How to Jump-Start Your Car Without Another Car

The setup

The classic jump-start needs two cars, two drivers and a set of cables, plus a stranger willing to pull up nose-to-nose in a parking lot. Alone, at 7 a.m., in the cold, that's not a plan.

Why it's hard alone

The traditional method depends on another running car. Without one, you're waiting on a neighbor's schedule or roadside assistance, often for an hour or more. The solo answer is to carry your own power.

The solo method

With a portable jump starter (charged, and stored in the car):

1. Turn everything off. Ignition, lights, radio, heater.
2. Read the starter's manual once, ahead of time. Models vary. This is the general sequence.
3. Red clamp to the positive (+) battery terminal.
4. Black clamp to bare, unpainted metal on the engine block or the car's ground point, or the negative (−) terminal if your manual says so.
5. Switch on the jump starter. Most show a green light when the connection is right.
6. Start the car. If it doesn't catch, wait a minute or two before the next try.
7. Once it's running, remove black first, then red. Keep the clamps from touching each other.
8. Drive for at least 20–30 minutes so the alternator can recharge the battery. Then get the battery tested: a battery that died once often dies again.

What nobody tells you

A jump starter that's been sitting in the trunk for a year may be as dead as your battery. Put a recharge reminder in your calendar every three months, and bring it inside during extreme cold or heat.