How to Jump-Start a Car

Sometimes your car just won’t start. When this time comes, no matter if you’re in Blair or Fremont, you may need to know how to jump-start a car. We at the Sid Dillon Chevrolet-blair Inc service center can help you learn more about how to jump-start a car, how to better care for your vehicle, and much more. Check out our guide below to learn more, then contact us to schedule an appointment to have your vehicle inspected.

The Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car

Though you can call a jump-start service, there are a few tricks you can try to jump-start a car battery yourself. This will require jumper cables as well as another vehicle. Once you have that together, follow these steps below. If you’re uncomfortable getting a stranger to help, you can call a jump-start car service to help.

1. Once you have a helper, make sure both vehicles are parked with the batteries facing each other. Most vehicles have the battery located in the hood. After the vehicles are parked in front of each other, turn them off and set the parking brakes.
2. Gain access to the batteries. Note: you may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
3. Find the positive and negative battery terminals. Make sure they are clean and free of any corrosion or dirt.
4. Take stock of your cables and separate the red ends from the black ends. You don’t want them to touch, ever, as they could spark. Next, connect the red 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.
6. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery. 
7. Connect the last black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame.
8. Once everything is hooked up securely, start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery. You may try to start the engine right away, but it’s probably a good idea to let the car with the good battery run for a bit, then try starting the engine of the other vehicle. 
9. Once the dead vehicle has been successfully jump-started, carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed on, and keep the other vehicle running.
10. Keep the engine on the restarted vehicle running for at least 10 minutes to ensure the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. Be sure to check your owner’s manual for more information as well. After you’re all set, we recommend having your battery checked or replaced.

Additional Car Battery Tips & Tricks

Aside from a dead car battery, there are a few other reasons why your vehicle might not be starting. Here are a few causes:

1. If you try and start the car but only hear a clicking sound, the starter might not be functioning. 
2. Notice the electrical system turning on, but the engine isn’t? The issue could be a number of things including the ignition switch, starter, or something as small as a fuse. We recommend bringing your vehicle to our service center near Omaha to have it assessed.
3. Also, don’t forget to keep your vehicle running for a while after getting jumped. This will allow the battery to recharge a bit. Not that some batteries will still hold a charge for some time after being jumped. This is typically the case with a vehicle that has a newer battery that’s been sitting idle for a while.

Turn to Sid Dillon Chevrolet-blair Inc for More DIY Car Care Tips

Ready for more car-care tips? Our team near Lincoln can help. If you’re in need of a battery replacement, check out our parts team to find the right battery for your vehicle. We also offer parts specials as well as service specials so you can save more on what you need and the installation. Contact our team with any questions in the meantime.