How to Jump-Start a Car

Jumpstarting A Car

Do you know how to jumpstart a car? While there’s dangers involved surrounding your car battery, the process of jumpstarting a car really isn’t that bad once you have the instructions–and thankfully, we’re here to inform Cabot drivers on that very topic today. If you’ve never jumpstarted a car before or you just need a refresher, we hope this guide from Gwatney Chevrolet Company will give you the facts you need. And if jumpstarting a car doesn’t work, we suggest you schedule service with us.

How to Jumpstart a Car

1. Have the two vehicles face each other with the batteries closest to each other. This is most likely going to be hood to hood, but if you have a car with the engine in the back, this might be different. Turn the vehicles off and set the parking brakes.
2. Get access to the batteries. This might involve removing a plastic hood to find the battery terminals.
3. Find the positive and negative battery terminals and ensure they don’t have any rust or corrosion.
4. Take stock of your cables and separate the red ends from the black ends. You don’t want them to touch ever because this could cause a dangerous spark. Next, connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
5. Uncoil the battery cable and hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
6. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery.
7. Connect the other black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame.
8. After you’ve got everything hooked up securely, start the engine of the vehicle with the live battery. Wait a little bit, then try to start the engine of the other vehicle.
9. Once the dead vehicle is going, remove the jumper cables in the reverse order of the way they were placed on, then keep the other vehicle running for a little bit so the battery doesn’t die right away.

Come Visit Us in Jacksonville for Your Battery Needs

If you’ve got a vehicle in Sherwood or Little Rock with battery problems, let the team at Gwatney Chevrolet Company help you out. We’ve got a certified team of experts and we’re ready to serve! If you’re ready, contact us today on our web form to get in touch with one of those automotive service experts.