Updated at: 16-04-2022 - By: micdot

When your car’s battery dies in the middle of a journey, all you have to do is whip out your jumper cable from your emergency pack and beg other cars to assist you in “jumpstarting” your vehicle.However, there is a culprit in this case: the alternator. Is it possible to jumpstart a car with a faulty alternator? When it comes to jumpstarting vehicles with dead batteries, the alternator is crucial. The alternator is responsible for passing power to the battery and charging it when the car is in motion.

So, if your alternator fails, your car’s battery won’t charge while driving, but this doesn’t prohibit you from jumpstarting. As a result, a car with a damaged alternator can still be jumpstarted. But first, here are a few pointers to keep in mind.

Can You Jumpstart a Car With a Bad Alternator?

You certainly can, as the alternator isn’t involved in the jumpstarting procedure. Furthermore, while jump-starting the car, you will have to remove the alternator.The jumper wire ends are already performing the same functions as alternators, which is to pass electric current to a car battery.

What are the steps for jumpstarting a car with a bad alternator, then? The steps aren’t difficult; anyone can execute them, and we’ve outlined them below.

How to Jumpstart a Car With a Bad Alternator

How to jumpstart a car with a bad alternator!

Can You Jumpstart a Car with a Bad Alternator? (Here's the Truth)

Step 1: Turn of all accessories

First and foremost, all accessories and gears that receive power from the battery must be turned off. To put it another way, your car should be totally turned off, and any add-on gears, such as mini-refrigerators, should be disconnected.Because leaving those gears linked may cause the car to not start, this is a must-do step.

Step 2: Connect the jumper cable

Persuade other drivers on the road to assist you. Connect the jumper cables on the car with a good battery to the other ends of your own car battery if you can get one good driver to assist you.The connections should be made in the following order:

  • Connect the red (positive) cable end to the +ve battery post on the other car, and the other red (+ve) end to the +ve battery post on your car.
  • Connect the other cable (the black one) to the other car’s negative (-ve) battery post. Then attach the other end of the -ve to any portion of your engine (to serve as ground).

Note: Do not connect the -ve (black) cable to the -ve connector on your own battery; this could result in an explosion. That is to say, the car’s negative battery post must be free of any cables before it can be jump-started.

Step 3: Start the car

The owner of the good vehicle can now start the car, and your own (dead) battery will begin charging by drawing current from the battery of the other vehicle. Allow around 5 minutes for your battery to charge before attempting to start your automobile.If your battery does take a long time to charge, beg the other driver to give you some extra time. You can safely continue driving once your battery has been charged to a certain level; however, you must replace your damaged alternator as soon as possible.Once your car is up and running, you should head straight to the technician to get the alternator fixed.

Remove the jumper cables once your car (with the bad alternator) starts. To minimize short-circuiting, make sure the cables do not touch each other while being removed. This is especially true of the metallic ends.

What Else?

There’s nothing else you can do; now that your car is running, you need to find a nearby mechanic to repair your battery alternator.Otherwise, the battery will not continue to charge while you drive, and if you wait too long, the battery will die, necessitating another jumpstart attempt.

Can You Jumpstart a Car With a Bad Alternator? - Mechanic Assistant