Important Things That You Should Know About Jumper Cables
Sometimes your car doesn’t start when you need to go somewhere, and you need it most. This may be the worst feeling for every car owner. Sometimes you get late for meetings due to this problem.
It becomes worse when you don’t even have jumper cable to restart your vehicle. Many drivers and car owners face these kinds of issues every day. Many people try to avoid this issue associated with their cars.
Everyone wants his/her car to work properly, but without jumper cables, it would not be possible. It is very important for every driver or car owner. It is an essential tool that any driver or car owner should possess.
Those people who are not sure about the car battery’s performance, they should carry jumper cables in their car when traveling somewhere. It comes with two attached wires and four clamps (2 + clamps and 2 – clamps). Many people think these cables are available in one specific dimension, but it can be wrong.
Their different Jumper cables are designed in different ways for different cars. You should understand what type of cable you need for your vehicle and how to use jumper cables. You should know some important things about jumper cables. If you are going to buy jumper cables, you should know how to look for best jumper cables.
We have mentioned important factors that you should consider while buying a jumper cable, including cable length, gauge, clamps and many more.
Important Things to Know about Jumper Cables
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1. Width and Gauge of the Jumper Cables
Every buyer looks for the best value of money. Sometimes, people get tempted towards the discounted offers and items marked as savings. You might be cheated by some sellers, so you should be careful while buying jumper cables. You should not be tempted by its heavy-duty title, but you should look for the best gauge of cables.
A gauge with a higher number doesn’t decide its performance. If you select the lower gauge number, you will get faster and jump-start your car. Lower gauge cables usually offer more power flows. For example, A 10 gauge will not be as good as six-gauge cables to jump your car at all. So, choose the lower gauge cables in order to start your vehicle in a better way.
2. Length of Cable and Clamp
You should consider the length of jumper cables before buying it. The good length should not be less than 12 inches. Too short cable may sometimes create problems in jump-start your vehicle. The longer the length of the cable, the better it works. You should look for a jumper cable with a minimum length of 12. However, you can also look for longer cables.
More length helps you jump-start your battery at the crazy location. You may find it easy to follow the starting up process with proper and lengthy wire. Therefore, you should choose the length of cable very carefully.
3. Cable Clamps
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Clamps are another important factor that you should look into. You should buy quality clamps with solid teeth. It would not slip off the battery’s terminals of your vehicle. You should also look for the best materials, including aluminum and copper.
You should find the jumper cables with coated handles of rubber, as it helps protect you from the shock that might come from car’s battery. A nice, perfect, rubber-coated handle helps assure that you will not be getting sparks or shock while following the procedure to start up your car.
4. Condition of the Jumper Cable
Having only a good quality cable is not enough; you need to take better care of it. You should not fold up the cables as it can destroy the inside wire. You can coil jumper cables and store them in bags. If you see any tear or cut in the cable wire, take action immediately.
You can paste black tape on the damaged part or change it if there is any major damage. Sometimes, you may get shocked due to a tear in the wire. You should be careful while touching the damaged areas of the wire so that you can avoid huge accidents or any small or major damage.
Having the right cable is the only hurdle, so you should know how to find out the best or proper jumper cable. You should also know how to use it without any ruinous consequences.
How to Use the Jumper Cable?
There are many techniques for using jumper cables. You need to read the manual of the vehicle carefully before using it. You should follow the steps mentioned in your car manuals. It helps jump-start the dead battery of your car immediately and perfectly.
There are some important steps that you must consider while starting your vehicle with the help of jumper cables. You should ensure that two vehicles don’t touch each other while standing in front of each other. Both vehicles should be in parking brake mode.
- Connect cable to both vehicles.
- Attach a colored positive clamp to the +ve terminal of the active vehicle battery.
- Attach another positive clamp to a dead battery
- Connect the black colored – clamp to – terminal of the active battery
- Connect another negative clamp to the screw over the engine of a dead battery
- Wait for some time to start the car with a dead battery
Let it run for some time, and you will be able to start the dead car easily by following the above steps. It is very simple to follow the procedure; you just need to be careful while starting up your dead car battery.
Finishing Up
Once you find a dead battery running, you should remove the jumper cables safely. You should follow the reverse procedure to remove it. You should remove black clamps first from the battery of a dead car and then another boosted car.
The second step you can follow is removing red clamps from the battery of a dead car and then removing them from the boost car. You can store or pack your jumper cables.
Step by Step Procedure
- You need to remove the jumper cables after your car starts.
- Follow the reverse method to remove jumper cables safely.
- Remove negative clamps first and then positive clamps.
Note: Once you attach cables with cars, you should stay away from the clamps and cables, and it may hurt you. Sometimes clamps slip off and produce sparks.
Many people think jump starting a vehicle is an easy task, but it may be very daunting for them. It becomes a complicated task for them when they face any accident. A right jumper cable can be used to jump start your vehicle. If proper methods and jumper cables are not used, you may destroy your vehicle badly. Therefore, these are some important things that you should know before using them efficiently and properly.
In this guide, we have mentioned all important steps to follow to jump start your dead battery. You can follow this safe procedure. Hope you find this post useful and informative. Do comment if you have any query regarding jumper cables and its uses.
