Jump starting and battery life

[stoory]

hi I've recently left car light on all night and the battery is well and truly dead in my car.... not even a flicker!!

2 questions really:

1. to jump start is is simple enough to connect leads to another battery and just start the car - anything i need to know for doing this?

2. will the battery need to be replaced or will it be okay as long as i leave the ar running long enough to charge it??

THANKS!!

PS car is a fiat marea 1.6

[andy hughes]

If your battery is in good condition, it should re-charge OK.

Attach leads from another car - make sure you get them correctly matched, and ask someone to start the engine of the car you are charging from, and rev. the engine quite high. When you switch your ignition on, you whould get a red light in your dash, you can fire your engine. It should turn over and start, so rev. it for a few minutes to warm it. Disconnect leads, and take your car out for a run for 20 - 30 minutes. Stop at the top of a hill, and switch off. if it is charging, it will re-start. If not, you can roll it down the hill and 'bump start' - and take it to get the battery replaced. If you don't know how to 'bump' - re-post, and I'll run through that proceedure for you as well.

[Loosehead]

What Andy Said!

[Eddiecurrent]

One other addition to the info. Before disconnecting the jump leads wait five minutes whilst both cars are running, what this will do is to charge the dead battery from both alternators. When a lead acid battery has discharged the current required to charge it will increase. If you disconnect the donor car's battery before you have left it for a few minutes, you could present the other car's alternator with a large charging load that could damage it.

[KebabMeister]

When connecting the jump leads, ALWAYS connect the positive red leads first (assuming negative earth) on both cars. Then connect the negative black leads last. This is the ultra safe way of connecting the leads (to prevent accidental sparking if you touch the body with the red lead).

[wallis1007]

DO NOT DO ANY OF THE ABOVE. You don't say if your'e car has an ecu. If it has connect the jump leads to the good battery, then the red lead to the positive of the dead battery, then the black lead to any good earth on the car with dead battery. This will ensure you don't damage any delicate (and expensive ) electrical equipment.

[KebabMeister]

Never had any problems with jumping cars with ECUs when I was a mechanic. If course you can always get resisted leads instead.

[Jay70]

You can kill off a lead acid car battery if it is getting old by completely discharging it. I would follow the advice given but make sure you connect the red lead between the positive terminals first and then the black lead between the negative terminals secondly to stop arching between the positive termnal and the red lead. When disconnecting remove the black lead first for the same reason. Connect one lead at a time and don't connect both onto the good battery in case you touch the two free ends of the cable together shorting out the battery and burning you hands.

Also do not bump start you car as been suggested if it fitted with a catalytic converter as this can damage it. If unburnt fuel goes into the cat and then is ignited it will burn out the cat.