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-   -   How to Jump Start your car (dead battery) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/87259-how-jump-start-your-car-dead-battery-3.html)

My battery died at 11-00 PM yesterday night in my company. No crank, and ignition lights were very dim. Manual says car can be jump-started, but not push-started. Local taxi drivers offer help to get the car started. I refused, left the car in the company parking lot, took an auto home at double rate (Rs 130 for 10 kms); I was fortunate to find an auto at that time. This morning went to my car servicing garage who are the authorized dealers for Exide batteries, and bought a M/C free battery for Rs. 4000, with a 48-month guarantee. Battery name is Sonic -something, but it is actually a Standard Furukawa battery that my Santro had previously for 6.5 years (OEM battery), so went for the same thing. Convenient for me as I can get the battery checked during service plus I get the goodwill of my local garage.

Took the battery back to my company this morning (paid Rs 90 this time, 1.5 meter rate). Found a small battery shop nearby, got the guy to fix the battery (another Rs. 100) and the car started in half a crank as before. Taking the car back to local garage now for some computerised tests, and she will be fine for my Mumbai trip this evening.

What surprised me was that there was only one warning this week -- the car failed to start in the usual half a crank a couple of days back and actually required 1.5 cranks! And the electrical systems warning lamp never came on, so I assume the battery suddenly went dead yesterday morning after I reached office.

Anyway, I resisted all short-cuts and went by the manual. Not worth risking damage to catalytic converter by push-starting in this case as the car was safe and sound in the company garage. I did not have the equipment for jump starting anyway. Of course I was a bit nervous about going by auto at 11-00 PM carrying my laptop and mobile.

How to Jumpstart ?

Jumpstart

My Car battery has its warranty expired and the service center guys told me [ a month ago] that it is better to change it to a new battery. Just before service suddenly, one day my car refused to start and after a few days it started normally. Now again the battery is drained since i did not take my car out for more than two weeks. How cam i make sure the battery is the problem.

Also currently the battery is Exide brand. The mechanic who came and jump started it said the battery is gone and offered me SF [standard furakawa?] . Can you suggest which battery is better.

Also in US i used to see people using separate jump starting cables. Do we get similar thing in Chennai/India. Please let me know where i can get that.

SF is anyday better than Exide.

Exide batteries are problematic since last some years now,and i'm sure there are better brands to choose like Amaron etc.

if you choose to leave you're battery in your car and not drive it for long periods of time. It will undoubtley be drained again. You either need a trickle charger to maintain low current within the battery when you are not driving it, or you can just take the battery out and store it.

NRIturbo can you please explain what is Trickle charger and where can that be bought ?

@Simply_sunny001 >> Can you suggest the better batteries [ i own WagonR]

Go for Amaron battery. They are good and come with a good warranty plan including pro-rated cash schemes, incase of failure.

You should be able to procure these jump starter cables from any car accessory shop. Having said that, I was not able to get it from few (very few) shops that I asked in Bangalore and ended up buying during my visit to the Middle East.

This is the better option. Well not taking it out, but disconnecting it. My car is back in India and was placed with both the battery cables taken out. It was like that for 1.5 months. Last week when my dad visited my house, he just plugged in the cable and the car started in first crank! clap:

So, if leaving town just unplug the cables.

i have used Exide,amaron.Tata Green,SF,Panasonic batteries till now.

Out of that Exide was the worst and Amaron and SF served me for more than 4+ years.

i would suggest you buy Amaron if not on budget as Amaron is costliest of them all.

Tata green is good too and complete VFM

Definitely seems to be a battery problem mate.Check the battery water and you'll have your answer.
Amaron is definitely the brand I'd recommend,have been using the same brand ever since I've been driving(8 years) and it is simply troublefree.

you can use a pair of thick insulted copper wires as jumper cables as well.

I came across this good article on how to jump start a car:

The first thing you want to remember when jump-starting a car is that a slight possibility of explosion does exist. This is because hydrogen gas--which forms as a battery discharges and loses its fluid--is flammable, and a spark from the battery cables could, theoretically, set it off. We emphasize slight because the gas would have to be fairly dense around the battery for this to happen. This is unlikely unless the battery has been sitting for a long time and little or no air circulation has occurred in the area, but it is possible.

