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Today I tried to charge the battery of a car that has been standing still for about 2 months with my own car. When I tried to connect the red cable to the battery of my car I was confused on where to connect it. Usually the 'connection cilinder' is sticking out more. How am I supposed to connect my red cable to the positive charge?

Positive connection point

We tried connecting the cable to the screw on the right but the other car would not start, so I'm not sure if that is a correct way of connecting the cable. Note: I never did this before, so if you need more info please ask.

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  • Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Jan 11, 2020 at 17:50
  • Positive to positive, negative to negative. (Or, red to red and black to black.) You're connecting the two systems in parallel. Many cars have dedicated tabs or studs where you should connect the cables rather than directly to the battery. It also helps to rev the engine on the donor vehicle while attempting to start the dead car, as this produces more current through the cables.
    – 3Dave
    Jan 12, 2020 at 2:35

2 Answers 2

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It sounds like you've installed the jumper cables directly, however, you need to let the donor vehicle charge your battery for a while before trying to actually start the vehicle. Most jumper cables do not have the ability to pass the amount of current needed to actually start the vehicle, but they do have the ability to assist in charging the battery so it can start the vehicle. This may take 10-30 minutes of being on the jumper cables before there's enough amperage present to attempt to start the car.

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  • So connecting it to the right screw was correct? How can I (safely) check if there is a charge on the other end of the cable? The other vehicle's battery is completely empty, so waiting at least 10 minutes makes sense. We will try that. Thanks.
    – Mixxiphoid
    Jan 11, 2020 at 18:12
  • You can attach your jumpers to anything within the scope of that red piece and it will work. The manufacturer has put two positive posts there so it can be used on other vehicles (it's generic) which may need more battery connections. It's just on yours, it isn't really used. Connect it anywhere within there and you should have a connection which will charge your battery. You can use a multimeter to see what the voltage is at the batter (remove the jumpers to get a true reading), or you can wait the 10 mins or so and try it. If it is still too weak, you'll know because it won't start the car.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Jan 11, 2020 at 18:18
  • I doubt your battery is dead-dead, but if it is, it may not accept a charge. If you feel you're not getting anywhere by letting it charge off of a jump, it could be the battery is toast. At that point you'd need to take it down to "somewhere" and get it tested, with the idea of possible replacement.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Jan 11, 2020 at 18:26
  • The battery is quite new, so I expect it will charge if I give it enough time.
    – Mixxiphoid
    Jan 11, 2020 at 21:17
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Depends on the design of your jumper cables, but I would have tried

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or

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or rotate 90 degrees and go under that lip at the back

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Of course your black negative lead would be to a lifting lug directly on the stranded engine, and not the battery. Another option is a lug somewhere on the chassis or similar.

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    no matter what be sure the red clamp stay where it it is suposed to or sparks will fly,alternative one is best(#1 picture)
    – trond hansen
    Jan 12, 2020 at 5:04
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    I tried number 2 first but it wouldn't hold. Number 3 is too wide. I settled with number 1 but the other engine wouldn't start. The answer of Paulster suggests I should be more patient :).
    – Mixxiphoid
    Jan 12, 2020 at 9:07

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