How to Properly Jump-Start a Car in Wheeling

There’s nothing quite like being stuck on the side of the road in Wheeling or St. Clairsville, OH. Except maybe being stuck in a parking lot because your car won’t start. We’ve all been there. The question is, if you find yourself with a dead car battery, how are you going to get yourself out of the situation? Jump-starting your car or getting a jump-start car service is a good first step! Follow this handy guide on how to properly jump-start a car from the Elm Grove Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram service pros so you can get right back on the roads of Martins Ferry, OH soon!

Here’s How to Jump-Start a Car Battery

What will you need to jump-start a car? A set of jumper cables and another vehicle are the requirements. You can also call a jump-start car service like AAA if you don’t know anyone who can help you locally or if you don’t want to enlist the assistance of a stranger. When you have another vehicle and jumper cables handy, here’s what to do:

1. Park the two vehicles near each other, turn them off, and engage the parking brakes. To jump-start most car batteries, you’ll want to face the vehicles engine-to-engine, since that’s where batteries are usually located. Some foreign cars do have the battery located in the trunk. Consult your owner’s manual for more information or call our service center.
2. Locate the batteries in both vehicles and expose the battery terminals.
3. Locate the positive and negative terminals on each vehicle and ensure they’re clean and corrosion-free.
4. Hook up the red jumper cable clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
5. Uncoiling the battery cable, hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge. MAKE SURE THE ENDS OF THE JUMPER CABLES DO NOT TOUCH — THEY COULD SPARK AND CAUSE A FIRE HAZARD!
6. Hook up the black clamp to the negative post on the battery in the running vehicle.
7. Hook up the last remaining jumper cable connector to an unpainted metal surface on the car’s frame (one that’s grounded).
8. When your two vehicles are connected with the jumper cables, start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery. Let sit for a couple minutes. Then try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If this is unsuccessful, you can try letting the good vehicle charge the dead vehicle for a bit longer. If still unsuccessful, contact our service center for additional diagnostics or a tow.
9. If you’ve successfully jump-started, your vehicle carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order of what’s listed above.
10. Keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. We recommend scheduling service right away so our service pros can take a look and see if you’ll need a new battery ASAP (sometimes jump-starting a car is a temporary solution).

More Battery Tips and Tricks from Elm Grove Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

If you’ve had trouble jump-starting a car battery, you should know that sometimes learning the proper way to jump-start a car isn’t enough to fix other underlying issues, and it’s very likely that the fix you tried didn’t work because of no fault of your own. Namely, other issues might be at play:

1. Do you hear a clicking sound when you try to jump-start your car, only for nothing to happen? Your starter might be the problem.
2. If the electrical systems of the car turn on, but the engine doesn’t, you could be experiencing a number of issues with vehicle components like the starter, battery, ignition switch, or even a faulty fuse.
3. We’ve mentioned it once, but it’s worth mentioning again: if you’ve been able to properly jump-start your car, keep it running, and we recommend bringing it to a service center ASAP for additional battery diagnostics.

Turn to Elm Grove Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram for Service

From oil changes and brake light replacement tips to battery jump-starting tips & tricks, we’re here for all your vehicle service & maintenance needs at Elm Grove Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram near Moundsville! Curious to learn more about how to jump-start a car, how often to change your oil, or anything else? We’re here to help! Need to replace your old vehicle with something affordable? Check out our vehicles under $10,000. No matter your automotive needs, we want to help!