How to Diagnose Car Battery Problems and Safely Jump Start Your Vehicle

Jun 17, 2024

Welcome to another edition of Classic’s Gearhead Guru Guide, where we cover all the ins-and-outs of vehicle maintenance, top notch care techniques, and all the nitty gritty details of collecting cars among other things. Today, we’re sharing some of the vital skill of knowing how to safely jump start your vehicle. Never done it before? Well, there’s no time like the present to learn how! Are you a seasoned pro whose car is in pristine condition, but would still like a refresher just in case? We’ve got you covered! Plus, stick around to the end of our post for some helpful visual tutorials and video lessons.

First, let’s check out some reasons that may cause a car battery to die or lose charge:

Corrosion: a vehicle battery contains acid, which when exposed to gasses in the air will release and cause a build up of white, green or even blue-hued corrosive build up on the terminals.

Loose connection to terminals: As you drive, the positive and negative terminals connected to your battery may shift and get jostled loose over time. If the terminals cannot make proper contact, the battery can’t transmit power.

Bad Alternator: a car battery receives energy when you start the engine, but relies on the alternator to help it keep a charge, so if your alternator is not working, the battery will not be receiving ideal voltage.

Extreme temperatures: both excessive heat and excessive cold can cause issues with your vehicle battery’s full performance capabilities. As the battery ages, it will gradually experience weakened performance in intense cold or hot temperatures, and may even die entirely.

Parasitic Draw: your battery is providing power to passive items like the alarm system, security tracking, and the clock even when it’s off. While those things in and of themselves will not cause a significant battery drain, adding in items like forgetting to turn off interior or exterior lights, or leaving a device plugged into the charge ports can slowly drain the battery. Always double check that your vehicle lights are off, devices are unplugged, and you’ve properly closed all the doors and windows.

Old age: the average car battery lasts between 2 and 5 years, but some may last up to 10. Most vehicles will need a replacement battery every 3 to 4 years, and your mechanic can help test the battery’s life and charge condition during your regular maintenance appointments.

Learn how to jump-start your vehicle safely! (Car to Car Method)

Step 1: Make sure both cars are parked close to one another with the hoods facing each other, but be sure that the vehicles are not touching.

Step 2: Turn off both vehicles, pop the hoods, and locate the batteries.

Step 3: Find your jumper cables and unwind/untangle them.

Step 4: Attach the red (+) clamp to the positive (+) terminal of the dead battery. Then, attach the red (+) clamp to the positive terminal of the working battery.

Step 5: Attach the black (-) clamp to the negative terminal of the working battery. Then, attach the remaining black (-) clamp to an unpainted, metal surface of the dead car.

Step 6: Start the working car. Follow up by starting the car with the dead battery.

Step 7: Once the dead battery car is started, remove the cables in the reverse order that you attached them.

Step 8: Let the previously-dead car’s engine run for at least 15 minutes.

If you followed these steps and your car won’t start, you’ll want to double check the connections and try again. If after a few attempts the battery will not start, give your roadside assistance a call or head over to the nearest auto parts store/local auto body shop for a replacement battery.

Learn how to jump start your vehicle via video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE1ENnesvp4

Learn how to jump start an electric vehicle: