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How to Charge a Dead Car Battery Andrew

Quinn
Master Mechanic
Co-authored by Andrew Quinn
Updated: March 29, 2019 Co-authors: Updated: Views:
20 March 29, 2019 1,395,371
There are several reasons your car battery could
Explore this Article
die; including going for long periods of time without
starting your car, storing it in freezing outdoor Before Jump-Starting 82% of readers found this article helpful.
Jump-Starting the Dead Battery 8 votes - 82%
temperatures, leaving headlights or interior lights on
Article Summary
while the car is turned off, and more. In order to Click a star to add your vote
Video
charge a dead car battery, a set of jumper cables
Questions & Answers
and a functional car with a charged battery is Related Articles
Ruwan Jayasuriya
required. You will then have the ability to connect RJ
References Dec 31, 2016
the batteries to one another using the jumper cables, "Very helpful. Walked me through the key
and recharge the dead battery by transferring energy points really well. If you provide a bit more
on grounding the cable..." more
from the functional battery. Continue reading this article to learn more about the steps you can
take to safely and effectively charge a dead car battery using jumper cables. More success stories Share yours!

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Method
1 Before Jump-Starting
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1 Inspect the physical appearance of your car's battery before jump-starting. Your
battery should be intact with no cracks, and should not visibly leak any battery acid.
Do not attempt to jump-start your car if your battery displays signs of these
damages, as you may cause injury to yourself or others if you do so.

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2 Wear safety goggles and rubber gloves before touching the dead car battery in
any way. Goggles and gloves will protect your eyes and hands from any sulfuric acid
that may eject from the battery.

3 Verify that the cables attached to your car's battery are secure and free of
corrosion.
If your battery cables are corroded, clean them as best as possible using a brush
with stiff bristles.

4 Drive the functional car into position next to the car with the dead battery
without allowing the vehicles to touch one another. Ideal positions for this task
are either placing the cars closely next to one another facing the same direction, or facing
one another head-on, or nose-to-nose.
Verify that the distance between each car's battery is close enough for the jumper
cables to connect the cars together. The length of jumper cables varies greatly
depending on their style and manufacturer.
Do not attempt to connect two different pairs of jumper cable together if your first
pair isn’t long enough. This can melt the jumper cables and start a fire.
 5 Turn off the functional car that contains the charged battery.

Method
2 Jump-Starting the Dead Battery

1 Open the hood or compartment on each vehicle in which the batteries are
located.

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Take note of the positive and negative terminals on each battery.Positive terminals will
be indicated by the plus symbol (+), and negative terminals will be indicated by a minus
2 symbol(-).

3 Connect each end of the positive jumper cable to the positive terminals on each
car battery. The positive jumper cable is usually red in color if it is not labeled
otherwise. The order in which you attach the jumper cables does make a difference,
so follow this pattern: First connect one end of the positive jumper cable to the dead
battery, then connect the other positive end of the jumper cable to the charged battery.

4 Connect one end of the negative jumper cable to the negative terminal on the
functional, charged battery. In most cases, the negative jumper cable is black.
5 Attach the other end of the negative jumper cable to a grounded metal
component of the car that contains the dead battery. This will ground the car that
contains the dead battery upon jump-starting. You can attach the ground cable to the
frame, chassis, or another component that is reasonably clean and free of paint or
oxidation.

6 Start the engine of the car with the charged battery. Upon starting the engine, its
charging system will begin to charge the dead car battery through the jumper cables.

7 Allow at least five minutes to pass after starting the engine of the car with the
charged battery. This will allow the dead battery to build up a charge of its own,
although it would take longer to fully charge the battery.
8 Try to start the engine of the car that contains the dead battery.If the jumper
cables and the battery you are charging have enough power, the car engine should
turn over easily and start.
If the engine in the car with the dead battery fails to start, allow five more minutes
to pass for the dead battery to charge.

9 Disconnect and remove the jumper cables from each car after the engine has
started in the reverse order in which you connected them. This will prevent
sparks or an explosion from occurring.
Disconnect the grounding cable first, then the cable attached to the negative
terminal on the battery, then the cable attached to the positive terminal of the
battery of the car that provided the jump, and finally the cable attached to the
positive terminal on the previously dead battery.

10 Allow the car which had the dead battery to continue running for at least
another five minutes. This will allow the alternator in the car to recharge the
battery.
11 Drive the jump-started car for at least 20 minutes or allow it to idle for the
same amount of time. In some cases, your battery will become fully charged
within this time period; however, it is possible that you may need to purchase a new battery
for your car if the battery doesn't charge sufficiently to crank the car.

Community Q&A

Question

What if I connect it to the wrong terminals?

Community Answer

You could destroy the diodes in the alternator or blow the main fuse for the car. Depending
on the model, the computers could be fried by a momentary reverse polarity jump.
Not Helpful 8

Helpful 20

Question

With a trickle charge, what voltage do I set it to?

Community Answer

Always set it to 2 amp for trickle charge. This will take longer, but will ensure a complete
charge.
Not Helpful 0

Helpful 3

Question

Can I charge a car battery without disconnecting it?

