The car battery is almost empty and the battery is strange. Where do I put the cables???
I have the same terminals, and I got booster cable jaws on them no problem, so it is possible. You just gotta find the right angle so keep trying. Loosen the hold-down if you need to.
Positive needs to go the battery. But negative you should put on a beefy piece bare metal on the engine block.
Connect the positive cables (red) from one car's battery to the positive terminal on your battery (also red), then connect the negative cable (black) to the negative terminal on each battery (also black). Try to not use a recently made car for this. They're much easier to fry things on than older vehicles. I only use my 1999 Ranger or my 1979 Catalina if I need to jump another vehicle. Less and less electronic stuff to risk damaging the older the jumping car is.
Or buy a battery maintainer at AutoZone. They're $20 and are much less harsh on the battery. The Duralast model will tell you if the battery is bad upon hookup or not.
The terminals are too small for my jumper cables!
There are jumper cable clamps designed for those old GM cars with side post terminals. I believe that's what your picture shows. What a nightmare that design was. You can find jumper cables with long narrow clamps that will reach down in there on amazon and lots of places. Ask at a local auto parts store.
side posts are fantastic. they save lots of space, they're safer, and they never corrode.
The prejudice is because of an olds cutlass calais my mother used to have. The side post terminals weren't a problem in them selves, it was the washer fluid reservoir placed directly above the battery. They were definitely saving space with that set up.
There should also be instructions in your owners manual where to hook up booster cables.
Yes, to the battery... and I need special booster cables apparently
PS I know that the battery is disconnected on the picture
The terminals are too small for my jumper cables. Can I connect the cables somewhere else? If yes, where?
This is an easy one.
disconnect the cables to the battery.
Screw a bolt into the battery, both of them.
Connect a charger to the bolts and turn the charger on.
Charge the battery overnight.
Next day, take the bolts out and reconnect the battery.
At some point, have the battery cables converted to conventional clamp connectors and get rid of that D**m side post battery.
small charger clips have no problem clamping onto these posts.
But it won't help anyway if the battery is bad.
true.