If you have ever tried to start your car, but you hear it rev and die, you probably know about the frustration of having a dead battery. Many times, the culprit is a light left on or even a door left ajar.
Whichever is the case, it is left for you to bring your battery back up so you can start the car and continue with your trip. This article looks at how to use another car’s battery to get yours going, a process known as jumpstarting. We also throw in an excellent recommendation about a product that can jump-start your vehicle quickly!
There are several steps to jump-start a car. But the most important one is to be prepared. You must have jumper cables handy.
Get your jumper cables to jump start
Jumper cables come in pairs, one black, and the other red. Bear in mind that they have specific functions and usage, as you shall see. You should keep a pair in your at all times to easily access them when you need them.
Find a source of electricity and set up
You would need a willing car for this since you are tapping from another battery. Perhaps a Good Samaritan that you flag down on the road or a compassionate co-worker will suffice. Get the ‘donor’ vehicle close to yours but without them touching and turn off the engines.
Open the hoods of the two cars and locate the batteries. If either of them shows any sign of a leak or crack, do not continue. Get a tow truck to transport them to a repair shop.
However, if the coast is clear, proceed to the next step.
Connect the batteries through the jumper cables
Here, the colors of the cables are essential. Connect the positive terminals of both batteries through the red cable.
Clip one end of the black cable to the ‘donor’ battery’s negative terminal and the other end of the black cable to a grounding strip (this depends on your car, so consult the manual) or a clean, unpainted metal surface like a nut or bolt. It is important that you do not connect the other end of the cable to your own battery negative terminal.
Wrap up
Next, the ‘donor’ driver starts his ignition, and after a few minutes, you turn yours on as well. When you are done, disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse order that you connected them. Allow your car to idle for about 5 minutes and keep it running for at least 30 minutes so the battery can fully recharge.
It is advisable you get your battery checked to see if it is time for a replacement.
A better way to jump start your car with AUTOOL EM365
If you drive a BMW, Benz, an Audi, etc., there is a better way to jump start your car. The AUTOOL EM365 Inverter Power Supply machine is a device that provides 400A starting current to jump start your car.
However, this versatile machine does much more as it can charge your battery with a programmed regulated power supply. It charges fast and automatically adjusts the charging voltage and current, and stops as soon as the battery is fully charged to avoid overcharging, which may shorten the battery life span. It supports various types of batteries and displays real-time charging status.
You can also switch the AUTOOL EM365 Inverter use to power supply for car service and debugging.
When used as a power supply, the AUTOOL EM365 Inverter can provide regulated power and assist the vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU) in programming or decoding tasks.
There is a three-year warranty on the AUTOOL EM365 Inverter, in addition to lifetime maintenance for damages caused by non-human factors. To learn more or place an order, click here.