Mike Dodson
Community Answer

Yes. Then it remembers your settings on everything. Unhooking erases most of your saved
settings (i.e. clock, stereo channels, etc.) including your engine controller's learned settings.
Not Helpful 0

Helpful 3

Question

Can I connect the negative end to the negative terminal of the dead battery instead of
grounding it at the car's frame?

Logic Johnson Lafontaine

Top Answerer

Only as a last resort. It will work, but if your battery isn`t in great shape, you could damage it.
 Always try for the frame.
Not Helpful 6

Helpful 12

Question

Can I charge a battery without removing the dead battery from the car?

Community Answer

You can, however, it's best to always remove the battery cable to prevent the charger from
causing damage to any sensors or computers your car might have.
Not Helpful 4

Helpful 8

Question

I've been charging, but apparently not correctly. There is a clicking when I attempt to
start the dead battery. Have I harmed something?

Community Answer

Are you positive it is the battery? Try running the charger for a few minutes and cranking it, it
should try to start.
Not Helpful 1

Helpful 3

Question

How can I tell if it's the battery of the alternator?

Mike Dodson
Community Answer

Use the procedure mentioned to start your car. Use a simple voltage tester across terminals
while engine is running. It should be 13.1 volts to 13.6. If it is, do the 20 minute run, because
your alternator is fine. Turn off the car. Check across terminals. If it has dropped below 13v,
drive to your parts supply store for the free battery check. If it is 10.5v or less, it has a bad
cell and is doomed for replacement.
Not Helpful 0

Helpful 1

Question

Is the process the same for a motorcycle battery?

Community Answer

Yes, but it should typically go much quicker on a motorcycle because the bike has a tiny
battery compared to the car. It should only take a minute or less to let the bike battery build
up a charge. Jumping a dead car from a running motorcycle can be done, but you risk
depleting the bike battery so far that it may not start up again, so leave the bike running while
you connect the cables.
Not Helpful 0

Helpful 1

Question

Which car do I put the cables on first, dead battery or live battery?

Community Answer

Always place the cable on the charged battery first, then the dead battery. Refer to the
 article above to get the correct order of the cable connections.
Not Helpful 100

Helpful 28

Question

What is the right sequence to connect the negative and positive?

Mike Dodson
Community Answer

Hook cables on both terminals of your dead battery first (then when the cables touch there
are no sparks, no drama). Then hook positive to a positive power post or on positive battery
post and negative to heaviest piece of steel you can find; preferably the ground cable on the
engine.
Not Helpful 0

Helpful 0

Show more answers

Unanswered Questions

How long does it take to charge a dead battery? Can an alternator really fully charge
a dead battery in 20 minutes?

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How long does it take to charge a dead battery? Can the alternator really fully charge
a dead battery in 20 minutes?

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How long should I charge a dead car battery for from a wall charger?

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wikiHow Video: How to Charge a Dead Car Battery

Tips

Be aware of the vehicle's temperature if idling for an extended period, since some cars
may overheat during extended idling.

Auto parts stores can quickly test a battery to determine if it is no longer serviceable.

Some Ford cars have been known to suffer a power surge due to jump starting. To avoid
electrical problems from this, make sure that your car heater is on with the heating fan
turned up all the all the way and turn on the defroster. If there is a surge, the fuse to the fan
will blow, and having the heating/fan on will absorb excess current to avoid electrical
damage.[1].

Larger wire size in jumper cables allow a faster charging rate.

Check the electrolyte level in the dead battery to make sure each cell is properly filled.

If you're trying to diagnose your battery's problem load testing can be a good place to start.

Warnings

Never allow the positive and negative jumper cables to touch or connect with one another
at the same when they are connected to the battery; especially while you are handling
them. If you allow the cables to touch, you may melt the cables, damage the batteries, or
even start a fire.

Recharging batteries can create the explosive gas, hydrogen

If you have a manual transmission, use the clutch carefully.

Things You'll Need

Safety goggles

Rubber gloves

Jumper cables

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References

1. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/24/automobiles/battery-dead-look-before-you-jump.html
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnsxZ-6jav8
3. http://www.askmen.com/cars/car_tips_100/105_car_tip.html
4. http://automechanics.wordpress.com/2008/03/08/how-to-recharge-a-dead-battery/
5. http://www.autos.com/car-maintenance/how-to-safely-use-jumper-cables

Article Info

This article was co-authored by Andrew Quinn. Andrew Quinn is a Master Mechanic in
Missouri. He is ASE certified and has been doing automotive repair since 2010.

Categories: Car Batteries and Ignitions

In other languages:

Italiano: Caricare una Batteria d’Auto Esaurita, Português: Carregar uma Bateria
Arriada, Español: cargar la batería muerta de un carro, Русский: зарядить аккумулятор, не
снимая его с автомобиля, Français: recharger une batterie à plat, :
, Deutsch: Wie man eine leere Autobatterie auflädt, Bahasa Indonesia: Mengecas Aki Mobil
yang Lemah, Nederlands: Een auto met een lege accu starten, ‫ ﺷﺤﻦ ﺑﻄﺎرﻳﺔ ﺳﻴﺎرة‬:‫اﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ‬
‫ﺿﻌﻴ ﻔ ﺔ‬

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