No matter how dependable your car has been, at some point, your battery can die and won't be able to start your car. A car's battery can die for several reasons - from the winter cold to the summer heat, and even to leaving your lights on overnight. If your battery is dead, you'll need to know how to give it a boost. We've listed out a few simple steps on how to jump-start your car successfully, so you can get back on the road of life quickly and easily.
Step One: Positioning the Cars
The boosting car should be parked nose to nose with your car, with about a foot between the two vehicles. If your vehicle has a manual transmission, you'll need to set it in neutral and pull up the parking brake; if your car has an automatic transmission, you should put it in park.
Step Two: Make Sure Your Car is Turned Off
The helping car should be turned off. Pop your hood and inspect your battery. If your battery looks corroded, we recommend calling a tow service to take your vehicle to Camelback Kia's service center to have the battery replaced. If the battery looks okay, then you're ready to move on to the next step.
Step Three: Find Your Terminals
All batteries have positive and negative terminals. These terminals can be identified through either their color (red is the positive terminal, black is the negative terminal) or with a plus or minus sign on the top of the battery. Your battery jumper cables have colors corresponding to the battery terminals. Throughout the jump-starting process, make sure the metal ends of the jumper cables don't touch.
Step Four: Attach Your Cables
You'll want to start by attaching the red/positive jumper cable to its positive counterpart on the dead battery. After that, attach the other end of the red cable to the live battery's positive terminal. Follow this by connecting the black/negative cable to the live battery's negative terminal. Instead of attaching the remaining negative end to the dead battery's negative terminal, you'll attach it to a metal – non-painted – part of your car's engine block - like unpainted bolts or jumping posts. Be sure to avoid the battery.
Step Five: Move Away from the Cars
To ensure your safety, keep a safe distance from both your car and the boosting car.
Step Six: Start the Boosting Car Engine
After everyone has cleared away from the cars, it's now time for the car with the live battery to start its engine. After it's started, let the car run for a few minutes, while the driver slightly revs the engine every few seconds.
Step Seven: Start the Other Car
You can now try to start your car. If the car does start, continue to let it run for a few more minutes. If the engine doesn't turn over, wait a few more minutes and try again. If the car still doesn't start, we recommend taking a look at your connections once again – turn everything off first. If it still doesn't start, we recommend that you call for a tow to our Phoenix service center.
Step Eight: Disconnect Your Cables
If your car does start, your next step is to disconnect your cables. Don't do this randomly; you'll need to follow a particular process – unless your owner's manual tells you differently. What you need to do is remove the cables in the opposite way you put them on i.e., remove the negative cable off of the dead car's engine, then remove the negative cable off of the live car's battery, then the positive cable off of the good car's battery and finally the positive cable off of the dead car's battery.
