To safely jump a start, follow these steps: It’s a good idea to buy a set of jumper cables and keep them in the trunk compartment. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. That way, you can jump start your battery even if you can’t get another car to help you. In most cases, even with a low battery you should see some dashboard lights and get some sound out of the stereo. It’s important to connect the jumper cables to the correct battery terminals. If the jump works and your car starts, don’t shut off your engine! If you do that and accidentally drop the red cable onto the car's frame, a massive short-circuit will form, possibly welding the clamp to the chassis. This article received 11 testimonials and 82% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Using jump leads. "Steps 2, 5, and 8 were very helpful, as I wasn't sure of the order to place and remove the cables, and the reason, "After time spent wondering if I could Jump start our Nissan (6 volts) using our Honda (12 volts) you were able to, "Working in an auto parts place for years, this was very informative. If it won’t start, make sure that the cables are properly connected and have the good Samaritan run his or her engine for five minutes. This is determined by the wire thickness gauge. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/69\/Jump-Start-a-Car-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Jump-Start-a-Car-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/69\/Jump-Start-a-Car-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid539062-v4-728px-Jump-Start-a-Car-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"
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