1. Park the cars close together at a distance that allows the jumper wires to be connected, but prevents the cars from touching. If the cars touch, unwanted grounding may occur. In this case, you will not be able to start your car. In addition, the electrical systems of both cars may be damaged.
2. Moving the vehicles may cause injury. Apply the parking brake on both vehicles. Set the automatic transmission selector lever (on a vehicle with an automatic transmission) to the "P" ("Park") position, the gearshift lever (on a vehicle with a manual transmission) to the neutral "N" position. Turn off the ignition.
Fig. 1.55. Sequence of connecting wires when starting the engine of a car with a gasoline engine (model 1800) from an external source
3. Connect the end of one of the connecting wires to the positive ("+") terminal of the discharged battery, and the other end of this wire to the positive ("+") terminal of the battery on the "donor" vehicle (Fig. 1.55).
4. Connect one end of the other jumper cable to the negative ("–") terminal of the other vehicle"s battery (used as an additional source), and the other end of this cable to the engine block of the vehicle with the discharged battery at a point that is as far away from the battery as possible.
5. Start the engine of the car with the battery that is used as a "donor", let the engine idle for a few minutes, and then start the engine of the car with the discharged battery.
Always maintain the engine speed of the vehicle whose battery is used as an additional source of current so that it does not stall.
6. After the engine starts, disconnect the connecting wires in the reverse order of their connection.
Note: If your vehicle is equipped with an anti-lock brake system (ABS) and you start driving with a battery that is not fully charged, the engine may run rough and the anti-lock brake system (ABS) malfunction indicator light may come on.