Car battery Jump Start service

Dead Battery and need a Jump-Start
​It has happened to everyone at one time.  You cars battery is dead. When you turn the ignition key or the push to start button, nothing happens.  All you may hear is a click or the engine straining to start.  Most likely you have a dead battery.
Call us for a Jump-Start: 
      254-875-5254

Why does a car need a battery?

Automobile engines need an electric starter motor to get them going.  To prime the pump so to speak.  A car engine is really just a big mechanical air pump. The electric starter motor turns or cranks the engine pistons into the correct firing position to compress air and fuel into a combustible mixture that starts the engine. Fuel is pumped into the piston cylinder chamber by the electric fuel pump and the piston moves up in the combustion cylinder chamber to compress it into an air and gasoline mixture to make it more explosive. Simultaneously electricity must flow to the spark plugs so that they can create a spark to ignite the compressed air-fuel mixture. The controlled explosion in the cylinders then starts a chain reaction that causes the engine to run on its own power without the help of the battery. The running engine runs a small electric generator called an alternator. The alternator tops off the charge on the vehicle's battery and keeps the spark plugs sparking until you shut off the engine. 

A car battery is critical to starting several engine functions.  Without a battery, a car's starter motor, fuel pump, spark plugs, and electronic ignition system wouldn’t work. Most people never think about their car’s electrical system.  They just know to put gas in the tank and oil in the engine. But without the battery and electronic ignition system the car won't start.   

When the first cars were invented more than 100- years ago, cars did not have electric starter motors. To start the engine the driver had to use a hand-crank to start the engine. The hand-crank was inserted into an opening in the front bumper of the car.  The use of electric starter motors in automobiles did not become standard equipment. until about 1920.  So that’s why a car needs a battery.  To run the starter motor, fuel pump, and make the spark plugs spark and ignite the compressed air-fuel mixture in the combustion chambers.

The starter motor gets the domino effect going and then once the car engine is running on its own a small electric generator called the alternator takes over and powers the car's electrical system and tops off the charge on the vehicle's battery when it is below a certain threshold.  This is why the vehicle's battery is the key to get the car started in the first place and then again after the engine is turned off.

It’s important to have a good battery that is fully charged and is able to accept and hold a charge..  The condition of the vehicle's battery is critical for the longevity of the car’s alternator.  When the battery is dead, a jump start will start the engine once and get the chain reaction going to  run the engine and the alternator.  But the alternator is not a dedicated electric generator.  That’s why it is called an alternator and not a generator. The alternator is not meant to be used to fully recharge a dead battery. A battery is dead when it has a zero charge.  

The correct way to recharge a battery is to put it on a car battery charger as soon as possible and fully charge it.  If the vehicle alternator is used to recharge the battery too often that will put a strain on the alternator and the alternator will wear out much faster.

When a car battery is  jump-started, the battery charge is so low that the alternator must work twice as hard to power the vehicle's electrical systems and try to recharge the battery.  Making your alternator work twice as hard to charge your battery will significantly shorten the life of your alternator. Depending on what type of vehicle you drive, a new alternator costs between $200 and over $475 dollars just for the alternator not including labor.

Reasons why car battery dies
There are several  reasons a car battery would go dead. But they all basically revolve around age and strain. Often the cause is that the headlights or interior lights were left on overnight.  A common reason is because the electrical system has a short circuit creating an excessive power drain on the battery.  The weather is another factor for battery life expectancy.  Extreme heat and cold in Waco, Texas will shorten the life of a car battery. The manufacturer will quote a number of years that the battery is projected to last but that number is just an average life expectancy and not specific to your areas weather.

When your battery ever dies leaving you stuck somewhere in the Waco Texas area the Waco towing and roadside assistance team is always ready to come to jump-start your car.  We will jump start your car, Mini Van, SUV, sport car, or pickup truck. You may carry a  pair of jumper cables in your vehicle, but then you still need to find someone willing to give you a jump-start. There is a correct way and a wrong way to jump-start a vehicle.  If neither one of you knows the correct procedure for using jumper cables you could damage your vehicle's electronic ignition.

When you find yourself with a dead car battery, and need a jump-start, your success will depend on: Whether or not you can convince a stranger to help you, and whether or not either one of you knows the correct way to connect the jumper cables.

Another factor to consider is whether or not the battery is so old that it will not accept and hold a charge. 

A good alternative to jumper cables is a portable jump start power pack.  A portable car battery jump starter power pack is convenient because you don't need to find a stranger to help you. The portable battery jump-starter power pack will come with instructions on how to use it correctly.
Another easy solution is to call Waco Towing service for a battery jump-start:
Click to call:   254-875-5254

How to correctly Jump-start your car
1. Using jumper cables
Having a set of jumper cables in your car trunk come in handy if your battery dies. But then you need to find someone willing to let you use their car to jump start your car.  A portable jump starter power pack might be a better tool to keep in your vehicle.  Then you won’t have to flag down a stranger for help.
2. How to Position the vehicles for a jump start
The vehicle with the good battery needs to be close enough to the vehicle with the dead battery for the jumper cables can reach the vehicle with the dead battery without having tension on the cables that could cause one of the cables to fall off of the battery terminal post.  How close the two vehicles should be will depend on how long your jumper cables are.  Before connecting the jumper cables be sure that both vehicles have their transmissions in the park position and  the parking brakes on both vehicles are engaged to keep the cars from moving.
3. Attaching the jumper cables to the two vehicles
After Opening the hoods on both cars find their respective batteries and battery terminals.  Connect the red positive cable using the alligator clamp to the red positive (+) battery terminal on the dead battery.  Make sure the connection is secure, so the clamp does not fall off.  Take the other red positive cable clamp, on the end of the jumper cable and connect it to the red positive (+) battery terminal on the vehicle with the good battery.

Attach the black negative clamp to the black negative (-) terminal on the good battery, and attach the other black, negative clamp to a unpainted metal surface inside the engine compartment of the car with the dead battery.
4. Jump starting
Start the engine on the vehicle with the good battery and let the engine run for a few minutes to give the dead battery a partial charge. Then start the car with the dead battery.   If the car doesn’t start, let the car with the good battery run for a few more minutes. Try again to start the car with the dead battery.  If the car with the dead battery doesn’t start, it's time to call for a tow truck or roadside assistance.
5. Remove the jumper cables
If the car with the dead battery started and is running don't turn it off.  Let the car with the dead battery continue to run and remove the jumper cables one at a time.  Remove the black, negative clamps first and don’t let them touch any metal on the car or each other.  Then carefully remove the red cables and shut the hoods of both vehicles.
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If the car that has the dead battery has a good battery that was dead because of some power drain, and not because the battery is too old to take and hold a charge anymore, then driving the vehicle for at least one-hour on local roads or for thirty-minutes on the highway should charge the battery enough so that it won’t need another jump start after being shut off. 

Remember your vehicle's alternator is not meant to recharge a dead battery and using it as a battery charger too often can burn your alternator out prematurely.  You should have the battery checked with a battery tester to know if the battery is still good or need to be replaced.  The only good way to charge a dead battery is on a vehicle battery charger.

If you need help Waco Tow Truck and Roadside service is ready to help you. 
Call:   254-875-5254 
or fill out the  Free Quick Quote form on this page.

Vehicle battery Jump Start