How To Jump Start a Car
by Brett & Kate McKay
The
Art of Manliness
You're walking
out of your apartment and notice a good looking gal with the hood
of her car open, looking at the engine with desperation. You go
over and ask what's wrong. The car battery is dead, and she's late
for class. She asks you if you can give her jump. You look down
at the ground, kick some rocks, and offer to call AAA instead.
You have no
clue how to jump start a car.
Every man should
know how to jump start a dead car battery. You never know when you'll
need this knowledge to aid a stranded damsel in distress or help
yourself. While jumping a dead battery is super simple, you'd be
surprised by the number of men who have no idea how to do it. Even
if a man has learned how to jump start a car before, it can be easy
to forget what cables go where. Positive on negative? Ground the
positive cable on the car with the good battery? Red cable is negative?
To help you
avoid looking like a putz when asked to jump start a car and to
help prevent you from shocking the hell out of yourself when you
do it, here's the rundown on how to jump start a dead car battery.
How to Tell
if Your Battery Is Dead
Before you
try jump starting a car, you need to determine that the battery
is the reason the car isn't starting up. If you turn the ignition
and hear the engine cranking, a dead battery isn't your problem
and jump starting it won't do a darn thing. However, if you turn
the key and the car does absolutely nothing, then there's a good
chance you have a dead battery on your hands and jumping it may
be your ticket to getting back on the road.
How to Jump
Start a Car with Cables
Note: You should
always carry jumper cables in your car with you. You never know
when you're going to need them.

Don't
be this guy
1. Make sure
both cars are turned off.
2. Connect
one end of the red (positive) jumper
cable to the positive terminal on the stalled
battery.

3. Then connect
the other red (positive) cable
clamp to the positive terminal
of the good battery.

Read
the rest of the article
February
25, 2012
Copyright
© 2012 The Art of Manliness
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