Dead Battery Walking

what to do when dealing with a dead car battery

The most common way to deal with a dead battery is by jump-starting it. All you need to jump-start a car is a set of jumper cables and another car (the "rescue" car) with a functional battery. Keep in mind that you should never try to jump-start a car if its battery is cracked and leaks acid.

Jump-starting a car involves a number of steps:

[pre-Step 1: Call Dad in a mad panic]
[pre-Step 2: Feel like a total idiot for leaving the headlights on from the morning commute]

Step 1: Park the "rescue" car and the car with the dead battery nose-to-nose, or side-by-side facing the same direction. Connect one end of the positive cable to the positive terminal on the "rescue" car's battery, and the other end to the positive terminal on the dead battery. (Note that the positive cable is usually red; the negative cable is black.)
Step 2: Connect one end of the negative cable to the negative terminal on the "rescue" car's battery, and the other end to the negative terminal on the dead battery.

Step 3: Start the "rescue" car and allow it to run for a few minutes; doing so will allow its battery to recharge the dead battery.
Step 4: Shut off the "rescue" car and attempt to start the car with the dead battery; if the car doesn't start, repeat step 3.

If the car with the dead battery starts, allow its engine to run for at least a few minutes so that the alternator can recharge the battery. Disconnect the jumper cables from both cars in the reverse order in which you connected them. Make sure that you don't let any of the cables' extremities touch, as it may create a spark.