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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Please e-mail me if you have a question you would like answered.

Q:  How do I jump start my car?

A:  Jump starting your car does not have to be a hard task.  First lay out the cables on the ground between the two cars.  Make sure that the cable is not tangled and none of the end clamps are touching each other.  The car with the good battery should be running.

Step 1:  Take the positive (red) clamp closest to the car with the good battery and hook it to the positive terminal of that car.  The positive terminal will have a + sign on it and usually a red wire running to it.

Step 2:  Repeat this step on the car with the bad battery, hooking up the positive clamp to the positive terminal on the battery.   Make sure the clamps are contacting well and can not fall off.

Step 3:  Take the negative cable (black) closest to the car with the good battery and hook it to the negative terminal of the battery.  The negative terminal will have a  - sign and usually a black wire running to it.

Step 4:  This is the last step and the most important.  Take the negative clamp closest to the car with the bad battery and attach it to a bare metal part of the engine.  DO NOT hook it to the batteries negative terminal as there maybe hydrogen gas present from the battery and a spark from the connection could cause an explosion.

That's it......  turn the key on the dead car and the car should start.  If it does not, try revving the engine on the good car to boost the charge coming from the alternator.  If this does not work, try wiggling the cables to assure you have a good connection.  A GOOD set of jumper cables are a necessity.  I have had cheaper sets not jump start a dead car.  I actually had to double up two cheap sets to get enough current to start my car.  The cheaper sets will have thinner cables which can not carry enough amperage to start some stalled cars.  I would suggest buying a cable which has 4,6 or 8 gauge wire.  Check out the great selection of jumper cables at AutoBarn.com

Q: How did I learn to work on cars?

A: Well it was a lot of banged knuckles and swear words at my friends house and at home.  I started out with an old Chilton's manual which described how to rebuild an engine along with other routine tasks.  I also helped friends and worked on my own vehicles instead of paying a mechanic.  By the time I reached college I had rebuilt 3 engines and had done most other tasks involved with working on a car.  In today's world I still enjoy learning but instead of the old Chilton's manual I reach for software such as Motor Trend's AutoTech CD which is available on the software page of this site.

Check out our new section "Ask the Mechanic" for more FAQ's

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