How To Jump A Car Battery

Learning how to jump a car battery isn't only going to come in handy when you break down on the side of the road. It's a life-saving technique that will definitely score you major points with a stranded member of the opposite sex. As it's easy to learn and teach, jumping car batteries is a critical skill for the modern man.

To jump a car battery, you will need:

• A dead car battery
• A charged car battery (installed in a working automobile)
• Jumper cables

1. Open up the hoods and size up your cables. You can't jump a car battery if the hood is closed, so pop the latches and take a quick look around inside. Find the batteries, and if your cables won't reach from one to the other right now, then move whichever vehicle you can to make things easier.
2. Turn off both automobiles.  This shouldn't be a problem for the one that can't start, but we'd like to emphasize that we can't stress this rule enough. The charge that comes off your car's alternator when it's running can give you a horrible shock, so play it safe before you start to jump the other car.
3. Connect black battery terminals. The black battery terminal, the negative end, is usually covered by a black plastic cap. Remove it, and clip one end of the black jumper cable each negative post on each battery. If you are not sure which post is which because they aren't marked or your caps got lost along the way, check the driver's manual, because there should be a diagram indicating which terminal is which. Never touch a bare wire or metal alligator clip that is connected to either battery terminal.
4. Connect red battery terminals. Following the same steps you used with the black-capped terminals, connect the red battery terminals to each other with the other jumper cable wire. Make sure you avoid connecting a red terminal to a black terminal, and never let the two cables touch.
5. Start your engines. Beginning with the car that can start, turn the key in the ignition and let it run. While it's running, have your new friend attempt to start their car. Once it starts, they should be able to drive to a maintenance station, so remove the cables, making sure they don't touch each other or yourself, and go freely, knowing you saved the day.