A car that won’t start is a nightmare that most car owners have faced at one point in time or the other. This issue may manifest as a cranky sound or weak purr when you turn the ignition, or the car just won’t respond at all.
There are several possible reasons why this may happen, some of which include:
1. Dead or depleted battery – Old age and harsh weather conditions can weaken the power of your car battery and cause it not to start the engine. This is the classic situation where a jump start will get your car engine running again.
2. Faulty starter – Does the car make a clicking sound when you turn the ignition? If the battery is okay, then the issue is likely with the key starter itself. In this case, a jump start will get you going temporarily.
3. Malfunctioning alternator – The alternator is responsible for keeping the battery charged. If it is faulty, then the battery won’t have enough charge to power on the engine. When this is the case, jump starting the car also provides a temporary solution.
4. Poor fuel flow – Another effect that harsh weather conditions can have is clogging of the fuel lines in the car engine. When fuel does not flow properly to the right places, your car will need to be jump started as well.
5. Bad spark plugs – Finally, bad spark plugs, especially when the plugs come in contact with engine oil, can result in your car not starting. Using a jump start will bypass this issue until you are able to get to an auto repair shop to clean or change the plugs.
Whatever the cause of the car trouble, we know that you’re eager to jump start your car and get to your destination right away. If you own or have access to a Jeep Renegade, you may be tempted to use it to jump start your disabled car, especially because of its superior power.
Read on to find out all you need to know about using the Jeep Renegade to jump start a car that won’t start.
Can You Jump Start A Car with Jeep Renegade?
Yes, you can jump start a car with a Jeep Renegade. Just as with any other car, a Jeep Renegade can be used to provide extra power to a car that won’t start due to any of the factors listed in the section above.
As a matter of fact, Jeep Renegades are one of the most powerful cars out of there, and so they provide more than adequate power to jump start a disabled car.
The power of a Jeep Renegade guarantees that whatever the cause of the car not starting, there will be enough power from the Jeep Renegade to bypass this issue.
However, jump starting a car with Jeep Renegade requires a bit of technical nous. Also, there are several considerations to make before deciding to use a Jeep Renegade to jumpstart a car…and we have detailed them in the next section below.
Why You Should Reconsider Jump Starting Your Car with A Jeep Renegade
It is almost inevitable that at some point during your use of a car, you will need to jump start it. However, the decision on what car to use to jump start your disabled car should not be taken lightly. This is especially the case when it comes to a Jeep Renegade.
Before using a Jeep Renegade to jumpstart your car, you should be aware of the following facts:
1. Jeep Renegades are built with hyper sensitive electronics and electrical systems. For example, they are very sensitive to changes in voltage flowing in and out of the battery. So when you use your Jeep Renegade battery to jump start a car whose voltage specifications are vastly different to yours, this can cause damage to the Jeep Renegade battery and connected electronics.
One of the components that are most affected by this issue is the CANBus. The Controller Area Network Bus (CANBus) is essentially the communications nervous system of the Jeep Renegade. It controls the communications between all the electronic parts of the car. Using a Jeep Renegade to jump start another car may cause damage to this component.
Most of the time, the damage is not immediate and so you may get away with jump-starting a car a couple of times with your Jeep Renegade. But when this accumulates, it can cause gradual but unfavorable changes to the configurations on your Jeep Renegades electronics, and cause damage.
2. Another thing to consider is that the sudden, high surges of electricity that come with jump-starting with a Jeep Renegade can cause damage to the jeep’s fuses. This happens whether the Jeep Renegade is giving or receiving the jump start.
Many users find that their Jeep Renegade goes completely limp after giving or receiving a jump start. Again, this does not always happen and you may get away with it in your case. As we explained earlier, the problem usually occurs when you jump start a car that has significantly different electrical and electronic configurations to your Jeep Renegade.
Now that you are aware of the considerations to make before using a Jeep Renegade to jump start your car, read on to find out how to do this in the safest way possible.
How to Jump Start A Car with Jeep Renegade
It is true that using a Jeep Renegade to jumpstart your car comes with some risks. Because of this, we have taken our time to research the safest possible ways to perform this process while mitigating those risks as much as possible.
Follow the steps outlined below carefully to jumpstart your car with a Jeep Renegade and avoid most of the mishaps that come with it.
1. Park both cars safely – Once you have brought the two cars within the required distance of each other (18 inches is a good distance for this), put the gear selector in Park for automatic transmitters…or Neutral if you’re jump starting a car with manual transmitter. This is a basic safety measure to prevent either car from moving during the process.
2. Turn off all electricals and electronics. Radio and sound systems, lights, chargers, must all be turned off or unplugged as applicable.
3. Turn off both engines and then take out the keys from the ignition in both cars. This is a great way to prevent some of the electrical and electronics damages detailed earlier in this article.
4. Finally, open the hood or bonnet on both cars.
Take your time to re-confirm that these first 4 processes have been completed before continuing with the rest of the steps below.
1. Bring the jumper cables. They are usually colour-coded: red for positive and black for negative.
2. Start with the disabled car that you want to jump start. Clip the positive clamp of the jump cable on the positive terminal of the battery of the disabled car. The positive terminal on the battery is usually also coloured red or has a + sign on it.
3. Next, clip the negative end of the jump cable along the insulated part of the cable. Ensure that the metal ends on the positive and negative ends do not touch as this would cause short-circuiting.
4. Now, take the other end of the positive cable and clamp it on the positive terminal of the Jeep Renegade battery. You may find that the positive terminal on the Jeep is covered by black plastic. Depending on the model of your Jeep renegade, you may find a protruding, wavy piece of metal on the positive terminal of the Jeep battery; this is where you clamp the positive terminal of the cable.
5. Still on the Jeep Renegade, attach one end of the black (negative) cable to the negative terminal of the Jeep Renegade battery.
6. Finally, go back on your disabled car. Do not clamp the negative end of the cable to the negative end of the battery on the disabled car. This is because, there are chances that this might cause a hydrogen discharge on the battery and cause permanent damage to the battery. This kind of circuit may also damage the electronic components on the Jeep Renegade
7. Instead, clamp that negative terminal of the jump cable onto any bare, unpainted metal inside the hood/bonnet of the disabled car. Be sure that this metal is not very close to any parts that move when the car starts.
8. Once all these connections are in place, go to the disabled car, insert the key in the ignition, and start it.
If the battery on the Jeep Renegade has enough charge, it should start the disabled car.
In this article, we have explained that it is possible to jump start a car with a Jeep Renegade, considerations to make when it comes to jumpstarting a car with a Jeep Renegade, and steps to take when jumpstarting with a Jeep Renegade.
At this point, we feel that it’s important to provide you with an alternative to using a Jeep Renegade to jump start a car, so as to avoid the risks that we outlined earlier.
Option: Get A Battery Pack or Car Jump Starter
Instead of using a Jeep Renegade to jump start your car, it may serve you better to purchase a reliable battery pack or car jump starter (view on Amazon). They are safer for you and for the vehicles involved. You can head over to Amazon or any other reliable outlet to purchase one. Be sure to get one that has a larger power rating than your car battery.