Jump start service

What Do you when Your Car Battery Dies?
​What do you do when you get in your car, turn the key in the ignition, or push the push to start button, but all you hear is a click or the engine makes a sluggish sound, but it does not start?  Most likely these symptoms indicate a dead battery.  But what are the causes for a dead battery in your car?  
Most people never give a second thought about their car’s electrical system until their vehicle doesn’t start.   Without the battery, the vehicle's starter motor will not work and crank the engine.  Click to Call for a Jump-Start

An automobile engine requires an electric starter motor to start the gasoline engine.  The electric starter motor literally primes the pump because an automobile engine is really just a big air pump. The electric starter motor turns or cranks the engine over meaning it pumps the engine pistons into the correct firing position so they can compress an air- fuel mixture into a combustible gas that starts the engine.

Fuel must be pumped into the piston cylinder chambers by an electric fuel pump and the fuel pump initially needs to run off of the battery.  The pistons move up and down in the combustion cylinder chamber and compress the air and gasoline to make it more explosive. At the same time electricity flows to the spark plugs so that they can create a spark to burn the compressed air-fuel mixture.

The whole process is a series of small controlled explosions in each of the engine cylinders.  Once the engine starts this process is self perpetuating until you turn the engine off or run out of gasoline.  Once the engine is started and going the engine runs on its own power without the help of the battery. The engine runs a small electric generator called an alternator. The alternator is capable of replacing the small amount of electric charge lost by the vehicle's battery each time the engine is started and keeps the spark plugs sparking until you shut off the engine. 

The car's battery is vital to several engine functions.  Without a battery, a car's starter motor, fuel pump, spark plugs, and electronic ignition system will not work. Most people are unfamiliar with how their car’s electrical system works. They just know how to put gasoline in the gas tank and change the oil in the engine regularly.  Without the battery and car's electronic ignition system the car won't start.   

The first cars were invented more than 100- years ago but they did not come with an electric starter motor.  The driver had to start the engine by using a hand-crank.  The hand-crank was went into a small opening in the front grill or bumper of the car.  Electric starter motors did not become standard in automobiles until after 1920.  So now you know why a car needs a battery.  It needs the battery to run the starter motor, fuel pump, spark plugs.

Once the starter motor starts the gasoline engine there is a cascading effect and the running car engine is runs a small electric generator called the alternator.  The alternator runs by a belt attached to the engine.  The belt spins the alternator generating electricity.  Once the alternator is running it takes over and powers the car's electrical system and replaces the charge on the battery that was used to start the engine in the first place.  This is why the battery is the key to get the car started in the first place and then again after the engine is turned off.

A good fully charged battery is able to accept and hold a charge.  A healthy battery is important so the alternator doesn't have to work too hard.  When the battery is very weak or dead, a jump start may start the engine once and get the chain reaction going to run the engine and the alternator, but the alternator is not a dedicated car battery charger.  That’s why it is called an alternator and not a generator. The alternator is not engineered to be used to fully recharge a very weak or dead battery.  A battery is dead when it has a zero charge.  

The correct way to recharge a battery is to put it on a car battery charger as soon as possible and fully charge it.  If the vehicle alternator is used to recharge the battery too often that will put a strain on the alternator and the alternator will wear out much faster.

When we jump-started a car battery the battery charge is very weak and the alternator must work much harder to power the vehicle's electrical systems and try to partially recharge the battery.  Making your alternator work hard than it was designed to will shorten the life of your alternator. Depending on what type of vehicle you drive, a new alternator costs between $200 and over $450 dollars just for the alternator not including labor.

Reasons why car batteries die
There are a few reasons why a car battery will go dead and no longer be able to accept and hold a charge.  They are all a function of age, climate, and amount of excess strain on the battery. Often people leave the headlights or interior lights on overnight or there is an electrical short circuit or broken wire creating an excessive power drain on the battery. The temperature where the battery is used is another factor influencing battery life.  Very hot and very cold weather as in Shawnee, Kansas will shorten the number of years a battery will last.  The battery manufacturer quotes the number of years they expect the battery to last but that number is just an average and not specific to the climate where you live.

