How to Jump Start your car (dead battery)

HappyWheels · 16th December 2008, 18:37

Why the confusion with postive and negative terminals? Wouldn't connecting +ve to +ve & -ve to -ve work? Anything wrong with that?

vikram_d · 16th December 2008, 18:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Why the confusion with postive and negative terminals? Wouldn't connecting +ve to +ve & -ve to -ve work? Anything wrong with that?

Neve connect -ve to -ve. It always has to be -ve of booster car to engine ground (even body ground works in most cases). Hydrogen gas is present inside the battery and is extremely flammable. Slightest spark and you will have an exploding car.

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 16th December 2008, 18:52

Any advise on making jump start cables? I know that any auto electric shop would be able to solder (not the normal solder used in electronics - proper melting of zinc / lead is required) on clamps onto thick wires.

I also suggest that anybody with a car with a battery more than 24 months old should spend 100 bucks to buy a digital multimeter. It should tell you the voltage fo the battery.

Can gurus please post the acceptable voltage limits? (I can post the current voltage on my car; but its battery is healthy).

vikram_d · 16th December 2008, 19:09

For making jumper cables just buy good quality electrical wire. 4 gauge or even 8 gauge is enough. Most petrol cars require minimum 11.5 volts to start. This is without any other load on the battery.

The biggest issue with dead/dying batteries is that if you run the car for about 15 mins and check voltage they will show proper readings. But the thing is that they will not hold that charge for very long. They drain out quicker.

I recently changed my battery. The only thing that told me the battery was weak was that it's voltage would be 11.4 - 11.7 volts in the mornings. The new battery reads 12.3 to 12.5 volts in the mornings. When I went to got the battery replaced I found out that 2 cells of the old battery had completely gone bad. There was brown coloured residue in the electrolyte of those cells. The only things that kept that battery going was my 60 kms daily run to and from office.

vennarbank · 17th December 2008, 20:16

Surprise! I cranked up today and my car is starting now. Now the guy from Amaron came and he checked and he showed in his multimeter that battery is weak. Normally it is showing 11.9 to 12.x but while cranking up it is showing 8.x to 9.x . Now i am confused whether to change the battery or not.
I need your advice guys.

jat · 17th December 2008, 23:12

It is normal for a battery voltage to dros to so low during cranking (depends on Ah of battery). However, how many starts you can get and does the voltage returns to normal after the cranking with engine stop and lights etc on. If not the battery has run down and needs replacement. The best way is to carry out a load test but some workshop. There you can see how much the voltage drops and how fast the battery is discharged with a nominal charge of about Rs 30~50/- or even less.

Hashim · 17th December 2008, 23:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by vennarbank

Surprise! I cranked up today and my car is starting now. Now the guy from Amaron came and he checked and he showed in his multimeter that battery is weak. Normally it is showing 11.9 to 12.x but while cranking up it is showing 8.x to 9.x . Now i am confused whether to change the battery or not.
I need your advice guys.

If the battery voltage dips below 10v on normal load then battery is definately weak and no more good for use in car. You should change the battery.

aah78 · 18th December 2008, 01:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikram_d

Neve connect -ve to -ve. It always has to be -ve of booster car to engine ground (even body ground works in most cases). Hydrogen gas is present inside the battery and is extremely flammable. Slightest spark and you will have an exploding car.

Modern cars should have dedicated +ve and grounding (-ve) points marked on the body - check user manual.
If you can't find a point, cover-up the battery terminals with some electric-tape (even your regular cello/scotch tape will do), just to prevent any unwanted occurrence (boom!).

Quote:

Originally Posted by vennarbank

Surprise! I cranked up today and my car is starting now.

If you're battery's 3 years or older, then yes, change it. If it's new and you don't use your car too much, then shop around for the funky trickle charger mentioned earlier.

vennarbank · 22nd December 2008, 16:24

Now i have changed the battery to Amaron Black. Amaron GO /FLO was my choice but not available under the circumstances given below.

Saturday, 20th, decided to take car for change of battery. Called the guy and he told me to come late afternoon since he is stuck up somewhere else. I told him that i need to take car to Vandalur zoo. He told that should not be an issue since car is self starting. I took his word for granted and went to the zoo since my son was pestering me for more than a week. Just i entered the zoo and trying to park a car suddenly reversed. so i braked suddenly and the car stopped. And it did not start at all.

