Almost all cars have had to deal with a dead battery at one point or another and while some car drivers are able to determine the cause others are left confused.
One major way of starting a car with a dead battery is using another car but if you don’t have a car to use what do you do? How to start a car with a dead battery without another car?
You can start a car with a dead battery without another car either by using the push-to-start method or the jumper box method.
Can You Start a Car with a Dead Battery?
Yes, you can start a car with a dead battery. A battery is an essential part of a car, in fact, one can say it is the lifeline of the car.
While the car is running the alternator is responsible for recharging the battery, but what happens if the alternator is unable to recharge the battery? The battery goes dead.
When a battery is dead, the alternator is most likely the place you look to check but there are other causes of a dead battery.
Starting a car when the battery is dead may seem impossible for someone that knows nothing about a car but it is very possible to start a car with a dead battery.
Is it Possible to Jumpstart a Car with Another Car?
It is possible to jumpstart a car with another car. To jumpstart a car means using an external source to boost a car’s battery long enough for the battery to recharge and start the engine. The external source used is usually a jumper cable and another car’s battery.
In order to jumpstart a car with another car, the other car’s battery must be in good condition and fully charged. You can’t possibly try to jumpstart one dead battery with another dead battery, it won’t work.
To do this, you will need the jumper cable to serve as a connection between both car batteries without their touching.
If you plan on jumpstarting your car with another car, do not use an electric or hybrid car. Using any of these cars will only damage one or both cars involved.
How to Start a Car with a Dead Battery Without Another Car?
There are various ways of starting a car with a dead battery; you can decide to jumpstart which will involve using another car or you can go with the other options that don’t involve using another car.
If you decide to start a car without another car, you must know what works best for your type of car as the method used in starting an automatic car is quite different from the one used in starting a manual car.
An effective way of starting a manual car without another car is the Push-to Start Method. In order to successfully use this method, you will need the help of other people. Let’s take a look at the steps involved
Get in the Car
The first step will be to get in the car, this is so you can turn on the ignition and engage the emergency brake. At this point, those that will be helping should be on the ground and positioned behind the car.
Press Down on the Clutch
Still inside the car and the emergency brake still engaged, you should press down on the clutch then shift the car into 2nd gear
Press on the Brake Pedal
You will need to press down on the brake pedal. At this point, you can release the emergency brake, this should be done gradually and slowly. Remove your foot from the brake pedal slowly and tell those helping behind the car to start pushing.
Release the Clutch
You can then proceed to release the clutch when the car has started and at a good speed.
Now we will take a look at how to start an automatic car without using another car. Unlike the manual car, you do not necessarily need anyone around to use this method.
To use this method, you will need a Jumper Box to be sure the jumper box is charged before starting the process.
Locate the Positive Terminals
Before starting anything, be sure the car has been turned off. Then proceed to locate and connect the red clamp on the jumper box to the positive terminal on the battery. The positive terminal usually has a red or + sign on it.
Attach the Black Clamp to the Metal
The next step will be to attach the black clamp on the jumper box to a piece of metal. You can use the car’s frame as a grounder for this connection
Turn on the Jumper Box
You can now turn on the jumper cables/box and allow the battery to charge for some minutes. If after some minutes the car is still not starting, leave it for some minutes more. The car may need more time to get started
Turn Off the Jumper Box
Turn off the jumper box and remove cables from the car once the car has started. When removing the cable ensure it is removed in the reverse order of how it was attached.
What Household Items Can You Use to Jumpstart a Car?
A major household item that has been used over time to jumpstart a car is the Drill Battery. To jumpstart a car with the drill battery, you can follow this procedure.
- First, remove the battery in the drill
- To make a loop around the battery terminals, bend the ends of a solid copper wire
- The brown wire should be placed with the positive terminal and the terminal lead should be refitted.
- The second blue wire should be placed with the negative terminal with the terminal lead also refitted.
- The other end of the wire should be connected to the drill battery, negative to negative, positive to positive. One way to identify the positives and negatives of the drill is by using a test meter.
- Leave it plugged in for some minutes before attempting to start the engine
- The battery drill should be disconnected once the car engine has started.
Other household items that can be used are; UPS and a laptop charger with 15 volts.
Conclusion
Before proceeding to use any of the methods that don’t involve using another car, it is important that you understand your car and its recommended method of jumpstarting to avoid causing any damage.