When your battery is dead leaves you stuck somewhere in the Shawnee, Kansas area the Shawnee towing and roadside assistance is ready to jump-start your car.  Whatever type of vehicle that you own, car, Mini Van, SUV, sport car, or pickup truck, we will give you a jump-start or replace your battery if needed.  Even if you keep a  pair of jumper cables in your vehicle, you still need to find someone willing to give you a jump-start. That can be a hassle and take time.  Not only that but there is a correct way and a wrong way to jump-start a vehicle.  If neither you nor the person helping you knows the correct way to connect the jumper cables you could damage your vehicle's electronic ignition.  Your success will depend on if you can convince a stranger to help you, and whether or not either one of you knows the correct way to connect the jumper cables.

A good alternative solution to using jumper cables and always having to get someone to let you use their car for the jump-start is to buy a portable jump start power pack and keep it in your vehicle.   A portable car battery jump starter power pack is convenient because you never need to find a stranger to help you. The portable battery jump-starter power pack comes with instructions on how to use it correctly so you won't have to worry about that either.

How to Jump-start your vehicle correctly
1. Using jumper cables
It’s a good idea to have your own set of jumper cables in your car. If not, then you will have to call for roadside assistance or hope you can find a good Samaritan who has cables you can use.  But even if you have your own cables you will need to find someone with a vehicle to use with your jumper cables.  This is why a portable jump starter power pack is your best solution.  This way you won’t ever have to flag down a stranger for help.
2. Position the vehicles for a jump start
Position the vehicle with the good battery close enough to the vehicle with the dead battery so that the jumper cables can easily reach the vehicle with the dead battery without straining the cables and creating the possibility of one of the cables becoming disconnected by accident.  How close the two vehicles will need to be will depend on how long your jumper cables are.  Make sure that both vehicles have their transmissions in park and engage the parking brakes on both vehicles to keep them from moving.
3. Attach the jumper cables 
Open the hoods on both vehicles and find the battery and battery terminals in both. Start with the red, positive cable and use the alligator clamp to attach it to the positive (+) battery terminal of the battery that’s dead.  Make sure the connection is secure, so the clamp does not pop off. Then take the other red, positive cable clamp, on the opposite end of that same cable and attach it to the positive (+) battery terminal on the other vehicle with the good battery.
Then attach the black clamp to the negative (-) terminal on the good battery, but don’t attach the other end of that cable with the black, negative clamp to the dead battery.  Instead, attach the black negative clamp to a unpainted metal surface inside the engine compartment of the vehicle with the dead battery.
4. Jump starting
Start the vehicle with the good battery and let the engine run for a few minutes. Then try to start the car with the dead battery.   If it doesn’t start, let the running vehicle run for a couple more minutes and charge the battery before trying again. If the vehicle with the dead battery still doesn’t start, you probably need to call for a tow truck. 
5. Removing the cables
With the car with the dead battery running, remove the jumper cables one at a time.  Start with the black, negative clamps and don’t let any of them touch any metal under the hood, the vehicle body, or each other.  Then close the hoods on both vehicles.
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If the battery in the vehicle that needed a jump start is good, and will take and hold a charge, then driving the vehicle for at least one-hour around town or for thirty-minutes on the highway should put a sufficient charge on the battery so that it won’t need another jump start after being shut off. However, as mentioned earlier, your vehicle alternator is not meant to recharge a dead battery and using it this way is not advised.  Have your battery’s health checked by a mechanic with a battery tester and if need be, put on a battery charger until fully charged.
If you need help Shawnee Tow Truck and Roadside Assistance is always standing by to help you. 
Call:  913-724-5851 
or fill out the  Free Quick Quote form.
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Vehicle battery jump start