How to jump start a car without jump leads
Cars have become far more reliable in the last twenty years or so and drivers tend to spend less time fixing faults. However, batteries will eventually start to age and lose their ability to hold a charge.
It's a relatively easy task to jump start your car if it's on your drive or you can call a professional mechanic to help you. However, what if you don’t own jump leads or you’re in the middle of nowhere and you have no signal to call a mechanic? Here we take a look at how to jump start a car without jump leads.
Push start
This is probably the most common and best-known method to jump start a car and it's also the cheapest. All you need is enough people power to push the car and if a slope or hill is available, it makes it a great deal easier!
This will only work for cars with a manual transmission. Start by turning on the ignition, pushing the clutch down, putting the car into first gear and making sure that both the hand brake and the foot brake are off. Now start to push the car and once you get up to 5mph or so, warn those pushing to back off and engage the clutch smoothly but fairly quickly. The car should start.
If this doesn’t work and the car is still rolling or gathering speed, change to second gear, slightly press the accelerator and engage the clutch. It may well take more than one attempt.
Do remember that with modern cars, the brakes and steering are almost invariably servo-assisted and will require considerably more effort whilst the engine isn't running.
Charge the battery
There are two ways to manually charge the battery yourself. Clearly, this will take far longer than jump starting. The most common way to charge the battery is via a mains power source. Remove the car battery by simply loosening the bolts and read the power requirements on the top of the battery. With that information, you will be able to search for the correct battery charger, purchasing one if necessary. Simply connect the charger to the battery, plug into a mains power source and leave it to charge as per the instructions.
Many of our garages offer Free Battery Checks where our expert technicians will check the condition of your battery, including its starting and charging systems. Click the button below to book now:
Alternatively, you can charge the battery via solar power. A quick search of the internet will uncover a range of solar-powered car battery chargers. Simply leave the panel somewhere to maximise the amount of direct light it will receive. Then plug the panel into the car using the 12V socket or cigar lighter in your car. Do, however, read the owner's manual as modern cars have complex electrical systems and some may prohibit charging via this approach.
If you want peace of mind, then why not book a free vehicle check with the experts at Protyre?
Our tyre professionals and expert mechanics can not only offer advice on the best brands of tyres including Pirelli, Falken, Sumitomo, Bridgestone but we can offer a comprehensive vehicle check free of charge at your local Protyre garage.
If you have a faulty battery then it is best to let the professionals take a look.