My wife gave a i told you so look. I asked my wife, kid and in-laws to go ahead into the zoo and book for lion safari. Then i asked for battery shop. The people pointed me to a shop which had only exide batteries. I told him i need Amaron. He called someother shop and told me that they have only battery with 18 month guarantee only. I did not have option since even if i call Amaron helpline it will take more time to come. So i told this guy to go-ahead and in the meantime went to IOB ATM and got the money.

Now with battery in a cycle the shop owner came with me and changed the battery. The rate is Rs.2156 and for old battery the exchange price is Rs.200.
Once everything done and warranty card got i was happy that it was over quickly [less than an hour]

And ofcourse i did saw the lion safari

And thanks to our team-bhp for guiding me choosing the battery.

hsejars · 28th December 2008, 14:23

My car (Wagon R) is 4.5 years old & done about 40K Km. I have not had issues with starting the engine though it takes slightly more cranking than what I am used to. Recently i noticed that while driving my car horn reduces in volume after I use it a couple of times (starts sounding as if it has a sore throat :-) ). As I drive, if I do not use the horn for more than 15 min it comes up fine but then drops in volume once again. I am not sure whether this is a battery problem. Headlights, stereo, Ac, Wipers all seem to be working fine. The dashboard battery indicator comes on before I crank and it switches off after I start the engine as usual. Doesnt this indicator indicate when the battery needs to be replaced? Do I need a new battery - any shop in Bangalore & brand that someone can suggest?

Thanks
Rajesh

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 28th December 2008, 14:44

4.5 years is 1.5 times the expected life of a battery. More than 3 years and you will be better off replacing it - but first, take advice of a nearby battery shop.

aseem · 28th December 2008, 15:02

The reason jumper cables are not popular in India is twofold:

a) It doesnt snow here in most parts of India. So cold battery that wont start is not an issue

b) We have manual transmission cars mostly, that can be dhakka started. Try doing that with an automatic....

gigy · 28th December 2008, 15:23

The point is to connect the negative from booster car to a place on the dead car which is sufficiently far from the dead battery. this prevents any gas buildup from igniting from the small spark produced during connection.

anjan_c2007 · 28th December 2008, 17:23

This is the one year old battery of my 1955 Landmaster which is used every weekend.Why do the sea blue salts start forming near the terminals? This salt is deadly and spoils the paintwork of the car causing corrosion in its metal body. It is soluble in water.

How to Jump Start your car (dead battery)-sonycamv-2169.jpg

anupmathur · 28th December 2008, 20:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Why do the sea blue salts start forming near the terminals? This salt is deadly and spoils the paintwork of the car causing corrosion in its metal body. It is soluble in water.

Anjan, that is 'normal' corrosion that takes place on battery terminals. Usually lead sulphate and maybe some copper sulphate.
Can be washed off with warm water and an old toothbrush. Wash off the salts with copious amounts of water.
Then apply petroleum jelly or white Vaseline liberally to the terminals and connectors. This prevents the salts from forming.

16th December 2008, 18:37	#46
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Why the confusion with postive and negative terminals? Wouldn't connecting +ve to +ve & -ve to -ve work? Anything wrong with that?
	() Thanks

16th December 2008, 18:52	#48
BaCkSeAtDrIVeR BANNED Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kochi Posts: 2,522 Thanked: 752 Times	Any advise on making jump start cables? I know that any auto electric shop would be able to solder (not the normal solder used in electronics - proper melting of zinc / lead is required) on clamps onto thick wires. I also suggest that anybody with a car with a battery more than 24 months old should spend 100 bucks to buy a digital multimeter. It should tell you the voltage fo the battery. Can gurus please post the acceptable voltage limits? (I can post the current voltage on my car; but its battery is healthy).
	() Thanks

16th December 2008, 19:09	#49
vikram_d Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,427 Thanked: 1,185 Times	For making jumper cables just buy good quality electrical wire. 4 gauge or even 8 gauge is enough. Most petrol cars require minimum 11.5 volts to start. This is without any other load on the battery. The biggest issue with dead/dying batteries is that if you run the car for about 15 mins and check voltage they will show proper readings. But the thing is that they will not hold that charge for very long. They drain out quicker. I recently changed my battery. The only thing that told me the battery was weak was that it's voltage would be 11.4 - 11.7 volts in the mornings. The new battery reads 12.3 to 12.5 volts in the mornings. When I went to got the battery replaced I found out that 2 cells of the old battery had completely gone bad. There was brown coloured residue in the electrolyte of those cells. The only things that kept that battery going was my 60 kms daily run to and from office. Last edited by vikram_d : 16th December 2008 at 19:10. Reason: Spell check
	() Thanks

