Can a Diesel Car Jump Start a Petrol Car? Know Everything About Jump Leads

A dead car in the middle of the road is an awkward situation nobody wants to face. That said, you’ve got to be prepared for it. Using another vehicle may be an option, but it may not run on the same fuel as yours. So, can a diesel car jump-start a petrol car or not.

First of all, you have to get help from a jumper vehicle to recharge your car battery. Secondly, you can jump-start a petrol car with a diesel car. But make sure that the jumper (diesel car) battery has enough charge in it.

So, let’s explore how the jumpstart process works in differently-fueled vehicles.

How to Jump-Start a Car?

First of all, there are a few things you’ll need to jump-start a car.

• Jump Leads
• Work Gloves (Rubber)
• Safety Goggles
• Another Vehicle with the Same Voltage Fully Charged Battery

Jump Leads – The jump leads are the thick electric cables having clamps on both ends. They usually come in pairs to connect with both batteries to jump-start a car.

Work Gloves – Always wear rubber gloves while setting up the jump lead connection to the batteries. The rubber is a good insulator of electricity which means that current can barely pass from an object made of rubber.

Safety Goggle – Always wear goggles while connecting the jumping leads to the battery terminals. Even though you are connecting the cable to the right terminal, the battery might give a spark.

Another Vehicle with the Same Voltage Fully Charged Battery – That vehicle will be a source through which the current will flow and reach your dead car battery.

You might want to look at Heavy Duty Power Jumper Cables.

Now, let’s see how to jump-start your car after checking all the safety measures.

Jump Start Safety Measures

Since you are going to deal with the exposed electrical connections using the jumper leads, make sure you follow all the safety measures.

Ventilation

First of all, make sure that both the cars are parked in an open space. Any area where there is good ventilation is known as open space.

Ventilation is necessary because you never know the condition of both the car batteries. Some damaged batteries produce flammable gases which your olfactory nerves might not detect. Therefore, when you connect the jumper leads, and there occurs a spark, those gases help that spark to take the form of an explosion.

So, always jump-start your car in a well-ventilated area.

Check Voltage

The second most important step is to check the voltage of both the batteries. The battery voltage of the jumper and jumping vehicles must be the same. If not, that voltage difference will damage your car’s battery.

Moreover, if a low-voltage car (petrol) jump-starts a high-voltage car (diesel), the battery and other electrical circuits might get fried.

Turn Off Engines

Turn off the engines of both vehicles. It’s again for your own safety because connecting the jump leads to a car battery while the engine is running might give a spark.

Turn Off Lights

Make sure you have turned off the lights, radio, and other electrical and electronic features of both cars. If you leave them on, they will impede the jumpstart process. As a result, your car battery might not get fully charged.

Disconnect All Accessories

Since your car battery is about to get juice from another car battery, the jumpstart process might damage the connected accessories. Therefore, disconnect all of them before they get damaged beyond repair.

Park Cars Closely

Park the cars in front of each other at a little distance so that you can connect the jump leads easily. Make sure the cars are not too close or touching each other. Moreover, pull the handbrakes of both cars as well.

Jump Start Process

1. First, open the hood of both the cars and remove the plastic lid from the battery terminal or posts.
2. Connect the red jump lead (RED is positive) and connect it to the positive post of the dead battery. Always start connecting with the dead battery as there is less chance of spark or explosion doing that.
3. Connect the other red jump lead to the jumper car battery’s positive terminal.
4. Now, connect the black jump lead (BLACK is negative) to the negative terminal of the active battery.
5. For the dead battery, connect the other black jump lead to any metallic part of the engine. That part will act as an earth connection. Plus, never connect the black jump lead to the negative terminal of the dead battery. That will cause an explosion.
6. After setting up the connection, wait for at least minutes and then give ignition to the car having the active battery.
7. Now start your car, which has a dead battery. If the car’s engine starts up, you have successfully completed the jumpstart process.

Disconnect the Jump Leads

1. Turn off both the engines before disconnecting any jump lead.
2. First, remove the black jump lead, and then go for the positive.
3. After that, start your car and drive for at least 30 mins. That will allow the alternator to recharge your car’s battery.

Now, there are two other ways to jump-start your car without another vehicle.

• Push Start
• Backup Battery

Push Start

It’s a simple method in which you, with another person, push your car into second gear so that the alternator can give a little juice to your car battery.

You have to turn the key to the ignition without starting the car. Now, slowly release the brakes and let the car roll on the road. Once the car reaches 5 Mph, release the clutch and let the battery receive the charge.

Backup Battery

In this method, you should have a backup battery and jump leads. Then, the whole process is the same as in the traditional jumpstart process.

However, make sure to first remove the jump leads from the car and then from the battery to avoid sparks.

Check out the ACDelco Gold AMG BCI Battery.

Jump Start an Automatic Car

You can jump-start an automatic car following the “Jump Start Process” section mentioned above. However, if you don’t have the jump leads, you can’t push start an automatic car as it will affect the transmission.

In that case, contact the nearby automobile service center and ask for immediate help.

Final Thoughts

You can jump-start your petrol car with the help of a diesel car. The only thing that matters is whether the jumper car battery has enough charge.

Since you don’t want your car to stall on the road, it’s important to regularly check the status of your car battery. Moreover, always keep a pair of jump leads inside your car. If you have a long distance to cover on a daily basis, it’s better to keep a backup battery or a charger with you.