How to Jump-Start a Car
How to Jump-Start a Car in Tifton, GA
There’s nothing worse than a dead car battery when you’re about to leave for work. Leaving on car lights, extreme outdoor temperatures and undiagnosed vehicle issues can be the cause for dead car batteries. Feeling stranded is never a situation you want to be in — that’s why Griffin Ford Lincoln is here to help. We’ve put together a straightforward guide on how to jump-start your vehicle. To get started, you just need jumper cables and a trusted friend with a car. Once you’ve read our instructions, you’ll be back on the road in no time.
Before jump-starting, double check:
- Your battery. Never try to jump-start a leaky, damaged, frozen or corroded battery. This is a major hazard that should be taken care of by a professional. If you suspect your battery has been compromised, contact us today and our technicians can help you!
- For metal objects and open flames. Make sure you remove any tools, phones, watches, jewelry or cigarettes away from the battery. You want to keep the sparks inside the engine, not outside of it.
- Your key. Take it out of the ignition and put it away for safekeeping.
- Your owner’s manual. When in doubt, always refer to your owner’s manual on how to jump-start your model’s battery before you begin.
- The battery voltage. You want to check and make sure that both cars have the same battery voltage. Many vehicles either have a 12-volt or six-volt battery. Never try to jump-start your car with a vehicle that has a higher battery voltage than yours.
What to Do Next
When you’re ready to jump-start your car,
follow these tips:
- Prepare both cars. Park the donor car in close proximity to yours and put both vehicles in park or neutral. Then, turn them off and engage the parking brake. While you want the cars close, make sure they aren’t physically touching each other.
- Get your jumper cables ready. These will have four alligator clips, two on each end. They’re also color coded so that the red ones are positive and the black ones are negative. Here is the specific order in which you need to attach them to the cars:
- RED to DEAD: Connect one of the red clips to the positive (+) terminal on your dead battery.
- RED to DONOR: Connect the other red clip to the positive (+) terminal on the donor vehicle’s battery.
- BLACK to DONOR: On the SAME CAR, connect one of the black clips to the negative (-) terminal on the donor vehicle’s battery.
- BLACK to METAL: Now, back to the dead battery. Connect the other black clip to bare metal that is not next to the battery. This can be an unpainted metal bolt or bracket.
- Start the donor car and let it run for one to two minutes.
- Then, try to start the car with the dead battery.
- If it turns on, let it run for one to two minutes and you can celebrate. This period lets the battery recharge, as power will travel along the jumper cables and into your battery.
- Conversely, if it won’t start, you may need to be patient a little longer to let the battery continue to charge. However, if you’ve already tried multiple times to no avail, it could be a sign that you have a bigger problem on your hands that needs to be fixed by a professional. Schedule a service appointment with our technicians today and we’ll be happy to assist you!
- Without turning your car off, remove the cables in reverse order from how you put them on.
- Drive your vehicle for 30 minutes. This will help the battery retain the charge so it can start up properly next time.
Are you noticing that your vehicle needs to be jumped on a consistent basis? It might be time for a replacement battery. Don’t hesitate to schedule a service appointment with us and our experts will order you a new battery, install it and dispose of the old one properly.
If you have any questions about jump-starting a car, what battery is right for your model or anything else, we’ll be happy to help. Contact us online or stop by Griffin Ford Lincoln at 511 W. 7th Street Tifton, GA 31794. We’re located near Albany, Cordele, Valdosta and Douglas.