How to Jump Start a Car

One thing is for sure when you own a vehicle: at some point you’re going to have to deal with a dead car battery. While Five Star Toyota of Milledgeville sells many new and certified pre-owned Toyotas that include roadside assistance coverage and jump start car service, knowing the proper way to jump start a car and what to do if your car won’t jump start can help you save time, or help another Eatonton driver. Find out how to properly jump start a car so you can drive with confidence!

The Proper Way to Jump Start a Car

It’s easy to call a Monticello jump start car service, especially if you’re driving alone and don’t want to ask a stranger for help. If you have a passenger or nearby friend who can help jump start a car battery, though, you can likely get the job done faster than a jump start car service can reach you. Just follow these steps:

1. Park the two vehicles with the batteries facing each other. Turn the vehicles off and set the parking brakes.
2. Gain access to the batteries. You may need to remove a plastic hood or plastic caps 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. Separate the red ends from the black ends of your jumper cables. You don’t want them to touch, ever, because they could spark. 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 a good idea to let the car with the good battery run for a bit before 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 connected. Keep the newly-charged vehicle running.
10. Keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. Consult your owner’s manual for more info on recommended times. It’s also recommended that you get your battery tested and/or replaced ASAP. Schedule an appointment with us near Gray.

If your car won’t jump start, contact our service department to get information about jump start car service if you don’t have roadside assistance. 

Turn to Five Star Toyota of Milledgeville for More DIY Car Care Tips

Now that you know how to jump start a car battery, you can learn even more DIY car service tips that will help keep you on the go in Milledgeville and beyond! We’re here to help you stay on the go while keeping your Toyota in excellent condition for as long as you drive it.