How long does it take to charge a dead car battery with jumper cables

Published Tue April 10, 2018

Few things are more frustrating than getting into your car only to find that the engine won’t start. Often, the problem is as simple as a dead battery. Although this is obviously inconvenient, you can always attempt to jump start the car in order to revive the dead battery. This is assuming you have jumper cables, another vehicle with a working engine and some basic knowledge of how battery recharges work.

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If you’ve never jumped a dead battery before, you may have a few questions. For example: How long does it take to charge the battery? How long should you give it before trying to power the engine and get back on the road—and at what point do you throw in the towel and admit that there might be a deeper issue with the car engine?

Jumping a Dead Battery: Birdseye View

To start the process of re-charging the battery,  you’ll first need to get the good car and the bad car as close together as possible. Then, you’ll attach the red/positive cable to the battery terminal in the good car and then to the dead one. You’ll also do the same with the black/negative cable.

Now here is where you’ll want to time things. Turn on the engine in the good car and wait two minutes. Then turn on the bad/dead one and wait an additional two minutes. From there you’ll remove the cable in the reverse order at which you put them on, and you’ll let the car run for two more minutes before you get back on the road.

What if That Doesn’t Work?

So what happens if that doesn’t work? If that’s the case, there may be something else wrong with your vehicle.

Some possibilities for this scenario include:

• The terminals on your car battery may be corroded and in need of a deep cleaning.
• Your battery may simply be very old, and beyond the point at which it can be repaired—in which case, of course, it will need to be replaced.
• There may be a problem elsewhere in the engine—with the alternator, a blown starter, or something else.

Obviously, there are times when a battery recharge is not only possible, but fairly straightforward. So long as you know what you are doing, it shouldn’t take but a few minutes to recharge the dead battery. But if you are still unsure about the process, you may want to request help as it can be dangerous.

If the problem turns out to be something more serious than a dead battery, you’ll want to take your car to your local Meineke Car Care Center, where the problem can be diagnosed and repaired as quickly as possible.

If you can’t start your vehicle, read our step-by-step guide with pictures on how to jump-start a car battery, it may be helpful! 

TLDR of the situation is this. Alternator on my car is broken and the battery is dead. The car is parked on a government facility and apparently they don't let outside tow trucks like AAA come on for bullshit security concerns. Instead you have to use their tow truck operator and he wants almost $200 for a 20 minute tow.

The battery is almost brand new. How long would it take to charge the battery so that I could drive 15 miles going 45-55 mph? The charging car is a lease so he's not worried about wear and tear on the alternator.

Obviously not expecting exact answers but anyone want to hazard a guess?

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There are several reasons your car battery could die; including going for long periods of time without starting your car, storing it in freezing outdoor temperatures, leaving headlights or interior lights on while the car is turned off, and more. In order to charge a dead car battery, a set of jumper cables and a functional car with a charged battery is required. You will then have the ability to connect the batteries to one another using the jumper cables, and recharge the dead battery by transferring energy from the functional battery. Continue reading this article to learn more about the steps you can take to safely and effectively charge a dead car battery using jumper cables.

1. 

   1

   Inspect the physical appearance of your car's battery before jump-starting. Your battery should be intact with no cracks, and should not visibly leak any battery acid.

   • Do not attempt to jump-start your car if your battery displays signs of these damages, as you may cause injury to yourself or others if you do so.

2. 

   2

   Wear safety goggles and rubber gloves before touching the dead car battery in any way. Goggles and gloves will protect your eyes and hands from any sulfuric acid that may eject from the battery.

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3. 3

   Verify that the cables attached to your car's battery are secure and free of corrosion.

   • If your battery cables are corroded, clean them as best as possible using a brush with stiff bristles.

4. 4

   Drive the functional car into position next to the car with the dead battery without allowing the vehicles to touch one another. Ideal positions for this task are either placing the cars closely next to one another facing the same direction, or facing one another head-on, or nose-to-nose.

   • Verify that the distance between each car's battery is close enough for the jumper cables to connect the cars together. The length of jumper cables varies greatly depending on their style and manufacturer.
   • Do not attempt to connect two different pairs of jumper cable together if your first pair isn’t long enough. This can melt the jumper cables and start a fire.

