I had no idea how to jump a dead car battery until a couple of weeks ago when my neighbor needed a jump. I have only been driving for about 10 years. That doesn’t sound like much, but I have either needed a jump or assisted in giving a jump at least 5 or 6 times in that 10 years. The thing is, I never was the one who used the jumper cables. In case I am not the only person out there that missed this particular life lesson, here is how to jump a dead car battery without killing yourself or your battery.
How to Jump a Dead Car Battery
1. Turn both cars off.
2. Pick a color on the jumper cable and connect each side to the positive feed of the batteries. For example, we clipped each red clip to the positive feed out of each of our car batteries.
3. Repeat for the negative side of the batteries. We each connected the black clips of the jumper cable to the negative feed out sections.
EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that it is even safer to attach one clip to the negative side of the live battery and the other clip to the frame of the dead car to ground it.
4. Turn on the car with the good battery and start revving to juice up the dead battery.
EDIT: Also remind the person next to the dead battery to back away a bit just in case there is an issue with the dead battery.
5. Try turning on the dead car. My neighbor’s car started almost immediately but my husband said it sometimes will take a lot longer to feed in enough juice.
6. Turn off the car that had the working battery.
7. Leave on the car that had the dead battery so the alternator can charge it a bit.
8. Disconnect one color at a time and do not let the jumper cable clips touch. For example, we removed the red clip from each of our batteries and then the black clips, but we made sure to keep those far apart while we were removing them. It they touch while live, you create a short circuit. I am not 100% sure what happens, but I am assuming it is bad.
That’s how we successfully started her car without hurting ourselves or our cars, which saves us money (in case I had not explained why I am putting this on my personal finance blog, lol).
I also have printed out these instructions and are keeping them with my jumper cables. If I ever need to know when I’m not actually around my car, I’ll use my smart phone to look up this post. 
Did I miss any important steps or state anything incorrectly? Am I the only one who really did not know how to do this?
At the end, you should leave the car with the dead battery for awhile. This will ensure the alternator charges the battery (assuming the alternator isn’t bad).
The car with the dead battery should have the negative cable attached to the frame, if possible.
Also, don’t hover over the engine compartment when you try to start the car. Sometimes, dead batteries explode. Not often, but just once would suck.
The manual will suggest what Jason says: The dead battery negative lead should attach to the frame. But all three times that I have jumped a dead battery (teenagers will tend to leave dome lights on), it didn’t work until I connected battery directly to battery. Just saying.
Great tutorial. I have to admit I am sort of a big chicken where cars are concerned… I’d probably still call AAA for assistance. But after reading this I do feel a little more confident that I could jump a car if I had to!
Agreed. Only one negative side should be connected to a battery. The other should be to a metal part of the frame. It can ruin both batteries (and even the electrical system) if you connect both negative connections.
Another good tip is to print these instructions out and keep them with the jumper cables. It’s good to review the steps here, but when you’re in the middle of a grocery store parking lot trying to help someone else (or needing help), it’s good to have them with you!
I’ve got to follow suit with everyone about connecting one battery lead to the frame (When i’ve done it, I connected the negative to the frame on the dead car) and fired it up. Before I got my truck, my car was dying about 2x per week (if not more, so I went from being vaguely familiar with jumper cables to knowing all about them).
Jumping a car battery is a basic skill everyone who operates a car should know. In addition, you should know what the car sounds like when the battery is dead so you know it is dead. Basic maintenance is important too such as changing the oil, filters and fluid levels. Checking tire pressure monthly too. Not doing some or all of these things may result in you being stranded somewhere.
The last time I did this, it was for a hot girl who gave me a hug after.
So yeah, this is a skill everyone should know how to do.
@Dave, I accidentally left that step out, oops. I’ve added it in now, thanks!
@Jason, I’ve added both of those points as edits. Thanks!
@optionsdude, yeah, I looked it up before adding it as an edit – apparently it is safer to ground it but it doesn’t juice up the dead battery as fast.
@Denise, before helping my neighbor, I would have called AAA too.
@Money Beagle, thanks for the heads up too. I have added an edit to the post to explain the safety concern.
@Emily, great minds think alike! I actually have a printed copy of this in my trunk now. I added that into my post as well since it is a great point!
@Jeff, got it, thanks! I’ve added an edit to the post. Wow…2x a week?! I would have been ticked off beyond belief at that…
@krantcents, as lazy as it sounds, I will admit that I will probably never learn how to do an oil change. For $20, I rather just pay to have it done. BUT, checking the tire pressure regularly is a habit I need to get into…
@Financial Uproar, you’re cheap!
Our last jumper cable bag has instruction on it. That was really convenient. I had the same experience about attaching the negative to the frame. It didn’t start until I clip it to the negative terminal….
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