Dead battery? Take charge

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - With nighttime temperatures plunging _ and daytime norms dropping _ November can be like the Grim Reaper when it comes to your car battery. Cold weather boosts your engine's demand for cranking power tremendously _ by more than 50 percent at just 32 degrees _ and that can mean sudden and unexpected failure in batteries that seemed perfectly fine just a few weeks ago.

Fortunately, a jump start can get you back on the road if you have a booster car _ and the necessary cables. Brady Wooddell, owner of Custom Car Care in York County, Va., uses the heaviest gauge he can find and likes them at least 10 feet long. "With today's cars, there's so much demand for power that light-duty cables can get smoking hot. Heavy-duty cables last longer and do a better job," he says. "And if they're less than 10 feet long, you invariably run into times when you have a parked car and they just don't reach."

Stranded motorists need not worry much about the possible ill effects of getting their jumper cables confused. "Most cars are fused and protected against getting the jumper cables mixed up," Wooddell says. But they still need to be careful when they clamp them on and off.

Do NOT clamp any cable to the negative battery post of the disabled car, which greatly increases the chances of a battery fire or explosion.

"Batteries are filled with acid. If they explode _ it's terrible for your car," Wooddell says. "And it's even worse for you."

Begin by parking your booster vehicle close enough to ensure that your cables reach _ but not so close that the vehicles touch. Then turn off the ignitions in both cars and attach the cables in the following order:

1. Clamp one end of the positive cable _ usually marked with red clamps _ to the positive terminal of the dead battery _ which should be marked with a plus sign. Be sure the clamp bites securely into the post.

2. Clamp the other end of the positive cable into the positive terminal of the booster battery.

3. Clamp the end of the negative cable _ usually marked with black clamps _ to the negative post of the booster battery _ which should be marked with a negative sign.

4. Clamp the remaining end of the negative cable to a good ground source located as far as possible from the dead battery, such the engine manifold or the alternator mounting bracket. Be careful to avoid any potential contact with moving parts.

Start the booster vehicle first, then the disabled vehicle. If it fails to turn over, switch off the ignitions in both cars, check your connections and try again.

Once the disabled car has started and idles smoothly, disconnect the cables in reverse order, making sure that the clamps don't touch, dangle into moving parts or come into contact with anything that could cause a spark. "Most cars are fused and protected against getting the jumper cables mixed up," Wooddell says. "But you still have to be careful when you put them on and off."

Sources: Custom Car Care, Edmunds.com, PopularMechanics.com and others

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© 2008, Daily Press (Newport News, Va.).