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How to Jump-Start a Car with a Portable Jump-Starter or Another Car
Save yourself from being stranded with a dead battery. Learn how to jump-start a car with a portable jump-starter or with another vehicle. You’ll also learn about battery safety and how to identify common signs of a bad battery—like warning lights, terminal corrosion, a swollen battery and more.
Video Transcript
Hello, I’m an Interstate battery pro. If you’re watching this video it’s because you need to get somewhere and your battery’s in need of a jump. Whether you’re stuck on the side of the road, or in a grocery store parking lot, I’m here to teach you to jump your car like a pro. Meet my neighbor, Andy.
- Hello.
- Why don’t you tell them what happened?
- Well, I binged about two seasons of my favorite show in my car last night and the battery died.
- Hmm, must have been a really good show.
- It is, actually. See it’s about this guy-
- Not now, Andy.
- Right, I’m already late for work.
- Alright, well let’s do this. Ready?
Now, Andy, just like when you were a kid the magic words are “safety first”, so grab a pair of chemical-resistant gloves and some safety glasses to protect your eyes before you begin.
[Ding, ding]
- Ah.
Also, we’ll be dealing with electricity.
-Oh!
- So be sure to remove all your jewelry.
- Ah.
- Alright, now let’s pop the hood.
- Mm.
[Car hood opening]
[Laughter]
Okay, now sniff around. Yeah, if you get the smell of rotting eggs, then you need to stay away from that battery, it’s most likely emitting hydrogen gas and you’ll need to take it to a pro in that case and get a brand new Interstate battery.
- What do rotten eggs smell like?
- You really want to know?
Okay, so if you feel any heat coming off that battery, you need to let it cool before you get to work and also check the terminals for any corrosion.
- What's that?
- It's usually like a greenish crusty substance that builds around the terminals.
- Oh no, I have some.
- Oh, it's okay, just grab a toothbrush and make a paste by mixing baking soda and water together to clean it off. You'll need to make sure that it gets really clean.
[Scrubbing]
And there you go! Now there are two ways to jump a car: you can use a jump-starter or you can have a friend jump your car using their vehicle.
- Which do you recommend?
- I say keep a portable jump-starter near. One: it's safer, plus you don't have to wait around for a car to help you out and you can protect your car and another car from any backlash. Plus, look at this thing, it's super small and can fit in your trunk next to your yoga mat, plus it's really easy to use. I'll show you.
First, clamp the positive connection to the positive terminal, like this.
- Which is the positive clamp?
- Oh, yes, it's usually red with the plus sign on it.
- Great.
- Next, do the same thing with the negative clamp to the negative terminal.
- I love how they color code all this. Now there's a green light on.
- Yep, that means it's ready for you to get in your car and start it.
[Car door opens]
[Car engine starts]
- [Laughs] Wow!
- Pretty cool, huh.
- So how long do I leave it on for?
- The jump-starter needs to be removed as soon as you start your car.
- And what if I don't have one of those neat little machines?
- Well, that's when you need to call your neighbor and get a jump.
Now jump-starting your car with another car is usually the most common way to do so, but it really should be used as the last resort since any arc or spark can take out vital computers in both vehicles.
- There's a computer in my car?
- All right, let's get started.
[Music]
First, make sure that everything in your car has been turned off and all chargers have been removed.
Great, now let's get under the hood, and what were the magic words?
- Uh, safety first.
- That's right, now grab the jumper cables.
Now let's go to your car, which is the car with the dead battery. All right, let's start by clamping the positive end of the jumper cable to the positive terminal on the bad battery.
Good, now let's go to my car and clamp the other positive end of the jumper cable to the positive terminal on this good battery.
Next, clamp the negative end of the jumper cable to the negative terminal on the good battery.
Perfect, now I'm going to grab the other negative end and find a safe piece of hard metal on your car's body to clamp onto, just like this.
All right, OK now, Andy, uh-
[Sighing]
- Sorry, I'm gonna make a story out of this.
- No, not now, Andy, this is some serious stuff. You always want to make sure you follow this order for safety reasons, OK?