Step One
Park the booster vehicle close to the one that needs to be jumped, but not so close that the vehicles are touching in any way. You'll want to use a good set of jumper cables with thick wire and clean clamps. As you are hooking up the jumper cables, make sure they don't dangle into either engine compartment where they could get caught on moving parts (belts, fan, etc.). Turn off the ignition of both vehicles, set the parking brakes, and make sure that they are in either "Park" or "Neutral" depending on whether the vehicles have an automatic or manual transmission. Also, turn off all accessories like lights, radio and, if the vehicles are in a safe area, the hazard flashers.

Step Two
Begin the process by clamping one of the positive jumper cable ends (red) to the positive battery terminal (labeled with a "+" on the battery) of the dead vehicle. Be sure the connection is strong with the clamp securely "biting" onto the battery terminal.

Step Three
Connect the other end of the positive cable (red) to the positive battery terminal on the booster vehicle (again, confirm that a "+" is next to the battery terminal). If the terminals are corroded on either vehicle, you may have to scrape them with an abrasive such as steel wool to achieve a solid connection.

Step Four
Connect the negative cable end (black) to the negative battery terminal on the booster car (marked with a "-"). Finally, attach the other end of the negative cable to an unpainted metal surface on the engine of the dead car. Find an unpainted bolt or bracket that is as far from the dead battery as possible. This will provide a solid ground while further reducing the possibility of igniting any hydrogen gas.

Step Five
Make a final check to confirm that the jumper cables are not near any moving engine parts, and start the booster car. Let it idle for several minutes, depending on the state of the dead battery. If the dead battery is new and was drained by the lights being left on an extended period of time, it will probably start immediately. If it is an old battery or it has sat for a long time (more than a month) it will probably take awhile to charge it sufficently.

Step Six
Start the dead vehicle and let the two vehicles idle for a few minutes. If the dead vehicle refuses to start, don't keep trying or you might damage the starter. If there is the possibility of additional problems, like a lack of fuel, don't continue trying to start the dead vehicle until the other problem(s) are solved.

Step Seven
Once the dead vehicle is started and running smoothly, disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were connected. As you disconnect them, be careful not to let the dangling cables fall into the engine compartments or touch each other.

Step Eight
Drive the revived car to somewhere safe and secure before shutting off the engine. Depending on the battery's condition, it might need to be jumped the next time it is started. To properly charge the battery, attach it to a certified battery charger and leave it connected for at least 12 hours. You can also take it to an automotive repair shop for complete charging. Driving the car for an extended period can also charge the battery, but this should be done only if the other two options aren't available. A vehicle's alternator is primarily designed to maintain a battery, not charge it from a complete drain.

Source: Jump-Start

Most of the average accessory shops don't stock these cables. They don't even know what a jump start cable is for that matter.

After an extensive search I got mine from Hot Tracks, Residency Road. Another place where I have seen them is Pro Drive, Shivaji Nagar (This place looks kind of run down these days).

- Jag

Oh well, to make sure that battery is gone, just call Exide's Bat Mobile service.

Battery test: Drive the car for an hour or two to make sure that the battery is sufficiently charged. After that you are not able to get more than one or two starts, means battery is dead (provided electrolyte level is normal) Alternatively, after running for 1 or 2 hrs, try to put max load (headlights, other lights, music system etc on) and see how long the battery lasts. If the lights go dim within few minutes (say 10~20 min), means battery life is finished. Most of the mechanic can also carry out the load test for you.

Jump starting cable can be available from accessories shops, but as it is not popular in India, it is not readily available and more difficult to procure in smaller cities. However you make one from the power electrical cables, joining all three wires to form one jumper cable. Make another one and set is ready.

Regarding procedure of jump starting, please correct me if I am wrong, but I feel that cars come with positive grounds and not negative ground. So the negative should be connected to negative and positive should be connected to ground of the car with dead battery.

Rgds.

Most cars today have a negative ground.
Are any still using positive ground?

@jat - All the cars I have seen come with negative grounds.

The procedure mentioned by Tejas is correct.