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Whether you’ve left your car lights on or you’re running low on juice, having a dead car battery can be a pain. Fortunately, giving your battery a proper jump-start is a fairly easy process when performed safely with the right materials. Providing a wide range of emergency car services in Anchorage, AK, Flat on the Spot Mobile Tire Service offers a few essential jump-start tips.  

5 Steps to Jumpstart a Car

1. Position Cars

To charge a dead battery, you’ll need to borrow power from a working vehicle with a charged battery. If you can’t find a motorist to help you, contact an emergency jump-start service. Ideally, you should position cars head-to-head so they don’t touch but are not more than 18 inches or so apart. This is also a good time to make sure the area is safe and no children or unnecessary people are near the cars.

2. Attach Jumper Cables

jumpstartFirst, you’ll want to locate both car batteries and make sure the terminals are clean. Next, connect the red, or positive, ends of the jumper cable to the positive battery terminal to the dead battery and then the working battery. Afterward, connect the black, or negative, end of the jumper cable to the working vehicle. For a proper and complete connection, you’ll finish the circuit by clamping the last black end to a piece of metal, such as a bolt, on the dead-battery vehicle.  

3. Charge The Dead Battery

To charge the dead battery, the working car should be started and ran for about a minute.

4. Try Starting The Car

After a minute of running the other car, you can attempt to start your car. If the car still won’t start, try charging it for a few more minutes. If the car won’t run after a few tries, you may have a different problem with the ignition, electrical system, or a completely drained battery. The next step would be replacing the old battery.

If the car starts, you can un-clamp the jumper cables, starting with the black ends first. It is crucial to make sure no parts of the cables touch until they are all fully removed from both vehicles. After the car has started, you’ll want to drive the car for a while to recharge the battery.

5. Inspect Battery  

Even if your car starts successfully, it’s a good idea to have the battery tested afterward. This will ensure you have a good battery and won’t run into the same problem anytime soon.

If you have a dead battery in Anchorage, AK, and have no one to help you jump-start your vehicle, contact Flat On The Spot Mobile Tire Service at (907) 212-0086. In addition to providing jump-starts and replacement batteries, you can count on this team for other emergency vehicle services, such as flat tire repair and lockout service.

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