Little Lesson Number Three: How To Jump A Car

By Nancy K. Crevier

(Life is a series of tasks. Some are easier to perform than others. Some are downright tricky. Some tasks we have mastered, while others remain, for one reason or another, a mystery. The Newtown Bee presents this series of short articles of Little Lessons meant to light the way to a new or easier way to tackle those day to day duties, or even those less commonly encountered tasks, each one accompanied by a video at newtownbee.com.)

Every car owner has experienced the aggravation of turning the key in the ignition only to hear a low, drawn out groan that indicates a battery too weak to turn over the engine. At worst, the engine will not respond at all.

“Cold weather is the worst offender in drawing down a car battery,” said Rob Merriweather of Sugar Hill Auto in Newtown. “Cold weather combined with a weak battery is the most common reason a person needs to jump a car,” he said. In cold weather, said John Sikorski, tow truck operator at Sugar Hill, he will respond to anywhere from one to ten calls a day to jump a vehicle.

The second most common reason is less than adequate maintenance on a car. An older alternator belt can prevent the battery from charging, and after four or five years, a battery begins to lose its capability to hold a charge.

Not all cars, even newer models, will automatically shut off the interior lights if a door is left ajar. The extended draw on the battery, in this instance, may mean the need for a jump.

“A lot of the newer vehicles,” said Mr Merriweather, “actually react poorly to being left for a couple for weeks without being started. It can kill the battery.”

Beyond a slow start or a warning light flashing on, there is usually little hint that a jump is going to be imminent.

Luckily, jumping a vehicle it a fairly simple task to master, said Mr Sikorski. While a professional will often use a jump box, also called a booster pack, for the job, jumper cables are most commonly used by the lay person to get a battery operating again. Jumper cables consist of long insulated electric cords with two separate clamps at each end that connect to corresponding posts on a car’s battery. A good pair of  jumper cables is not expensive — generally around $15 to $30 — and should always be kept in the car.

Hybrid cars pose a problem, though, said Mr Sikorski. “Call a professional. A hybrid has to be done from the fuse box and the high voltage in an electric or hybrid vehicle is dangerous. A hybrid should not be jumped by the average person,” he warned.

When jumping a car is necessary, position a working vehicle nose to nose with the crippled car. A large vehicle can provide a charge for a small vehicle or the other way around. What can be challenging is when a stalled out vehicle is parked nose-in in a garage, said Mr Sikorski. Longer cables may be needed, or a portable jump box may be required in order to recharge the car.

With the two vehicles positioned, hook the cables to the dead battery first. “The red grip is usually always the positive charge, the black grip is the negative charge,” Mr Merriweather said. Connect first the red to the red post on the battery, then clamp the black end of the cable to  the black post on the battery.

Check twice before hooking up the cables that the positive and negative ends of the cable are connected properly, said the Sugar Hill professionals, and never allow the two ends of a cable to touch once they are hooked up to either car.

“If you hook up the cables backward, you can do some real damage,” Mr Sikorski cautioned. The battery in the dead vehicle may blow up, spewing dangerous battery acid, and electrical components in both cars can be damaged.

Then, in the same order, red first, black second, hook up the cables to the battery in the live vehicle and start the engine of the live vehicle. Finally, turn on the vehicle with the dead battery and let the two vehicles run for five to ten minutes, depending on how weak the battery was initially, in order to fully charge the battery.

Unhook the cables, and drive away.

Visit the newtownbee.com to view a brief video, as John Sikorski demonstrates how to jump a vehicle.