Does Revving an Engine Help Jump a Car?

Introduction

When your car battery dies, you may be tempted to try to jump-start it by revving the engine of another car. However, does this actually help? The answer is: no. In fact, revving the engine can actually make it more difficult to jump-start your car.

How Jump-Starting Works

When you jump-start a car, you are using the battery of another car to provide power to your car’s starter motor. The starter motor then cranks the engine, which in turn starts the alternator. The alternator then charges the battery, so that it can provide power to the car’s electrical systems.

Why Revving the Engine Doesn’t Help

When you rev the engine, you are increasing the speed at which the alternator spins. However, this does not actually increase the amount of power that the alternator can provide. In fact, revving the engine can actually decrease the amount of power that the alternator can provide, because it can cause the alternator to overheat.

What to Do Instead

If you need to jump-start your car, the best thing to do is to follow these steps:

1. Park the two cars close together, so that the jumper cables can reach from one car to the other.
2. Turn off the engines of both cars.
3. Connect the jumper cables to the batteries of the two cars.
4. Start the engine of the donor car.
5. Wait a few minutes for the battery of the dead car to charge up.
6. Start the engine of the dead car.

If the engine of the dead car does not start, you may need to try revving the engine of the donor car slightly. However, do not rev the engine too much, as this can damage the alternator.

Conclusion

Revving the engine of a donor car does not help to jump-start a dead car. In fact, it can actually make it more difficult to jump-start the car. If you need to jump-start your car, the best thing to do is to follow the steps outlined above.