needed a new battery anyway. A new battery later, and the wife’s car was mobile again. See you next time.