Hello,
I am looking you buy some jump leads "just in case". What do you recommend? What is the minimum size cable I should buy?
Just for family cards so up to 2L should be sufficient but this does include diesels, but then you never know who else will ask to borrow them!
The method I learned (from Haynes) for jump starting is:
- connect dead positive to
- good positive
- connect good negative to
- somewhere other than bad negative.
Can I ask a silly question: Why do you have to connect the final negative lead to the engine block rather than the battery?
If there is a reason, why doesn't the same apply to the "good" car? Why isn't the negative lead connected to the block at the good end?
I have searched google for jump starting and each web site appears to recommend a different method!
They all agree that you start the good car and then the bad one but then what?
Some sites say to idle both engines others say to press the accelerator a little and use a fast idle (2000rpm?). Is this necessary? Why? Isn't the alternator output constant regardless of revs?
I think I read that you are supposed to leave both cars running for ten minutes to charge the flat battery. Do people do this? I thought they just drove off!
During this time isn't the flat battery being charged by both cars? Why would this be necessary? I can only think it's in case the flat car has a bad alternator (hence the flat battery)?
Some web sites talk about switching on all the electrics in the flat car. Others do not mention this at all. Should this be done? What's the purpose? To test that the battery works under load? I suppose it's no good if you start the engine but stall half a mile later once you switch your lights on!
Thanks, Stephen.