Jumpstarting a Car - QUICK CHEATSHEET

Try to get the hood of the working car as close to the dead car as best as you can.  This may mean that the passenger side door of the good car has to be positioned very close to the driver side door of the dead car, but that's ok.  You can just enter the dead car through the passenger side.

Make sure the radio is off and that nothing is plugged into the cigarette lighter adapter of both cars.

Get your red and black jumpstart cables out.

Using the red cable first, clamp the connector to the positive (+) terminal on the battery of the dead car first.

Then clamp the other end of the red cable to the positive (+) terminal on the battery of the working car.  While you are still in front of the working car, go ahead and clam one end of the black cable to the negative/ground (-) terminal on the battery of the working car. 

Connect the other end of the black cable to a piece of grounded metal on the dead car, preferably the bolt where the thick negative cable from the battery connects to the chassis. If this is not practical, look for shiny metal (not painted or oily) that is attached to the engine. Usually a nut, bolt or other protruding shiny metal will work. You may see a small spark when you connect to a good ground. As a last resort, you may connect to the negative (-) post of the dead battery, but this risks igniting hydrogen gas coming off the battery.

Now go ahead and start the working car.  Let it run for about 30 to 60 seconds in order to charge the battery in the dead car.  The starter of the dead car will draw most of its current from the battery of the working car not the cables.

Now start the dead car.

Remove the jumper cables once the car starts. Do this in the reverse of the order in which they were attached, and don't let any of the cables or clamps touch each other (or dangle into the engine compartment).

So start with the black clamp on the previously dead car first, then the black clamp on the working car.  Then the red clamp on the working car and then last, the red clamp on the previously dead car.

Keep the recently-disabled car's engine running. Run the car above idle (slightly revved up with your foot on the gas) for 5 minutes and then on or above idle for 20 minutes before turning it off. This should give the battery enough charge to start the car again. If it does not, you probably have a dead battery or a dying alternator.

That's it!!!