- Gotcha.
- OK now I'm gonna turn on the car with the good battery and I'm going to give it a quick rev to give your battery a quick charge.
[Car door opens]
[Car door closes]
[Engine starts]
And now you can turn your car on.
- Uh, I hope this works.
[Engine starts]
Oh, oh, oh!
Hoo! Awesome! My girlfriend's gonna love that I could do that!
- Oh, Andy, I didn't know you had a girlfriend. That's so great.
- Well I don't yet, but when I do she's really gonna be impressed ...
Can I go again?
- Uh hold on, [laughs] let it charge up a bit.
- So, what if it wouldn't have turned on?
- Well, uh, you can try again in 10 minutes, and if it doesn't work that time then something's really wrong with your battery and you'll need to talk to a pro.
- Like you.
- Exactly. OK, well it's going so let's remove the clamps. Ready?
This time, let's start with removing the negative clamp on your car. Now let's remove the negative clamp from my car. And while you're there, remove the positive clamp. Just make sure the clamps never touch each other; they'll spark and this may damage each other's car's on-board computers.
Now, we can remove the positive clamp from your battery.
[Both car hoods close]
Leave the car running for a bit to let the battery gain a proper charge.
- Is it true that you should drive for 20 minutes?
- Well, that's been scientifically proven to be more of a myth. You'd have to drive pretty fast for about half an hour for it to be any benefit for your battery.
- Well, I'm gonna go to work now.
A battery is good for up to five years but it's usually after the third year that they can start to give us a bit of trouble. That's why it's always a good idea to take it to a shop and have it looked at by a pro. They may also be able to test your car's entire electrical system, or if you have a tester you can test it yourself in the comfort of your own garage. Get your battery tested about twice a year. Watch our video on how to test your battery like a pro. It's also a good idea to keep a jump-starter in your trunk for emergencies like the one our friend Andy just had. Make sure it includes chemical-resistant gloves, rags and protective eyewear, a flashlight with a new alkaline battery, your vehicle's owner manual, the right sizes of any wrenches or screwdrivers you might need to access the battery.
Well, I don't mean to be a bad neighbor but I've got to go, the game's about to start. Remember that you can always get help from a pro like me around the corner and you can watch our other videos on how to keep your battery healthy like a pro. Just make sure you don't leave your car on for too long if you're watching in your car.
Bye-bye now!
- Hello.
- Why don’t you tell them what happened?
- Well, I binged about two seasons of my favorite show in my car last night and the battery died.
- Hmm, must have been a really good show.
- It is, actually. See it’s about this guy-
- Not now, Andy.
- Right, I’m already late for work.
- Alright, well let’s do this. Ready?
Now, Andy, just like when you were a kid the magic words are “safety first”, so grab a pair of chemical-resistant gloves and some safety glasses to protect your eyes before you begin.
[Ding, ding]
- Ah.
Also, we’ll be dealing with electricity.
-Oh!
- So be sure to remove all your jewelry.
- Ah.
- Alright, now let’s pop the hood.
- Mm.
[Car hood opening]
[Laughter]
Okay, now sniff around. Yeah, if you get the smell of rotting eggs, then you need to stay away from that battery, it’s most likely emitting hydrogen gas and you’ll need to take it to a pro in that case and get a brand new Interstate battery.
- What do rotten eggs smell like?
- You really want to know?
Okay, so if you feel any heat coming off that battery, you need to let it cool before you get to work and also check the terminals for any corrosion.
- What's that?
- It's usually like a greenish crusty substance that builds around the terminals.
- Oh no, I have some.
- Oh, it's okay, just grab a toothbrush and make a paste by mixing baking soda and water together to clean it off. You'll need to make sure that it gets really clean.
[Scrubbing]
And there you go! Now there are two ways to jump a car: you can use a jump-starter or you can have a friend jump your car using their vehicle.
- Which do you recommend?
- I say keep a portable jump-starter near. One: it's safer, plus you don't have to wait around for a car to help you out and you can protect your car and another car from any backlash. Plus, look at this thing, it's super small and can fit in your trunk next to your yoga mat, plus it's really easy to use. I'll show you.
