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Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle.
But please use the following steps to do
it safely.
Batteries can hurt you. They c..-- be
dangerous because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
burn
you.
’ of these things can hurt you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle
by pushing or pulling
it won’t work, and it could damage
your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
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2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure
the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage
the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on each vehicle. Put your
vehicle
in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or the accessory power outlets. Turn
off all
lamps that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. In
addition, it could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repair wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
L
4. Open both hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
A
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water.
You don’t
need
to add water to the ACDelco Freedom’
battery installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if
a battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to take care
of that first. If you don’t, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it
on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
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5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do. you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before
you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to a metal
engine part. Don’t connect positive
(+) to
negative
(-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other parts too.
6. Connect the red
positive
(+) cable to the
positive
(+) terminal of
the vehicle with the
dead battery.
7. Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect
it
to the positive (+)
terminal of the
good battery.
8. Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to
the good battery’s negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end
touch anything
until the
next step. The other end
of the negative cable
doesn’t go
to the dead
battery. It goes to
a heavy
unpainted metal
part on
the engine
of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
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If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days
or more, remove the black, negative
(-) cable from
the battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
A CAUTION:
Bulb Replacement
Before you replace any bulbs, be sure that all the lamps
are off and the engine isn’t running. See “Replacement
Bulbs”
in the Index.
For any bulb changing procedure not listed
in this
section, contact your GM dealer’s service department.
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
aren’t careful. See “Jump Starting” in the Index
for tips on working around
a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your vehicle
for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see “Theft-Deterrent
Feature”
in the Index.
I A CAUTION: I
The low beam High Intensity Discharge lighting
system operates at a very high voltage.
If you try
to service
any of the system components, you
could be injured. Have your dealer or
a qualified
technician service them.
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