

Ever found yourself stranded with a weak or dead car battery? You can jump-start your vehicle safely in a few minutes if you follow these simple steps.
Carrying a set of jumper cables can help you help a fellow motorist-or the other way around. Jump-starting a vehicle is usually pretty simple, but it’s serious business and you have to do it right to do it safely. Every year people are seriously injured while attempting to help another driver with a “jump.” Print this article and put it in your glove box. Then, before you even connect the cables, go through these preliminary steps:
1. Clamp the positive (red or yellow) cable to the positive terminal of the weak battery. Make sure the other end doesn’t touch any part of the car’s engine or body or you could get a dangerous spark.
2. Clamp the other end of the positive cable to the positive terminal of the good battery.
3. Clamp the negative cable (black) to the negative terminal of the good battery.
4. Clamp the other end of the negative cable to a clean metal part of the engine (like a bolt head or bracket) in the car with the weak battery. Keep the clamp away from the battery, any moving parts and the fuel system.
Caution: Don’t attach the negative cable to the negative terminal of the weak battery! This common mistake could ignite hydrogen gas directly over the battery. Battery explosions can cause serious injury. Even if you’ve gotten away with it before, use a metallic engine part instead.
5. Now start the car with the good battery, let it charge the weak battery for 5 minutes, then try to start the car with the weak battery. If it doesn’t start, shut off both ignitions, make sure the cable clamps are making good contact and then try it again. When the car with the weak battery starts, wait (about 15 seconds or so) to make sure it doesn’t stall.
6. Disconnect the cables in the reverse order: First remove the negative cable from the car you jumped, then the negative cable from the car with the good battery. Then remove the positive cable from the car with the good battery (don’t touch a grounded part of either car with the clamp of the positive cable). Finally, remove the positive cable from the car with the weak battery. Remember, both engines will be running (with any luck!), so work carefully as you remove cables to avoid belts, fans and other moving parts.
Tip: If you live in a very cold climate, buy the thickest-gauge cables you can find (the lower the number, the thicker the cable).