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Vehicle Storage
If you are 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.
{CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
are not careful. SeeJump Starting on page 5-52
for tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Jump Starting
If your vehicle’s battery (or batteries) has run down, you
may want to use another vehicle and some jumper cables
to start your vehicle. Be sure to use the following steps to
do it safely.
{CAUTION:
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps exactly, some or
all of these things can hurt you.
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Notice:Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to your vehicle that would not be covered
by your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling it
will not 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 vehicle’s system is not a 12-volt
system with a negative ground, both vehicles can
be damaged. Only use vehicles with 12-volt systems
with negative grounds to jump start your vehicle.
2. If you have a vehicle with a diesel engine with two
batteries (or more), you should know before you
begin that, especially in cold weather, you may not
be able to get enough power from a single battery in
another vehicle to start your diesel engine.
If your vehicle has more than one battery, use the
battery that is closer to the starter — this will reduce
electrical resistance.3. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles are not touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you do not want. You would not 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 rmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in PARK (P) or a manual transmission
in NEUTRAL before setting the parking brake.
If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the
transfer case
is in a drive gear, not in NEUTRAL.
Notice:If you leave your radio or other accessories
on during the jump starting procedure, they could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered
by your warranty. Always turn off your radio and
other accessories when jump starting your vehicle.
4. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlets. Turn off the radio
and all lamps that are not needed. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. And it could
save the radio!
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{CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure
you badly. Keep your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
6. Check that the jumper cables do not 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 (+) or a remote positive terminal (+) if the
vehicle has one. Negative (−) will go to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or a remote negative (−)
terminal if the vehicle has one.
Do not connect positive (+) to negative (−) or you will
get a short that would damage the battery and maybe
other parts too. And do not connect the negative (−)
cable to the negative (−) terminal on the dead battery
because this can cause sparks.
On vehicles equipped with dual batteries, make all
battery connections to the remote positive (+) and
remote negative (−) terminals.7. Connect the red
positive (+) cable to
the positive (+) terminal
of the vehicle with the
dead battery. Use a
remote positive (+)
terminal if the vehicle
has one.
8. Do not let the other end touch metal. Connect it to
the positive (+) terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote positive (+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
9. Now connect the black negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote negative (−) terminal if the vehicle has one.
The vehicle’s remote negative (–) terminal is
marked GND.
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10. Do not let the other end touch anything until the next
step. The other end of the negative (−) cable does
not go to the dead battery. It goes to a heavy
unpainted metal engine part of the vehicle with the
dead battery, or to a remote negative (–) terminal if
the vehicle has one.
11. Connect the other end
of the negative (−)
cable to the remote
negative (−) terminal,
marked GND, on the
vehicle with the
dead battery.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 5-14
for the location of your vehicle’s remote negative (−)
terminal.12. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
13. Try to start the vehicle that had the dead battery.
If it will not start after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
Notice:If the jumper cables are connected or
removed in the wrong order, electrical shorting may
occur and damage the vehicle. The repairs would
not be covered by your warranty. Always connect
and remove the jumper cables in the correct
order, making sure that the cables do not touch
each other or other metal.
V8 engine shown, other
engines similar
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A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine Part or Remote
Negative (−) Terminal
B. Good Battery or Remote Positive (+) and Remote
Negative (−) Terminals
C. Dead Battery or Remote Positive (+) TerminalTo disconnect the jumper cables from both vehicles do
the following:
1. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle that had the bad battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
other vehicle.
5. Return the remote positive (+) terminal cover,
if equipped, to its original position.
Jumper Cable Removal
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