Dickinson Towing · Dickinson, ND · Updated July 2026

How to Jump Start a Car Safely (Step-by-Step) in Dickinson, ND

There are few things more frustrating than turning the key on a January morning in Dickinson and hearing nothing but a slow, tired click. A dead battery does not care whether you are running late for a shift at Dickinson State University, loading up for a trip down US-85, or just trying to get out of your driveway off Villard Street. The good news is that jump starting a car is a simple, safe skill that any driver can learn, and once you know the correct order of the cables, you can be back on the road in about ten minutes.

This guide walks you through exactly how to jump start a car the right way, what to check before you connect anything, and the mistakes that can fry your electronics or hurt you. It is written for real Stark County conditions, where deep cold, gravel county roads, and long distances between towns make a dead battery more than a minor inconvenience. And if you would rather not fuss with cables in a freezing parking lot, Dickinson Towing runs 24/7 jump start and roadside assistance across ZIP 58601 and the surrounding area, usually reaching you in 30 to 45 minutes.

What You Need Before You Jump Start a Car in Dickinson

Before you touch a single cable, gather your equipment and give yourself a safe place to work. You will need a set of jumper cables in good condition, or a portable jump box if you keep one in your trunk (a smart move for anyone driving North Dakota winters). You also need a second vehicle with a healthy, fully charged battery, unless you are using a self-contained jump pack.

Position the two vehicles nose to nose, close enough that the cables reach comfortably but not touching. Put both cars in park (or neutral for a manual), set the parking brakes, and turn off the ignition, headlights, heater, and radio in both vehicles. If you are pulled over anywhere near I-94 between Exits 59 and 64, or along a shoulder on ND-22, turn on your hazard lights and set out a reflective triangle or flare well behind you. Traffic moves fast on these stretches, and a stalled car in the snow is hard to see.

Pop both hoods and locate the batteries. Identify the positive terminal, marked with a plus sign and often a red cover, and the negative terminal, marked with a minus sign. Look the battery over quickly. If you see cracks, leaking fluid, or a heavy white, blue, or green crust of corrosion around the terminals, do not attempt a jump. A damaged battery can leak acid or, in rare cases, rupture. That is the moment to call for a battery tow instead.

Step-by-Step: How to Connect the Jumper Cables

The order of connection matters, both for your safety and to protect the sensitive electronics in modern vehicles. Follow these five steps exactly, and never let the metal clamps touch each other once the cables are live.

1. Red to dead positive. Clamp one red (positive) cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
2. Red to good positive. Clamp the other red cable to the positive terminal of the good battery.
3. Black to good negative. Clamp one black (negative) cable to the negative terminal of the good battery.
4. Black to bare metal. Clamp the final black cable to an unpainted metal surface on the dead car, such as a bolt on the engine block or a bracket, away from the battery itself. This grounds the connection and keeps any spark away from battery gases.
5. Start and wait. Start the working vehicle and let it idle for a few minutes to send charge into the dead battery.

After a couple of minutes, try to start the dead vehicle. If it turns over and runs, leave both cars connected and running for another minute or two, then remove the cables in the exact reverse order: black from bare metal, black from the good battery, red from the good battery, and finally red from the previously dead battery. Keep the revived car running and drive it for at least 20 to 30 minutes so the alternator can properly recharge the battery.

Safety Mistakes That Can Damage Your Car or Hurt You

Jump starting is safe when done in the right order, but a few common errors cause real damage. The biggest one is reversing polarity, connecting red to a negative terminal or black to a positive terminal. Doing so can blow fuses, damage the alternator, harm onboard computers, and even cause the battery to overheat. Always double-check the plus and minus symbols before you clamp anything.

Never let the two clamps at the ends of a live cable touch each other, and never lean over a battery while connecting cables. Batteries can vent hydrogen gas, which is flammable, so keep cigarettes, sparks, and open flames far away. Remove loose clothing, rings, and dangling scarves that could catch on a moving belt. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, proper vehicle maintenance and knowing safe roadside procedures are key to preventing breakdowns from turning into injuries.

One more Dickinson-specific caution: do not try to jump a car that is frozen. If the battery fluid is frozen solid, which can happen when a weak battery sits through a hard Stark County cold snap, attempting a jump can crack the case. When in doubt, warm it up or let a professional handle it. A flatbed or wheel-lift tow to a warm shop is far cheaper than replacing a ruptured battery and cleaning up spilled acid.

Why Batteries Fail So Often Around Stark County

If it feels like batteries die more often here, you are not imagining it. Cold weather is hard on batteries in two ways. It slows the chemical reaction that produces cranking power, and it thickens engine oil so the starter has to work harder to turn the engine over. A battery that is only 60 percent charged might start your car easily in July but fail completely at 20 below near New England or South Heart.

Most car batteries last three to five years, and that lifespan shrinks in a climate like ours. Short trips around Dickinson, where the alternator never fully recharges the battery, wear it down faster. Warning signs include slow cranking, dim headlights, dashboard battery lights, and a clicking sound when you turn the key. If you are seeing any of those, get the battery load-tested before winter deepens. Many local parts stores test batteries for free, and catching a weak one early beats a 6 a.m. jump in a snowdrift.

Keeping a portable jump pack, a set of quality cables, gloves, and a flashlight in your trunk is cheap insurance for anyone driving between Dickinson, Belfield, Gladstone, Richardton, and the smaller communities along the Enchanted Highway. Distances out here are long and cell coverage can be spotty, so a little preparation goes a long way.

When to Call Dickinson Towing Instead of DIY

Sometimes a jump start is not the answer, and knowing when to stop saves you money and hassle. Call for professional roadside help if the battery is visibly damaged or leaking, if the car still will not start after a proper jump, if it dies again immediately after you disconnect, or if you simply do not have a second vehicle or a jump box. You should also call if you are stranded somewhere unsafe, such as a narrow shoulder on I-94 or a dark county road, where standing between two cars in traffic is a genuine risk.

Dickinson Towing is a locally based, licensed and insured, DOT compliant operation. Our trucks carry jump start gear, and if the battery is truly done, we provide flatbed and wheel-lift towing to the shop of your choice. We cover Dickinson and the whole service area, including Belfield, Gladstone, Richardton, South Heart, New England, Medora, and Taylor, and we answer the phone around the clock. Typical response time is 30 to 45 minutes. You can read more about our jump start and battery service and the rest of what we offer before you ever need us.