In the world of automotive emergencies, it is a good idea to know how to attach jumper cables to your vehicle before the need arises. Jumper cables or a battery booster pack should be connected properly to avoid sparks which can cause an explosion of the hydrogen gas emitting from a battery.

Connecting jumper cables or a battery booster pack incorrectly can lead to an expensive lesson in electronic component replacement. Many of today’s vehicles have multiple on board computers on them. On some vehicles, if a jump start is performed with the cables backwards, on – board computers and other electronic devices can be damaged and require replacement.

To correctly attach jumper cables or a booster pack:

• Positive clamp to the positive terminal on good battery, positive clamp to the positive terminal on the dead battery
• Negative clamp to negative terminal on good battery, negative clamp to engine block or other grounded metal away from the dead battery.

The last connection made will always have a “normal” small spark. The idea is to keep this small spark away from the dead battery that may have explosive hydrogen gas emitting from it.

If your battery is 3 years old or older it is a good idea to have it tested. Most marginal batteries will fail in our extreme temperatures such as very warm or very cold ambient temperatures.