First, clamp the positive connection to the positive terminal, like this.
- Which is the positive clamp?
- Oh, yes, it's usually red with the plus sign on it.
- Great.
- Next, do the same thing with the negative clamp to the negative terminal.
- I love how they color code all this. Now there's a green light on.
- Yep, that means it's ready for you to get in your car and start it.
[Car door opens]
[Car engine starts]
- [Laughs] Wow!
- Pretty cool, huh.
- So how long do I leave it on for?
- The jump-starter needs to be removed as soon as you start your car.
- And what if I don't have one of those neat little machines?
- Well, that's when you need to call your neighbor and get a jump.
Now jump-starting your car with another car is usually the most common way to do so, but it really should be used as the last resort since any arc or spark can take out vital computers in both vehicles.
- There's a computer in my car?
- All right, let's get started.
[Music]
First, make sure that everything in your car has been turned off and all chargers have been removed.
Great, now let's get under the hood, and what were the magic words?
- Uh, safety first.
- That's right, now grab the jumper cables.
Now let's go to your car, which is the car with the dead battery. All right, let's start by clamping the positive end of the jumper cable to the positive terminal on the bad battery.
Good, now let's go to my car and clamp the other positive end of the jumper cable to the positive terminal on this good battery.
Next, clamp the negative end of the jumper cable to the negative terminal on the good battery.
Perfect, now I'm going to grab the other negative end and find a safe piece of hard metal on your car's body to clamp onto, just like this.
All right, OK now, Andy, uh-
[Sighing]
- Sorry, I'm gonna make a story out of this.
- No, not now, Andy, this is some serious stuff. You always want to make sure you follow this order for safety reasons, OK?
- Gotcha.
- OK now I'm gonna turn on the car with the good battery and I'm going to give it a quick rev to give your battery a quick charge.
[Car door opens]
[Car door closes]
[Engine starts]
And now you can turn your car on.
- Uh, I hope this works.
[Engine starts]
Oh, oh, oh!
Hoo! Awesome! My girlfriend's gonna love that I could do that!
- Oh, Andy, I didn't know you had a girlfriend. That's so great.
- Well I don't yet, but when I do she's really gonna be impressed ...
Can I go again?
- Uh hold on, [laughs] let it charge up a bit.
- So, what if it wouldn't have turned on?
- Well, uh, you can try again in 10 minutes, and if it doesn't work that time then something's really wrong with your battery and you'll need to talk to a pro.
- Like you.
- Exactly. OK, well it's going so let's remove the clamps. Ready?
This time, let's start with removing the negative clamp on your car. Now let's remove the negative clamp from my car. And while you're there, remove the positive clamp. Just make sure the clamps never touch each other; they'll spark and this may damage each other's car's on-board computers.
Now, we can remove the positive clamp from your battery.
[Both car hoods close]
Leave the car running for a bit to let the battery gain a proper charge.
- Is it true that you should drive for 20 minutes?
- Well, that's been scientifically proven to be more of a myth. You'd have to drive pretty fast for about half an hour for it to be any benefit for your battery.
- Well, I'm gonna go to work now.
A battery is good for up to five years but it's usually after the third year that they can start to give us a bit of trouble. That's why it's always a good idea to take it to a shop and have it looked at by a pro. They may also be able to test your car's entire electrical system, or if you have a tester you can test it yourself in the comfort of your own garage. Get your battery tested about twice a year. Watch our video on how to test your battery like a pro. It's also a good idea to keep a jump-starter in your trunk for emergencies like the one our friend Andy just had. Make sure it includes chemical-resistant gloves, rags and protective eyewear, a flashlight with a new alkaline battery, your vehicle's owner manual, the right sizes of any wrenches or screwdrivers you might need to access the battery.
Well, I don't mean to be a bad neighbor but I've got to go, the game's about to start. Remember that you can always get help from a pro like me around the corner and you can watch our other videos on how to keep your battery healthy like a pro. Just make sure you don't leave your car on for too long if you're watching in your car.
Bye-bye now!
