How To Jump Start A Car Dec 12, 2016
The Pros And Cons On How To Jump Start A Car With Jumper Cables Versus A Lithium Jump Starter
If it hasn’t happened to you, it probably will. In fact, millions of motorist experience a dead battery every single year. A dead car battery even happens to the best of us, regardless of our level of expertise. Even knowing and using battery care technologies such as battery chargers and jump starters cannot 100% prevent the occasional dead car battery. There are many methods on how to jump start a car. You can use the old, traditional battery jumper cables (also called booster cables)— ugh. Or you could use a portable lithium car jump starter— preferred. Following are details on each method for jump starting, including the how-to, plus, the pros and cons of each method.
How To Jump Start A Car With Jumper Cables
About Jumper Cables
Make sure the jumper cables you are buying are 100-percent copper construction. The vast majority of jumper cables on the market are made from aluminum wire with a copper coating (known as copper-clad aluminum cable). The electrical conductivity difference between pure copper cabe versus copper-clad aluminum is significant— about a 40-percent difference in conductivity.
Before using jumper cables, you need to consider the risks in using them. The most notable risks are identification of the proper polarity of the cars battery terminals and accidental short circuiting that battery clamps. In either case, both will result in significant amount of sparks that are not beneficial around combustable fumes, and can even arc weld if left connected too long. When you handle jumper cables, be aware of the proper connection procedures and do not ever touch the battery clamps together.
Preparing Before Jump Starting Your Vehicle
6 Steps On How To Jump Start Your Car Using Jumper Cables
1.) Make sure both vehicles are turned “off.”
2.) Identify the polarity of the battery posts, determining which is positive battery terminal and negative battery terminal. The positive battery post is commonly red in color and marked with a plus (+) symbol or POS (for positive). The negative battery post is black in color and marked with a negative (-) symbol or NEG (for negative).
3.) Attached the red (positive) jumper cable battery clamp to the positive battery post on the good vehicle. Then attach the other red (positive) jumper cable battery clamp to the positive battery post on the dead vehicle.
4.) Attached the black (negative) jumper cable battery clamp to the negative battery post on the good vehicle. Then attach the other black (negative) jumper cable to the vehicles chassis ground. Do not connect to the negative battery post— more on that in a bit.
5.) Try to jump start the dead vehicle. If the vehicle does not immediately start, wait a couple minutes to allow current to flow into the battery. Depending on the age and heath of the good vehicle's battery, it may need time for the battery to recharge and populate ions onto the battery plates.
6.) Disconnect the jumper cable in reverse order, starting with removing the black (negative) jumper cable battery clamp.
Pros.
Inexpensive.
You can buy a set of decent jumper cables for $30-40.
They Work.
Performance varies takes time depending on the quality of the jump cables
Cons.
Additional Vehicle Required.
An additional vehicle is required for jump starting. Not only does a vehicle need to be close by, but you may require assistance from a complete stranger.
Safety Risk.
Improper connections to by hooking to incorrect battery terminals, or shorting battery clamps by touching them together both generate a significant amount of sparks and increase the likelihood of a dangerous situation.
Requires Above Average Knowledge.
Understanding how to identify the correct battery terminal polarity, and using electrical systems will be required.
Performance Varies.
Battery performance varies on the health and condition of the battery on the operational vehicle. Just because the vehicle is running, does not mean is suitable for optimal current delivery.
One Dimensional.
Can only perform one function— jump starting a dead vehicle battery.
How To Jump Start A Car With A Lithium Jump Starter
Enter the lithium- car jump starter. These types of jump starters, as the name suggests, are powered by a lithium-ion battery rather than a lead-acid battery. The benefits of lithium technology versus lead-acid technology are evident. The lithium-ion batteries, because of their energy density, are smaller and more lightweight than their lead-acid counterparts. In fact, lithium jump starters are about 80-precent smaller and lightweight than lead-acid jump starters. And lithium jump starters also perform multi-functions, such as powering an LED flashlight, recharging your USB devices (e.g. recharging an iPhone), or power other 12-volt devices, like a tire inflator or power inverter. Check out NOCO Genius Boost Lithium-ion jump starters.
Lithium-ion batteries have an incredible high energy density when compared to lead-acid batteries. In other words, lithium-ion batteries delivery similar discharge ability, but at a fraction of the size. For example, most lead-acid batteries are rated at a 20C discharge rate. So a 10 amp-hour lead-acid battery can delivery 200-amps of power. Whereas a 1 amp-hour lithium-ion battery rated at 200C can delivery the same 200-amps, but at 10 times the size requirements. So yes, the lithium-ion battery in your smartphone, if designed properly, could have the ability to jump start your car. In addition, lead-acid batteries lose their discharge ability as the battery becomes more discharged, whereas lithium-ion batteries deliver consistent discharge currents until it is almost completely drained.
Like jumper cables, the quality of the lithium jump starter is directly proportional to its ability to jump start your car. Below are some simple steps:
4 Steps On How To Jump Start Your Car Using A Lithium Jump Starter
1.) Connect the red (positive) lithium jump starter battery clamp to the position battery post on the dead vehicle.
2.) Connect the black (negative) lithium jump start battery clamp to the chassis ground— more on that later.
3.) Try to jump start the dead vehicle. If the vehicle does not immediately start, wait a couple minutes to allow current to flow into the battery and try again.
4.) Disconnect the lithium jump starter in reverse order, starting with removing the black (negative) lithium jump battery clamp.
Pros.
No Additional Vehicle Needed.
Lithium jump starters are internally powered by its lithium-ion battery, so not additional vehicle is needed, or asking for help from a total stranger.
Powerful.
Extremely powerful in a compact form factor. Equivalent to, and often more powerful than its lead-acid battery equivalents.
Portable.
Lithium jump starters are extremely small and compact, hand-held devices, storable win a glove compartment, trunk or tool box.
Safety.
Contains safety protection against reverse polarity and short circuit, making for spark-free connections.
Requires Non-Expert Knowledge.
Because lithium jump starters feature safe spark-proof technology, the user does not need to worry about proper polarity identification and touching the battery clamps together.
Multi-Dimensional.
Lithium jump starters, besides jump starting your vehicle, also can recharge your USB devices, power 12-volt devices, and some jump starters come with a LED flashlight.
Better Performance.
Lithium-ion technology will only lose about 30% of its battery capacity over year, and do not suffer any permanent battery capacity loses when left in a discharged state.
Cons.
Expensive.
More expensive than traditional jumper cables, but equivalent in price to lead-acid jump starters.
Does Revving The Engine help After A Jump Start?
Why connect to chassis ground when jumping a car?
Why connect the positive battery clamps first?
Ever wondered why you connect the positive connections first, then the negative. It’s because nothing bad can happen if you leave the negative battery clamps dangling in the chassis of the vehicle. Anything it could accidentally touch will likely be ground. If you connected both the positive and negative battery clamps from either the good or dead vehicle, the other end is now live and accidentally touching the battery clamps together will create a short circuit— unless you use a safe lithium jump starter. If you connect the negative battery clamps first and then connect the positive battery clamps, you potentially create a short circuit, because the opposite side is probably touching something that is grounded.