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In this article, we are going to discuss about how to jump-start a car battery. A car gives comfort, privacy and lets you go wherever you wish to go at the time of your choice with your family. But it comes with some challenges too. We usually worry about headlights, car paint, wheels, etc., and often neglect the battery.
What if your car doesn’t start when you have an important meeting to attend? The world came to a halt due to the ongoing pandemic situations. People are forced to stay at home to survive in these tough times. Most of the vehicles are not running or running less due to lockdown.
A simple parked car doesn’t mean it is not consuming any power. The recent cars are provided with electrical components that consume energy even when the car is parked. What if your car doesn’t start when you have a medical emergency? Sounds terrible, right?
Access Now: Dead Simple Trick To Bring Any Battery Back To Life
Clues for Detecting A Dead Battery in A Car
If a car is parked for many days without operating, the battery drains. Your engine may not start in this case. However, that doesn’t imply a dead battery.
There could be other reasons too. First, check for the working of the other components. If everything looks fine and still the car doesn’t start, then the reason would be a dead battery. Here are some clues to check for a flat battery.
Check for The Headlights, Wind Shields, And Radio
Once the ignition is switched on, a battery runs the headlights, windshields, wipers, and radio. The radio doesn’t work with a dead battery. The dim or flickering lights state that the battery is weak.
A Swollen Battery
If you noticed a change in the size of the battery, the battery might be overcharged, or the alternator should contain a faulty voltage regulator. This results in excessive accumulation of hydrogen gas in the battery, which damages the battery leaving you no chance of reversing it.
Foul Smell from The Battery
A good battery is odorless. If a foul smell or rotten egg smell comes out of your battery, it is a sign that your battery is ready to fail. The bad odor is due to the release of sulfuric acid that affects the other parts of the engine. You should replace the battery as early as possible if you experience such a situation.
Check Engine Flashlight
The engine lights are generally designed to signal you about problems pertaining to the engine. If there is any problem with the engine, the light flashes or stays continuously. Opt for car maintenance so that you can discover some underlying battery problems from the investigations.
When the car battery is dead, you have to jumpstart your car to revive it. You require jumper cables and a working vehicle to quickly jumpstart a dead car battery.
Tips to Be Followed Before Jumpstarting A Battery
Don’t just go for jumpstarting as soon as you realized a dead battery. Through the following checklist for improved safety and effective jumpstarting of the battery. Peek
- Get high-quality jumper cables to avoid accidents
- Ensure that everything is turned off and all the accessories are unplugged
- The positive and negative clamps of the jumper cables should never touch each other to avoid severe electric short
- Never lean over or stay near the cars
- Place the cars away from the flammable environment. Do not smoke near the car or carry. Remove any clothes from the car that can catch flames.
- Put on safety equipment like rubber gloves and goggles for safety purposes
- Check with the fluid in the battery. If the fluid is frozen or at a low level, never jumpstart the car to prevent the battery explosion
- Compare the voltages of both the car batteries. The difference in voltages can cause severe damage to both vehicles.
If you want to jumpstart it by yourself, always go through the manual thoroughly and follow the step-by-step instructions to jumpstart a vehicle that has been provided below.
Step by Step Guide to Jumpstart Your Car Battery
- Park the working car right in front of the car with a dead battery. Ensure that they don’t touch each other.
- Look for the batteries in both the cars as different models can have batteries at different locations.
Switch off the ignition in both cars - Locate the engine battery taking help from a user manual. It has positive + and negative – terminals with red and black cables connected.
- Remove the cables and replace them with jumper cables. Clamp the red cable with positive terminals of working car and dead car
- Clamp the black cable to the negative terminal of the working car. Connect the other end of the cable with an unpainted metal component of the dead car.
- Do not touch the cables or any other components in the dead car.
- Start the working car and run it for one or two minutes
- Now start the dead car. It should start. If it doesn’t start, accelerate the good car and check again
- Disconnect the black jumper cable first, followed by the red one. Make sure that you remove the jumper cables in the reverse order you attached them. They shouldn’t touch each other or any other metal parts of the car.
How to Jumpstart a Car Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How Do I Decide Whether to Replace My Car Battery, When It Doesn’t Start?
After 3 years of operation, it is better to replace a battery. The old batteries invite a lot of issues to the engine. Go through the above clues to detect a dead battery when it doesn’t start. Other problems can be addressed by seeking help from automotive service stores.
2. How Do High Temperatures Affect the Battery?
If the car battery is exposed to high temperatures, the fluid gets evaporated from the electrolyte, the battery bulges, there is a danger of explosion also due to corrosion that eats up the battery life.
3. Why Is It Important to Unplug the Ground Wire First While Replacing the Battery or Cleaning the Terminals?
You are strictly advised to check the grounding system of the battery. If you remove the positive terminal first from a negatively grounded system, there is a high risk of battery explosion and spark creation. If any metal component touches your metal wrench, a circuit will be formed, and the battery will be short-circuited.
4. What Are the Practices for Longer Battery Life?
The below practices can be followed to extend battery life.
- The battery should be firmly held in its place. Any shaking or misplacing in the engine leads to a short circuit and could be fatal when you are inside the car.
- When you want to leave a car undriven for longer days, it is better to unplug the terminals to avoid quick draining of the battery.
- Batteries contain lead-acid. Pure and distilled water is required to dilute the acid. If the water level is low, the concentration of acid may increase, leading to corrosion of the internal body of the battery, damaging it permanently.
- Provide proper preventive maintenance periodically for increased battery life
- Always keep the car away from hotter climates.
5. Why Can’t You Connect the Negative Terminal of a Dead Battery?
Batteries contain highly flammable hydrogen gas. When you jumpstart a car, there is a chance of sparks. You should connect the negative terminal of the cable to any other metal component and not the negative terminal of the battery. They should be placed away from the battery to avoid gas explosion.
6. What Happens If You Connect the Car Battery Wrong?
If you misconnect the cables, reverse polarity occurs. There is a huge flow of electricity between the batteries, which melts away the insulation on jumper cables placing the operator in danger. Also, the excess heat generation can melt away the battery parts, and high pressure from hydrogen gas breaks the casing and escapes out, and explodes.
7. Is Jumpstarting A Car Damage Alternator?
The alternator’s function is to charge the battery by taking the energy from the ignition. If the alternator is never prepared for dead battery conditions, the alternator tries to charge when a battery dies but fails to do it. It becomes hot and eventually dies.
8. How Long Can You Leave A Car Without Operating?
If you don’t run a car for a while, the car battery drains, and the alternator can’t help save the battery from dying. You are not advised to park a car idle for more than 2 weeks. At least start a car frequently and take it for a short run.
Conclusion
A car battery usually lasts for 3-4 years. It has a longer life in a colder environment than hot weather. You should run the car regularly to maintain the battery charge life. If you want to park or not run for a longer period, a battery maintainer can help the car prevent battery draining.
We have provided you with all the necessary details about jumpstarting your car through this article. For more details, you are advised to opt for EZ Battery Reconditioning Program. The program will guide you through the reconditioning process of your battery.
