Picture yourself driving down to Deuba on a nice sunny day for some fun on the beach. It's the weekend and you're free for the rest of the day. But then.. the engine starts playing up ... bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. To your astonishment you discover the car battery just went dead and find yourself broken down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
Don't panic here are some tips from about.com that can get you started up again in no time. It's called jump start. About.com says it's easy to jump start your car if you have a dead battery. Batteries go dead for all sorts of reasons, but usually it's our fault. This is a good thing, because that means a simple jump-start will get you back on the road with no permanent damage.
What you'll need:
* Another car, running
* Jumper cables
* Safety glasses
* Wire brush (optional for cleaning connections)
Though we in Fiji may think pointers three and four maybe be options, it's always good to be on the safe side. You'll need to park the running car next to the dead car in such a way that the jumper cables can reach both batteries.
The websites advises not to be nervous about your battery connections, but also know that it's very important that you do not mix up the cables or you can do serious damage!
Here are the connection steps:
nBe sure both ignition switches are in the OFF position.
* Locate the "+" (positive) and "-" (negative) sides of each battery. They should be clearly marked on the battery itself. On newer cars the positive (+) side often has a red cover over the battery post and wires.
nAttache the red cable to the "+" side of the good battery
nAttach the other end of the red cable to the "+" side of the dead battery
nAttach the black cable to the "-" side of the good battery
nAttach the other end of the black cable to a section of unpainted metal on the dead car. This can be as small as the head of a bolt located nearby.
Now that you're all set up, it's time to turn some keys. First, start the car with the good battery, and leave it running. If the battery in the dead was was really badly drained, it may help to leave them connected for a minute with the good car running before you try to start the dead car. This will allow a little charge to build up in the dead battery.
Turn the key in the dead car to start and it should fire right up! As long as you don't have any issues with your alternator, you can disconnect the jumper cables right away.
An important tip is If you want to be sure, you can disconnect the black (negative) cables first, then go back and disconnect the red. Remember, the red (positive) cables are the ones that can cause a short if they touch the car while they are connected to the battery.
If the dead car doesn't turn over or turns over very slowly, check to see if your battery or connections are corroded. If they are, sometimes a little wiggling while the cable clamp is connected will make your connection better. Otherwise, it might be a good time to clean your battery connections.