17th December 2008, 20:16	#50
vennarbank BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 171 Thanked: 151 Times	Car starting up now Surprise! I cranked up today and my car is starting now. Now the guy from Amaron came and he checked and he showed in his multimeter that battery is weak. Normally it is showing 11.9 to 12.x but while cranking up it is showing 8.x to 9.x . Now i am confused whether to change the battery or not. I need your advice guys. Last edited by vennarbank : 17th December 2008 at 20:17. Reason: spelling error
	() Thanks

17th December 2008, 23:12	#51
jat BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SINGAPORE Posts: 265 Thanked: 7 Times	It is normal for a battery voltage to dros to so low during cranking (depends on Ah of battery). However, how many starts you can get and does the voltage returns to normal after the cranking with engine stop and lights etc on. If not the battery has run down and needs replacement. The best way is to carry out a load test but some workshop. There you can see how much the voltage drops and how fast the battery is discharged with a nominal charge of about Rs 30~50/- or even less.
	() Thanks

22nd December 2008, 16:24	#54
vennarbank BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 171 Thanked: 151 Times	Some people never learn quickly and that is me Now i have changed the battery to Amaron Black. Amaron GO /FLO was my choice but not available under the circumstances given below. Saturday, 20th, decided to take car for change of battery. Called the guy and he told me to come late afternoon since he is stuck up somewhere else. I told him that i need to take car to Vandalur zoo. He told that should not be an issue since car is self starting. I took his word for granted and went to the zoo since my son was pestering me for more than a week. Just i entered the zoo and trying to park a car suddenly reversed. so i braked suddenly and the car stopped. And it did not start at all. My wife gave a i told you so look. I asked my wife, kid and in-laws to go ahead into the zoo and book for lion safari. Then i asked for battery shop. The people pointed me to a shop which had only exide batteries. I told him i need Amaron. He called someother shop and told me that they have only battery with 18 month guarantee only. I did not have option since even if i call Amaron helpline it will take more time to come. So i told this guy to go-ahead and in the meantime went to IOB ATM and got the money. Now with battery in a cycle the shop owner came with me and changed the battery. The rate is Rs.2156 and for old battery the exchange price is Rs.200. Once everything done and warranty card got i was happy that it was over quickly [less than an hour] And ofcourse i did saw the lion safari And thanks to our team-bhp for guiding me choosing the battery. Last edited by vennarbank : 22nd December 2008 at 16:25. Reason: addition:
	() Thanks

28th December 2008, 14:23	#55
hsejars BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 86 Thanked: 5 Times	My car (Wagon R) is 4.5 years old & done about 40K Km. I have not had issues with starting the engine though it takes slightly more cranking than what I am used to. Recently i noticed that while driving my car horn reduces in volume after I use it a couple of times (starts sounding as if it has a sore throat :-) ). As I drive, if I do not use the horn for more than 15 min it comes up fine but then drops in volume once again. I am not sure whether this is a battery problem. Headlights, stereo, Ac, Wipers all seem to be working fine. The dashboard battery indicator comes on before I crank and it switches off after I start the engine as usual. Doesnt this indicator indicate when the battery needs to be replaced? Do I need a new battery - any shop in Bangalore & brand that someone can suggest? Thanks Rajesh
	() Thanks

28th December 2008, 14:44	#56
BaCkSeAtDrIVeR BANNED Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kochi Posts: 2,522 Thanked: 752 Times	4.5 years is 1.5 times the expected life of a battery. More than 3 years and you will be better off replacing it - but first, take advice of a nearby battery shop.
	() Thanks

28th December 2008, 15:02	#57
aseem Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Delhi Posts: 1,730 Thanked: 441 Times	The reason jumper cables are not popular in India is twofold: a) It doesnt snow here in most parts of India. So cold battery that wont start is not an issue b) We have manual transmission cars mostly, that can be dhakka started. Try doing that with an automatic....
	() Thanks

28th December 2008, 15:23	#58
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	The point is to connect the negative from booster car to a place on the dead car which is sufficiently far from the dead battery. this prevents any gas buildup from igniting from the small spark produced during connection.
	() Thanks

28th December 2008, 17:23	#59
anjan_c2007 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 8,331 Thanked: 20,646 Times View My Garage	This is the one year old battery of my 1955 Landmaster which is used every weekend.Why do the sea blue salts start forming near the terminals? This salt is deadly and spoils the paintwork of the car causing corrosion in its metal body. It is soluble in water.
	() Thanks