A common automotive part that many people take for granted is their car's battery. The battery functions as the primary energy source used to start the engine. If you maintain your battery appropriately, never worry about the battery losing it's charge. However, due to a variety of circumstances beyond our control -- for example, extremely cold weather conditions -- automotive batteries can lose their charge. If you ever find yourself with a dead battery, follow these simple steps to boost a dead battery back to life.
Locate a booster vehicle. Inform a friend, family member or associate of your car battery's misfortune and kindly request the use of their car to boost your battery.
Gather a set of jumper cables. Inspect the cables. Examine the cleanliness of the clamps and ensure there are no exposed wires anywhere on the cables.
Park the booster vehicle within distance so that the jumper cables reach from it's battery to the dead battery. Shut off both ignition switches and turn off all automotive accessories including lights and radio.
Study both car batteries to distinguish the negative, commonly black terminals from the positive or red terminals. Attach one positive jumper cable clamp to the positive terminal of the dead battery. Connect the other positive cable to the booster car's positive battery terminal. Attach the negative cable clamps to the negative terminals on each battery. Alternatively, connect the negative cable to an unpainted, metal surface to act as a solid ground, such as the vehicle frame. Ensure the clamps connect securely.
Start the booster car and allow the dead battery to receive the charge for several minutes via the connected jumper cables. Turn the dead vehicle's ignition on and attempt to start it. If the car starts, avoid turning the vehicle off for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is running efficiently and the battery is fully charged by the alternator.
Unclamp the jumper cables from each vehicle. Consider hooking a battery charger up to your car's battery and allowing it to properly charge for at least 12 hours.
