How to Jump Start a Car

Performing a jump start on your car battery is the first step to take if your vehicle won’t start. Properly doing so on a car, truck, van or SUV from Suntrup Hyundai South is relatively simple, but if your battery is nearing the end of its life, be sure to visit our service center in St. Louis and ask our parts department for a replacement. Follow along below!

The Proper Way to Jump Start a Car

To jump start your car, you’ll need a set of jumper cables, and another vehicle on-hand if you can’t or don’t want to call a start car service like AAA. Once you’re settled, follow these steps:

• Have the car with the good battery park facing the other vehicle, then make sure that vehicle is turned off. Check to make sure both parking brakes are engaged.
• Open both hoods and find the batteries. You may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
• Identify the positive and negative terminals. Make sure they’re clean and free of any corrosion.
• Connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
• Uncoiling the battery cable, hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
• Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery. 
• For the final clamp, connect it to an unpainted metal surface on the car’s frame.
• Once everything is hooked up securely, start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery first, then the one with the dead battery.
• Once the dead vehicle has been jump-started, carefully remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed on, then shut off the car that was used to help jump-start the dead car.
• Keep the engine running on the restarted vehicle 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.

More Battery Tips and Tricks

Replacing your battery might be a necessity if jump-starting doesn’t work. Or, it may be a more serious problem. Troubleshoot the issue by taking these steps:

• If you try and start the car but only hear a clicking sound, the starter might not be functioning. Schedule service at Suntrup Hyundai South near St. Louis for a replacement.
• If the electrical systems of the car turn on, but the engine fails to turn over, the problem could be a number of issues. The ignition switch, battery, starter, or a fuse could be the problem. It’s worth bringing your vehicle to a service center so they can diagnose the issue.
• Be sure to keep your vehicle running for a while after getting the jump. That allows the battery to recharge fully after it’s been drained.

Turn to Suntrup Hyundai South for Service

New batteries, oil changes, and more are all available at the Suntrup Hyundai South service center, just a short trip from neighborhoods outside St. Louis. Stop by today, or contact us with any questions!