How to Jump a 12-Volt Battery

A dead battery can happen to anyone -- headlights left on, a faulty alternator, or a failure of the battery itself can all cause one. Virtually all modern cars are equipped with 12 volt batteries, making it easy to find another battery with which to jump yours. With just a pair of jumper cables and another vehicle you can be back on the road in just a couple of minutes. Following these simple instructions will get you going in no time.

Instructions

1

Position the operational vehicle as close as possible to the inoperative car without allowing them to touch and leave it running. Open the hoods on both vehicles.

2

Connect one end of the red (positive) jumper cable, or one of the red clamps, to the positive terminal of the operational vehicle's battery. The positive terminal is the one marked with a plus ("+") sign.

3

Carefully connect the other red clamp or red cable to the positive terminal on the disabled vehicle's battery.

4

Clamp one end of the other (negative) cable, which has a black or copper-colored clamp, to the negative terminal on the operational vehicle's battery -- it's marked with a negative ("-") symbol.

5

Find an unpainted bolt or bracket under the disabled vehicle's hood, such as the radiator frame or the engine block, and connect the other end of the black or copper clamp to it.

6

Wait for a few seconds to allow the good battery to charge the disabled battery and then turn the ignition key to start the disabled vehicle.

7

Remove the jumper cables from the vehicles in the reverse order you connected them. Start with the red clamp on the operational vehicle and end with the black or copper clamp on the started vehicle.