Jump start from the hood

RICARDO MENJIVAR

MEMBER
1994 JAGUAR XJ6
6 CYL
AUTOMATIC
94,000 MILES

I tried jump starting the car from the trunk where the battery is located and it seemed to give enough energy to turn all the lights on and even the dashboard icons but it will not allow me to turn on the car completely. Last time I called a mechanic he jump started it from the front but I forgot where he exactly put the jumper cables. Could anyone send me a picture or try to guide me on where I should put the jumper cables from the hood?

Tuesday, October 30th, 2018 AT 11:57 AM

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
14,107 POSTS

The ground side is easy, just pick any clean spot on the engine block that is handy. The positive lead is a bit harder depending on the way your car is wired. Most need to be jumped using the same terminal on the starter solenoid that the battery cable from the trunk connects to. That is the only safe place to connect. That connection is also likely the reason you cannot jump start from the trunk. It has corroded and is not passing enough current to operate the starter.
The better solution would be to disconnect both the ground and power cables and clean them at both ends to get a better connection, then put a battery charger on it overnight. That is because if it cannot start the engine the cable is also not sending enough of a charge back to the battery.

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Thursday, November 1st, 2018 AT 12:34 PM