How to Jump-Start a Car

Truck Ranch is your trusted destination for buying a quality pre-owned pickup truck to take on your Logan drives and tough job sites. But are you starting to have issues with your vehicle, and your car won’t jump start? Don’t fret — we have your guide on how to jump-start a truck with this handy guide from Truck Ranch. We are here to provide the necessary service tips and information to keep your pre-owned pickup truck performing at its best for years to come.

What’s the Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car?

When searching for how to jump-start a truck, many drivers wonder about the proper way to jump-start a car battery. This process isn’t complicated, but you will need another person and vehicle, as well as jumper cables to complete the task. With everything ready to go, follow these steps below:

1. Face the two trucks with the batteries facing each other hood-hood. After you’ve parked the trucks, turn them off and set the parking brakes.
2. You’ll need to have access to the batteries. Note: you may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
3. Find the positive and negative battery terminals. They should be clean and free of any corrosion or dirt.
4. Take stock of your cables and separate the red ends from the black ends. They should never touch as they could spark. Next, 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. With everything hooked up securely, start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery. You can try and start the engine right away, but it’s better to let the car with the good battery run for a bit, then try 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 placed on, and keep the other vehicle running.
10. Make sure the engine is still running on the restarted vehicle for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. It’s recommended that you have your battery tested and/or replaced ASAP.

Additional Car Battery Tips & Tricks

There are lots of reasons aside from a dead car battery that your vehicle isn’t starting. Below are just a few reasons to consider:

1. If you try to start the car but only hear a clicking sound, the starter might not be functioning.
2. If the car’s electrical systems turn on, but the engine doesn’t, there could be several issues like the ignition switch, starter, or fuse. Have a qualified mechanic in your area further inspect and diagnose the issue.
3. Remember, keep your vehicle running for a while after it gets jumped, so the battery can recharge after being completely drained. Remember that some batteries can still hold a charge for some time after being jumped; this is often the case after a truck with a good/newer battery has been sitting idle. A way to prevent this is using a battery trickle charger. However, an old and worn-out battery that requires replacing could be why the car needed a jump.

Get Additional Service Care and DIY Tips at Truck Ranch!

For additional service tips and tricks, our service and parts guide have everything you need to know to keep your vehicle performing at its best, keeping it safe on American Fork roads.