How to Jump Start a 2002 Thunderbird

The Ford Thunderbird first arrived in 1955 as an obvious response to Chevrolets then two-year-old Corvette. This two-seat, V-8-powered roadster overtook the Corvette in sales almost immediately, but lack of production drastically limited its overall sales. Throughout its production life, the Thunderbird became larger and larger, and eventually morphed into a mid-size luxury car. In 1997, Ford cut the Thunderbird, only to release it again in 2002. Ford designed the 2002 model with the original Thunderbird in mind, as it became a two-seat roadster again. Jump-starting the 2002 Thunderbird is fairly simple, but Ford positioned the battery in a non-conventional location.

Instructions

1

Open the Thunderbirds trunk and lift the spare tire cover to expose the battery to the right of the spare tire.

2

Park the booster vehicle (the one with the working battery) near the trunk of the Thunderbird. Do not allow the two vehicles to touch each other, as this may cause an electrical short.

3

Turn both vehicles off, and turn off all electronic components: radio, wipers, headlights, etc.

4

Connect the positive jumper wire (the red wire) to the positive terminal of the Thunderbirds battery (the one with the + above it). Route the positive cable toward the booster cars battery and connect the other end of the cable to the booster batterys positive terminal.

5

Attach the negative jumper cable (the black one) to the negative terminal on the booster cars battery (the terminal with the - above it). Route the jumper wire to the Thunderbirds trunk and connect the free end of the negative cable to the spare tire hold-down stud (the metal stud in the center of the spare tire). If the metal stud has a plastic cap on it, unscrew this cap prior to connecting the cable.

6

Start the booster cars engine. Press and hold the accelerator pedal to keep the engine speed at a steady at 2,000 to 2,500 rpm.

7

Instruct an assistant to start the Thunderbirds engine.

8

Allow the booster car and the Thunderbird to idle, with the jumper cables attached, for about three minutes.

9

Remove the negative jumper cable from the spare tire hold-down stud, then remove it from the booster battery. Remove the positive cable from the booster battery, then remove it from the Thunderbirds battery.

10

Continue to allow the Thunderbird to run for about five minutes before driving it. This allows the computer to go through its relearn procedures, as the data may have been lost when the battery lost its charge. Failure to do so may result in a poor running condition, or even mechanical damage.