5. 5

   Turn off the functional car that contains the charged battery.

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1. 1

   Open the hood or compartment on each vehicle in which the batteries are located.

2. 

   2

   Take note of the positive and negative terminals on each battery. Positive terminals will be indicated by the plus symbol (+), and negative terminals will be indicated by a minus symbol(-).

3. 

   3

   Connect each end of the positive jumper cable to the positive terminals on each car battery. The positive jumper cable is usually red in color if it is not labeled otherwise. The order in which you attach the jumper cables does make a difference, so follow this pattern: First connect one end of the positive jumper cable to the dead battery, then connect the other positive end of the jumper cable to the charged battery.

4. 4

   Connect one end of the negative jumper cable to the negative terminal on the functional, charged battery. In most cases, the negative jumper cable is black.

5. 5

   Attach the other end of the negative jumper cable to a grounded metal component of the car that contains the dead battery. This will ground the car that contains the dead battery upon jump-starting. You can attach the ground cable to the frame, chassis, or another component that is reasonably clean and free of paint or oxidation.

6. 6

   Start the engine of the car with the charged battery. Upon starting the engine, its charging system will begin to charge the dead car battery through the jumper cables.

7. 7

   Allow at least five minutes to pass after starting the engine of the car with the charged battery. This will allow the dead battery to build up a charge of its own, although it would take longer to fully charge the battery.

8. 

   8

   Try to start the engine of the car that contains the dead battery. If the jumper cables and the battery you are charging have enough power, the car engine should turn over easily and start.

   • If the engine in the car with the dead battery fails to start, allow five more minutes to pass for the dead battery to charge.

9. 9

   Disconnect and remove the jumper cables from each car after the engine has started in the reverse order in which you connected them. This will prevent sparks or an explosion from occurring.

   • Disconnect the grounding cable first, then the cable attached to the negative terminal on the battery, then the cable attached to the positive terminal of the battery of the car that provided the jump, and finally the cable attached to the positive terminal on the previously dead battery.

10. 

    10

    Allow the car which had the dead battery to continue running for at least another five minutes. This will allow the alternator in the car to recharge the battery.

11. 11

    Drive the jump-started car for at least 20 minutes or allow it to idle for the same amount of time. In some cases, your battery will become fully charged within this time period; however, it is possible that you may need to purchase a new battery for your car if the battery doesn't charge sufficiently to crank the car.

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• Some Ford cars have been known to suffer a power surge due to jump starting. To avoid electrical problems from this, make sure that your car heater is on with the heating fan turned up all the all the way and turn on the defroster. If there is a surge, the fuse to the fan will blow, and having the heating/fan on will absorb excess current to avoid electrical damage.[1].

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• Larger wire size in jumper cables allow a faster charging rate.

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• If you're trying to diagnose your battery's problem load testing can be a good place to start.

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• Never allow the positive and negative jumper cables to touch or connect with one another at the same when they are connected to the battery; especially while you are handling them. If you allow the cables to touch, you may melt the cables, damage the batteries, or even start a fire.

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• Recharging batteries can create the explosive gas, hydrogen

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• If you have a manual transmission, use the clutch carefully.

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Things You'll Need

• Safety goggles
• Rubber gloves
• Jumper cables

References

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To charge a dead car battery, pop the hood of your vehicle. Connect 1 end of the red positive jumper cable to the dead battery, then connect the other end to the charged battery. Then, connect 1 end of the negative jumper cable to the black negative terminal on the charged battery and attach the other end to a grounded metal component on the car with the dead battery. Start the engine of the car with the charged battery and let it run for 5 minutes, then start the engine attached to the dead battery and let that engine run for 5 minutes. To learn more from our Mechanic co-author, like how to charge the battery after you've jump-started the car, keep reading!

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Reader Success Stories

• 

  Ruwan Jayasuriya

  Dec 31, 2016

  "Very helpful. Walked me through the key points really well. If you provide a bit more on grounding the cable..." more

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