How to Jump-Start a Car

While taking care of your car battery is important and can go a long way toward extending the life of your battery, sometimes things happen and you’ll find yourself in need of a jump-start in a Homestead parking lot or your Florida City driveway. While many warranty and insurance plans include roadside assistance, sometimes you don’t have time to wait. Good thing it’s easy to learn how to properly jump-start a car! The service team at South Dade Kia of Homestead is here to help with easy-to-follow instructions on how to jump-start a car battery.

The Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car

It’s easy to jump-start your car as long as you have a friend or good samaritan with a working battery who can help. You’ll also need a set of jumper cables, which you should keep in your vehicle at all times. Here’s the proper way to jump-start a car:

1. Park the vehicle with a working battery facing the other one. Most vehicles will face hood-to-hood. If you drive a vehicle with the battery in the trunk, the car with the working battery should park accordingly.
2. Gain access to the batteries. You may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
3. Find the positive and negative battery terminals. Make sure they are clean and free of any corrosion or dirt.
4. On your jumper cables, separate the red ends from the black ends. You don’t want them to touch, ever, as they could spark. Connect the red jumper cable clamp to the positive post on the dead battery. Connect the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
5. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery. Connect the last black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame.
6. Once everything is clamped securely, start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery. You may try to start the engine with the dead battery right away, but it’s a good idea to let the car with the good battery run for a bit, then try starting the engine of the other vehicle.
7. 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 newly-charged vehicle running for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the weak battery doesn’t die again right away. Consult your owner’s manual for more info on recommended times.

It’s recommended that you get your battery tested and/or replaced ASAP. Contact our service department to make arrangements.

If You Jump-Start a Car Battery & It Doesn’t Work

If you’re unable to jump-start your car battery in Princeton or elsewhere, it’s a sign that there’s something else wrong with your vehicle. Here’s our troubleshooting guide for when you jump-start a car battery and it still doesn’t work:

• If you try to start the car but only hear a clicking sound, the starter might not be functioning.
• If the electrical systems of the car turn on, but the engine does not turn on, then the issue could be a number of things including the ignition switch, starter, or even a blown fuse. It’s worth bringing your vehicle to a qualified service center for further diagnostics and investigation.
• Don’t forget to keep your vehicle running for a while after it’s received a jump. That allows the battery to recharge some after it’s been completely drained.

Sometimes, though, an old and worn-out battery that requires replacing is the reason for a car needing a jump.

Get Battery Service at South Dade Kia of Homestead

When you need to recharge your battery or buy a new one, the service and parts teams at South Dade Kia of Homestead are ready to help! Schedule an appointment with us today.