WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE JUMP STARTING YOUR CAR

... let this photo serve as a caution to be careful.  If you mix up the wires...

Jumper cables are one of those essential items every driver should have in his or her trunk. You never know when you'll forget to turn off your headlights or do something else to cause your battery to go dead.

Most times, you can jump-start a dead battery and get at least enough energy to drive home or to a service station. Done properly, this is a fairly simple task. But many car owners don't know how to jump-start a car battery safely. Each year, unsafe jump-starts cause many Americans to suffer serious eye injuries from auto battery accidents.

Car batteries contain sulfuric acid and produce hydrogen and oxygen gases. If you don't jump-start a battery properly, you can cause the battery to explode. If the gases come in contact with a spark, flame or lit cigarette, the battery can explode, sending battery parts and acid flying.

Wait! Don't Jump!

Before you try to jump-start your car, or use your car to give someone else a jump, check your owner's manual. Some new cars have specific instructions or prohibit jump-starting.

If the battery is cracked and liquid is leaking out, do not try to jump-start it. The battery is no longer good and if you try to jump-start it, it will explode. Similarly, do not try to jump-start a battery if your car's fluids are frozen; an explosion could occur.

Also make sure your jumper cables are rust- and corrosion-free and have no exposed wires. And wear a pair of polycarbonate goggles with the designation Z-87 on the frame.

Ready to Jump

If the battery is suitable for jump-starting:

Line both cars up so the batteries are as close as can be. Make sure the cars are in park, are turned off, and are not touching each other. Make sure all lights, signals, radios, and fans are off.

Locate the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals of both batteries. The batteries should be clearly marked.

Clean off any corrosion around the dead battery's terminals with a wire brush. Corroded posts

prevent the power from getting through the cables and into your battery.

To attach the jumper cables correctly:

1. Clamp one cable to the positive (+) terminal of the dead battery. Don't let the positive cable touch anything metal other than the battery terminal.

2. Connect the other end of the positive cable to the positive terminal of the good battery.

3. Connect one end of the negative (-) cable to the negative terminal of the good battery.

4. Connect the other end of the negative cable to metal on the engine block on the car with the dead battery. Don't connect it to the dead battery, carburetor, fuel lines, or moving parts.

5. Stand back and start the car with the good battery.

6. Now start the stalled car.

7. Remove the cables in reverse order as to how you attached them.

Drive the car for 30 minutes so the alternator can recharge the battery.

-- Kenneth Krause

Buy your new genuine tyres @ Xpress Tyres. We offer competitive price for passenger car, suv, van and truck tyres by the leading names including Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Firestone and Continental. SMS ur size to +2347011311444

“LIKE “ us on Facebook  www.facebook.com/xpresstyre9ja