How to Jump Start a Mercedes-Benz CLK
by Paul Molina
If your CLK's lights are dim and the starter can barely turn the engine over, the car's battery may be drained to the point where it no longer can hold a charge powerful enough to crank the car. In this case, if a battery charging kit is unavailable or you urgently need to get your car going, you can use a second, functioning car to jump-start the CLK.
Step 1
Turn off all electrical components in both the CLK and the second car. Do not turn the headlights on under any circumstances during the jump-starting process, as they use too much necessary energy.
Step 2
Open the hood on both cars and locate both car batteries. The CLK's battery is typically found on the passenger's side of the car and closer to the back end of the compartment. At this time make sure that the functioning car uses a 12-volt battery. Anything more than this could damage the CLK's battery.
Step 3
Position both cars so that the jumper cables are able to easily reach the terminals on both batteries. Do not let the two cars touch in any way, however.
Step 4
Apply the parking brake on both cars to make sure that they do not move during the jump-start. Make sure that the functioning car is completely turned off before connecting the jumper cables.
Step 5
Remove the flap covering the positive "+" terminal on the CLK's battery. If the functioning car has a flap covering either the positive or negative terminal, remove this as well.
Step 6
Clamp one end of the red, positive cable to the positive "+" terminal on the charged battery, then clamp the other to the CLK's positive under-hood terminal, which is located in front of the. Turn the functioning car on and let it idle.
Step 7
Connect the black, negative cable to the negative "-" terminal on the charged battery, and then to the CLK's negative under-hood terminal in front of the dead battery. Wait a few minutes as the battery charges before attempting to turn the CLK on.
Step 8
Start the engine on the CLK and let it idle. Remove the negative "-" jumper cable from the other car and the CLK, starting with the other car, then the positive jumper cable in the same manner in order to complete the jump-start.
References
Things You'll Need
- Jumper cables
Warnings
- Make sure that the car batteries are not cracked or leaking. If they are, they could possibly explode and cause serious injury or death. Also, if the car battery is frozen, let it thaw before attempting to jump-start it.
Writer Bio
Paul Molina began writing professionally in 2010. He holds an Associate of Arts in biology and tends to focus his writing on various health and science topics. Molina is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Florida International University.
