Can you jump start a car with a dead battery

Batteries

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The Right Way to Jumpstart a Dead Car Battery
Get powered up with these must-haves:
Recharge with these steps:
The Causes of a Failed Charge
Diagnosing the Problem
Can a car battery be too dead to jump
How long does it take to jump
Can you jump a car that's completely dead?
What do you do when your car battery is completely dead?

The Right Way to Jumpstart a Dead Car Battery

Sep 12,2017

Imagine this: you’re headed out on your next big road trip adventure. You’ve carefully packed your bags, stowed away snacks, filled up your gas tank ahead of time, and found the perfect routes to get where you want, with amazing sights along the way. It’s only when you’re greeted by a dreaded “click” after placing your key in the ignition that you realize you’re not going anywhere. At least until you jumpstart your battery.

Don’t fret! Reviving your battery doesn’t need to be filled with sparks and hours wasted. Just follow these simple steps to get powered up and back to your vacation.

Get powered up with these must-haves:

Jumper cables: You should always keep a handy pair of jumper cables in your car. They can come in varying lengths, normally 10-20 feet. While longer cables can reach farther, you risk losing power as the energy travels along the extra length. Ensure that the cables you use are not rusted, frayed or damaged.

A car with a working battery: Unless you’ve got a power box on hand, you’ll need another car to get your battery juiced up. However, it must be the same voltage as the car being jumped. Most car batteries are 12.6 volts or above. If you own a more unique vehicle, such as an RV, consult your owner’s manual before getting or giving a jump.

Rag or paper towel: This one is optional, but useful if your battery terminals are dirty. Before jumping, wipe them clean to allow for an optimal jump.

Recharge with these steps:

Get all materials out and ready. Clean off your terminals if they’re dirty, and make sure any kids or little ones are out of the way. It’s also useful to unplug any unnecessary devices from your vehicle, such as a phone charger.

Once both cars have been parked close together, place each car in park or neutral and shut off the ignition in both vehicles. Make sure the parking brake is engaged.

Attach one of the red cables to the positive terminal on the dead battery. The terminal may say “POS” or “+” to help you identify it.

Attach the other red cable to the positive terminal in the working car.

While at the working car’s battery, attach one of the black cables to the negative terminal. It may be labeled “NEG” or “-”.

Attach the final black clip to an unpainted metal surface under your hood that is far from the battery. This will ground the circuit and prevent sparking.

Start the working vehicle and let it run for a few minutes. The more “dead” your battery is, the longer you may need to run the working vehicle.

Attempt to start your vehicle. If it doesn’t start, continue running the working vehicle for a few more minutes.

If your vehicle DOES start, don’t turn it off! Remove the cables in the reverse order that you put them on (Black - dead battery, Black - good battery, Red - good battery, Red - dead battery).

Hit the road for at least 15-30 minutes to make sure your battery gets charged up.

If your car won’t start the next time you take it for a spin, you may have a battery problem. Stop by your local Firestone Complete Auto Care for a free battery check! And if you’re in the market for a new battery, compare car batteries online, and check out our special online pricing.

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Let’s say for a moment that you successfully get your car battery jumped, and are able to make it to your destination. But then, the next time you try to start your engine, you experience the same problems—clicks, sputters, all the telltale sign of a dead battery.

If your battery “dies” twice in a row like that, it simply means that it didn’t successfully hold its charge the first time. There are several potential causes to consider.

The Causes of a Failed Charge

Some of the most common reasons why a battery won’t hold its charge include:

– You’ve left your lights on—or some other accessory that draws battery power—even when the car hasn’t been running.
– Even while you were driving the car, the battery wasn’t recharging. This is a mechanical problem, and something you’ll want to discuss with the service pros at Meineke.
– You simply didn’t drive the car around for very long once you jumped it; remember, you’ll want to keep the engine running for at least a few minutes to ensure it builds a decent charge. Spending about 20 minutes driving around town is ideal.
– There is some sort of a parasitic electrical drain on the battery—more likely than not caused by a bad alternator.
– The battery is simply very old, and no longer capable of holding a charge for very long. If this is the case, you’ll need to replace it. That’s something we can do for you at Meineke.

These are not the only potential causes of your battery woes, but they represent the most likely scenarios.

Diagnosing the Problem

To determine which of these scenarios you’re dealing with, here are a few troubleshooting tips.

1. First, simply turn on your headlights. If they come on with their normal brightness, your problem is probably a bad starter or poor wiring—not the battery itself. If the lights do not come on at all, or if they’re dimmer than normal, then the problem is more likely with the battery.
2. Next, test the voltage of your battery. To do this, get a voltmeter and connect the red lead to the positive terminal and the black lead to the negative terminal. Hopefully, you’ll get a reading of over 12.6 volts, showing a fully charged battery—but if not, there’s definitely an issue with the battery being poorly charged.
3. From there, consider the condition of the battery itself. Does it look obviously corroded or worn out? Is it more than four years old? If so, then the simplest solution may be to have the battery replaced.
4. Finally, consider whether the problem is your alternator. If you detect cracking or fraying in the alternator cables, that’s an obvious sign that something’s off. And if you jump start the car only for the battery to quickly lose its charge and the engine to stall, that’s suggestive of an alternator issue.

These are some effective ways to figure out why your battery won’t hold a charge—but what if it won’t jumpstart at all? If you followed our step-by-step guide and your engine still won’t turn, there could be a number of potential reasons.

Can a car battery be too dead to jump

If a jump-start revives your engine, your problem was most likely a dead battery. If you cannot jump-start your car, the battery may be completely discharged or damaged. There are also several mechanical and electrical reasons why a car won't start when trying a jump–start, including the most frequent listed here.

How long does it take to jump

You should expect jumpstarting a dead battery to take five minutes, but in harsh conditions, it could take up to thirty minutes to jumpstart your car. You need to drive for at least fifteen minutes after a jumpstart to fully recharge the battery. If it's not working, it's easy to figure out why.

Can you jump a car that's completely dead?

If you follow all safety precautions, jumping a dead car battery is completely safe. Here is a look at some of the safety measures you should follow: Make sure both cars are turned off when connecting the jumper cables. Always connect the cables to the dead battery first.

What do you do when your car battery is completely dead?

The most common way to deal with a dead battery is by jump-starting it. All you need to jump-start a car is a set of jumper cables and another car (a good Samaritan) with a functional battery. Keep in mind that you should never try to jump-start a car if its battery is cracked and is visibly leaking acid.