- Jumpstart
- Car
- Vehicle
- Auto
- Mechanic
- Repair
Imagine you are driving and your car stops in the middle of a dark street due to a dead battery – this is one of the worst situations to be in.
You may have left your lights on, draining the battery; or you may have been using some components of your car too much, such as the air conditioning, stereo and the like.
Your engine also requires power in order to start. The amount of power to be used depends on the type and size of the car. Bigger cars usually need higher power and vice versa.
So with your battery holding on to dear life, it is very important to know a vital skill of jump-starting your car without another car.
But before we start, let’s talk about safety.
Safety
One important reminder is that you should NEVER attempt to jump-start your car with a damaged battery. This could cause a fire and could even explode.
These are the things you need to protect you while working on your vehicle:
- Non-conductive mechanic gloves.
- Safety Glasses
Make sure to organize your tools in such a way that they are easy to find and reach.
Everything You’ll Need
- Some friends or helpful strangers if you are push-starting
- A jump starter
- A charged mobile phone
How to Start a Car With a Dead Battery Without Another Car
1. Push Starting
Push-starting or bump-starting is a method of reviving your car engine by force instead of electricity.
If you are driving a manual car, you’ll need a short, flat distance or slight incline and help from pedestrians or passengers in the car to push start the vehicle.
As the word implies, this technique involves pushing your car until it has built momentum. The car is made to move while the transmission is engaged to the engine to spin and start it.
Step 1:
Ask the passengers or some helpful pedestrians to go behind your car and get ready to push
Step 2:
Hop into the e driver’s seat and turn the ignition on.
Step 3:
Push the clutch in and shift to second gear while the parking brake is still engaged.
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REMINDER:
Do not use the first gear because it may cause the car to buck severely.
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Step 4:
Step on the brake pedal and release the parking brake.
Then, release it when the people start pushing.
Step 5:
Remember to release the clutch when you’re around 5 mph.
Either carry on driving normally or push the clutch in and use the throttle to rev the engine gently.
Your engine may sputter as it engages.
If the engine starts, you’re good to go!
If it doesn’t, repeat the process at a higher speed.
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REMINDER:
If you own an automatic car, this technique is not recommended.
The only way to crank your automatic transmission engine is to jump start it with a portable jump starter box.
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2. Utilizing a Jump-Start Box
Jump boxes are small portable batteries with attached jumper cables.
They are lightweight, small, and safe to use.
They can prevent voltage spikes that can damage your car’s electrical system, hence, generally safer to use than jumper cables.
Some of them have onboard safety lights, AC outlets, and USB ports to charge your phone.
They’re also inexpensive and available at hardware, auto parts, and online stores; and it's worth getting one to keep in the car in case of emergencies.
Below is the step-by-step procedure of jump-starting a car without another car through a portable jump starter by yourself.
Step 1:
Make sure your jump-starter is fully charged. If not, plug it in and charge as directed in its manual.
Open the hood and remove the battery terminal covers.
Identify the negative and positive posts of the battery and the jumpstarter.
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TIP:
Usually, the red lead is considered a positive, and the black lead is considered a negative power source.
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Then, set the parking brake.
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SAFETY WARNING:
The battery is flammable. Do not smoke near your car.
Remove any jewelry and/or bracelets when working on your battery.
Keep your face, dangling clothes and any flammable material away from the battery.
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Step 2:
Connect the positive (red) lead on the battery’s positive post and the negative (black) lead on an unpainted clean car frame or engine block.
Make sure the jump starter leads are firmly connected, wait for 5 minutes to recharge the car battery.
Remember that turning over an automobile engine requires plenty of energy; so, don’t try to cut off the recharging time.
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SAFETY WARNING:
Engineers do not recommend connecting the negative lead of the jumpstarter to the negative terminal of the car’s battery because it could spark and cause a fire.
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Step 3:
Take the driver’s seat and turn the ignition key to the ‘ON’ position, similar to what you would do when starting the car normally.
Make sure that the gear is still in the ‘Neutral’ or ‘Park’ position. Crank the engine.
If it doesn’t start on your first attempt, wait for a few minutes to try again.
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REMINDER:
Do not need to crank the engine for a long period of time.
It could damage the starter motor and discharge the portable jump starter quickly.
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Step 4:
Once the engine is on and the car is running, disconnect the jumper cables.
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REMINDER:
The engine should be running while you’re detaching the cables because it is unlikely for your car to have enough charge to restart once the engine is off.
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3. Jump Start A Car With A Spare Battery
If you don’t have a jumpstart box, don’t worry. Here is another quick method through which you can jump-start a car with a dead battery.
You only need a powerful spare battery.
Try to find a maintenance-free and spill-free battery with a crack-free casing.
Step 1:
Turn the ignition switch on and turn off all the accessories such as lights, airconditioning, stereo, etc.
Step 2. Tip The Battery Upside Down
Turn the boost battery upside down and place it on top of the car’s dead battery in such a way that the terminals of the boost battery are properly aligned to the respective terminals of the car’s battery.
Step 3. Start The Car
Turn on the ignition.
And let it run for 15 minutes before removing the boost battery from the car.
4. Bridging Two Batteries Using Tools
SInce tipping a lead-acid battery upside down could spill out the acid from the battery and cause chemical harm to you and your car’s battery, you can also jump-start a car by bridging two batteries using tools.
Step 1:
Open the hood. Bring the boost battery and put it aside by the dead battery.
Step 2:
Bridge the gap by attaching a spanner or similar tools to the terminals of the boost and dead batteries.
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SAFETY WARNING:
Make sure to hold the spanner firmly to both batteries to avoid igniting the gasses produced by the batteries.
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Step 3. Power The Engine
Turn on the ignition.
And let it run for 15 minutes before removing the boost battery from the car.
5. Remove The Fan Belt And Spin The Car’s Alternator
CAUTION:
Do NOT use this method if you’re not very experienced with fixing cars or vehicles.
Avoid this method unless you have no other options because it may cause major damage to the car if not done correctly.
Step 1:
Disconnect your battery before starting this process.
Step 2:
Find the fan belt. It’s a synthetic flexible rubber belt usually located at the front of the engine.
Step 3:
FInd the bolt or hole that controls the tension of the fan belt.
Turn the wrench or ratchet away from the belt to relieve the tension.
Step 4:
Pull the fan belt from the various pulleys until the belt is out.
Step 5:
Rotate the alternator quickly to charge your dead battery.
You can also connect the alternator to the rear wheel of a bicycle to get enough voltage.
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NOTE:
There has to be some power left in the car battery for this process to work.
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6. Call For Roadside Assist
If your engine still doesn’t start even after trying all the methods listed above,
Then the problem could be a bad alternator, or it’s time to replace the dead car battery.
We advise that you seek professional help from an auto expert.
Call for roadside assistance or a mechanic to identify the issue and fix it.