If you wake up one morning and find out that your car's get-up-and-go has got up and gone, follow these simple rules to get it purring again:

1. First you will need a set of jumper cables and friendly neighbor or some other kind stranger with a car who is willing to assist you.

2. Next, make sure the two cars are close to each other (but not touching) so that the cables will easily reach from the battery of one car to the battery of the other. Both cars should be in neutral or park. Ensure that the ignition in both cars is shut off. It is good to engage both parking brakes as well.

3. Remove the caps (and corrosion) from both batteries and fasten the POSITIVE RED (+) clamp to the POSITIVE battery terminal of the assisting vehicle.

4. Attach the other clamp on that POSITIVE cable to the POSITIVE terminal of the battery of your car.

5. Fasten the BLACK NEGATIVE (-) clamp to the NEGATIVE battery terminal of the assisting car.

6. Next, fasten the other NEGATIVE clamp on that NEGATIVE cable to the engine block of your car or some other unpainted metal surface on your car that isn't near the battery.

7. Start the assisting vehicle and let the engine run for a few minutes.

8. Once you have "liftoff," carefully remove the cables in the reverse order from which they were attached. Remember not to let the clamps touch each other when connected to the battery or sparks will fly.

9. If your car starts, don't shut off your engine! Drive around for 15 to 20 minutes to recharge your battery.

10. In case your car won't start, make sure that the cables are properly connected and have the other person run their engine for five minutes. Then try to start your car again. If car won't start, your battery may be beyond help or you may have some other problem with the car.

Tips:

Fully charge your car battery at the first opportunity after its being jump-started. If your car won't start the next time you try to use it, the battery needs to be replaced because it is weak or damaged and cannot hold a charge.

Don’t attach the negative cable to the negative terminal of the weak battery when jumping a car battery because it could ignite hydrogen gas directly over the battery and cause serious injury. Always use a metallic engine part instead when jumping a car.

Other Travel Tips