If you have returned to your car to find that it has a flat battery, you could try jump starting your car as a tempory measure to get you home or at least to somewhere safe.
Jump starting your car can be a safe procedure without causing damage to your car if a few simple rules are followed:
Safety rules
- Keep metal objects away from the car battery - watches, rings, tools, clips or stray wires. Just brushing a battery post with a metal object can cause a massive spark, which could result in a vehicle fire.
- Dont attempt to jump start a car with a visibly damaged or leaking car battery, possible explosion of the car battery could result.
- Do not smoke or use a naked flame as a light, car batteries give off very explosive gases, and any contact with a flame could cause your car battery to explode.
- Keep your hands away from the engine and make sure any loose clothing is well secured, particularly scarves and ties, with the engine running your clothing could easily get caught up in the pulleys or belts and cause you these injury or even be fatal.
- Only use good quality jump leads that are in good condition to jump start your car, poor quality jump leads could cause sparks or overheating which could lead to a vehicle fire or injury.
Step by step guide to jump starting your car.
Before attaching the jump leads make sure that the two vehicles being used are of the same voltage, most are 12 volt, but you must check or you could cause expensive damage to both cars. Make sure both cars have the handbrake fully on and that both cars ignitions are fully off and make sure that both vehicles do not touch each other as this can cause sparks and possible explosion.
- Use the red jump lead to connect the positive terminal of the donor vehicle good car battery to the positive terminal of the other vehicles flat car battery.
- Then attach attach the black negative jump lead to the negative terminal on the car with the good car battery and then carefully attach the black negative battery lead to the negative terminal on the vehicle with the flat car battery.
- With both vehicles now connected wait three minutes for the voltage of both car batteries to stabilise before starting either car engine.
- Start the battery of the vehicle with the good car battery and allow to run for for a minute or so, then with the engine still running, start the engine on the vehicle with the flat car battery, once the vehicle starts leave both vehicles running for around ten minutes without removing the jump leads.
- DO NOT REMOVE THE JUMP LEADS WHEN EITHER VEHICLE IS RUNNING AS ELECTRONIC DAMAGE CAN BE CAUSED.
- Turn off both the vehicles and remove the jump leads in the reverse order to which you attached them, be careful not to touch the jump leads together as a spark could arise.
- Now you can try to start the vehicle that had the flat car battery, if it does not start you could have a more seriouse problem with the electronics on your vehicle or the car battery could be unserviceable. In both cases we recommend that you get your car battery and your vehicles charging and starting system tested.
This is just a guide and should be treated as that, DC Batteries accept no responsibility for any accidents or damage caused, we recommend that if you do not know what you are doing or that you are not sure of your abilities that you call us or call another professional for assistance in the event of a flat car battery.
LET DC BATTERIES TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR CAR BATTERY NEEDS.
www.dcbatteries.com
