How to Charge Your Car Battery
Car batteries only last a certain amount of time, but when they die it always seems the worst possible time. There is no warning at all, and you go into the store, come out and your car will not start. Typically, your alternator is what keeps your battery charged, but if the battery is dying, the alternator can only do so much. Therefore, charging the battery at this point is your best solution.
Call a friend or family member to
come to your location and make sure you have a set of jumper cables.
Have them pull their vehicle alongside yours or directly in front
so that the headlights on each car are facing each other if there
is room.Attach the jumper cables to your
car, black cap to the black cable and red cap to the red cable on your
battery, then do the same thing with the working car battery. Make sure the friend's car is
started before you attach the cables. This allows the “juice”
from your friend's battery to flow into yours and give it a quick
charge.Allow your friends or family
member's car to run 4 to 5 minutes while the cables are
connected to each vehicle. You can even give the car a little
extra boost by pressing gently on the their gas peddle.Try to start your car with the
cables still connected. If the battery is not too low, it should
start immediately. If not, wait another couple of minutes and try it
again. Your vehicle should start at this time.Disconnect the jumper cables by
removing both the red, or, positive connections first from both cars
and theN repeat using the black connections.Drive to a battery supply store
immediately so they can test your battery. If it has been a few
years since you replaced the battery, chances are it is time for a new one. Keep in mind if the battery is run down, as soon as you
turn off your car for any amount of time it probably will not start
again. So make sure you are at the location you want to be in before
turning off the engine.