Strange i know... but how do I jumpstart a stick shift car?!

[galactica]

Ok, i have a 97 accura which is stick shift. for some reason the battery is TOTALLY dead today (went away for xmas, came back to a dead battery).

My other car is a 2002 passat (automatic).

never had to jump an stick before so i have no clue if its the same as automatic to automatic

can anyone lend me some advice???

thanks!

[Tommyknocker]

I jump my standard car. I connect the cables, let it run for five minutes, have the other car rev its engine, then turn my ignition.

[galactica]

so...

+ to +
- to -

start the car with the good battery
let that car run 5 min?!

then crank the dead car?!

[VCDHunter]

Get a couple of unlucky passers-by to push it piece of piss.

[housepig]

well, if you have a friend to help or a hill around, you can pop-start it.

turn the key into the "on" position, put in the clutch, get some rolling speed up (either by going downhill or by having your friend in another car push you), put the car into 2nd and pop the clutch out - should start the car (it's been a while since I've done it, though.)

in theory, you'll get it started and drive around enough to let the alternator charge the battery, or drive it to the store and get a new one.

[Tommyknocker]

so...

+ to +
- to -

start the car with the good battery
let that car run 5 min?!

then crank the dead car?!

That is how we do it here in Italy. Remember to let the good car engine charge your dead battery for five minutes or so, or the first time you try to crank it, it won't turnover, as the dead batter will take most of the charging amps.

[Hatz]

Yep thats how to do it....

+ to +

and

- to -

Don't really need to let it sit for 5 mins though......only around 1 or 2 mins. Going from one car to another won't charge it enough so waiting 5 mins is probably a waste of time. Just jump it and then either drive around or let your car sit in your driveway while running for about a half hour to an hour.

If its totally drained there might be a chance that you will need a new battery because if its totally dead it will give a little charge and then just end up running out of juice again. But I am sure you will be able to charge it up again with the alternator.

I went away for christmas last year and came back to a dead battery. Had to replace that one..........then I found out my alternator was dying on me also so I had to change that one out as well. It was actually really easy to replace.

Good luck with your car.

Hatz

[Tommyknocker]

And if your battery has wet cells, check those too. And remember to rev the engine while starting.

[Silvas]

Your cars alternator will not fully charge a dead battery. It will only give it a surface charge. An alternator has to not only charge the battery, but also supply all the voltage to run everything in the vehicle. If the battery is completely dead, the alternator just simply doesn't have enought umph to fully charge it while running everything else: they are really only for maintaining a charge. If the weather is nice and warm, you can probably get away with just the alternator charging a dead battery. But if it's cold (or very hot), that battery will likely die on you again. It's best to let it charge slowly overnight with a battery charger. And as stated previously, be sure to check the acid level when done charging. 15 years of auto parts experience talking here, seen this a thousand times.

[tgpo]

I had to pop the clutch on my car to get home once. I put the key in the on position, put the car in first and held the clutch down. My friend pushed the car down a small hill and at the end I popped the clutch. The car started right up.

[galactica]

thanks everyone
i just hooked up the leads and jumped it after 5 min
drove it around for 30 min and then parked it.

came back 1 hour later and it started up fine.

will see how it does for tomorrow.

again...
thanks!

[Tommyknocker]

thanks everyone
i just hooked up the leads and jumped it after 5 min
drove it around for 30 min and then parked it.

came back 1 hour later and it started up fine.

will see how it does for tomorrow.

again...
thanks!

Oh man, I forgot!

Standards are very sensitive. They get extremely embarassed when they have to take a jump. They feel they lose their independence when they have to. So after you give them a jump, you have to sing Golden Slumber to them the night before you drive them again. Glad it worked out for you, though.