20 - Friday, October 27, 1989 - North Shore News Jump-start car battery safely THE AUTOMOBILE battery need not be a source of anxiety. Knowledge of simple and safe steps for jump-starting the battery is essential for motorists concerned about winter car care. Several precautionary measures should be followed when jump- starting a battery. Position vehicles so that they do not touch each other. Check to see that both batteries are of the same voltage. a Turn off both vehicles’ engines. Set the parking brakes on each vehicle. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS Place automatic transmission in park, standard transmissions in neutral. Be sure vent caps are tight and level. Place a damp cloth over the vents of both batteries. With safety precautions taken care of, the stalled battery is ready for jump-starting. 1. Connect positive (+) booster cable to positive post of dead bat- tery. (The positive post is wired to the starter or solenoid.) 2. Connect other end of same cable to same marked post (posi- tive) of booster battery. 3. Connect second booster cable to other post (negative) of booster battery. 4. Make final booster cable connection on engine block of Your last Autoplan P may have surprised you. It could have been $105 higher. Autoplan premiums increased by an average of 22% in 1988. This was a direct result of the rising number and cost of claims in B.C., which in 1987 topped all previous records. The surprising part was that your premium didn’t go even higher. It would have if ICBC operated like most auto insurers, who use the income from investments to pay dividends or for other purposes. But because ICBC operates on a break-even basis, all our investment income is used to reduce the cost of insurance for B.C. motorists. So every investment dollar ICBC earns is a premium dollar you don’t have to pay. In 1988, this saving averaged $105 per policy. If all B.C. drivers performed as well as ICBC's investments, your future premiums could really surprise you. Pleasantly, for a change. ICBC Together, we can drive insurance costs down. stalled vehicle away from battery. 5. Start the booster vehicle and let run for a few minutes. START SAFELY 6. Start the disabled vehicle, then remove cables in reverse order of connection. Further safety precautions should be followed when working in the vicinity of the automobile. @ Whenever you work near a battery, protect your eyes with safety goggles. © Never light a match or smoke when working under the hood of a car. ® Be careful that metallic objects such as tools do not fall on battery terminals. This could cause sparks, leading to a batiery explosion. ® Never fean over the battery during the charging, testing or jump-starting. Make sure tires are properly inflated TIRE INFLATION pressure is by far the safety factor most drivers overlook. Yet to appreciate its im- portance, one only needs to remember that tires are the only link between the automobile and the road. Inflation pressure along with tire size are determined by the vehicle’s manufacturer in relation to the tire’s carrying capacity and the best attainable balance of fuel economy, tire life and vehicle han- dling under normal driving condi- tions. Regular inflation pressure checkups are important to max- imize safety and durability. A tire properly inflated provides proper sidewall deflection and operates at safe temperatures. However, an underinflated tire is submittec! to more flexing and ex- cessive heat which can cause premature failure, as well as in- crease tire wear and fuel consump- tion. In light of all this, tire specialists recommend the following: 1. Every driver should kaow what inflation pressure is recom- mended by its vehicle’s manufac- turer (it can be found in the vehi- cle’s owner manual and on a label located on the vehicle door). 2. Check tire pressure at least once a month and before long trips, using a reliable hand gauge. 3. Pressure should be checked only when the tire is cold (before they have been driven on). 4. Never bleed or reduce air pressure when the tires are hot (after they have been driven on); the readings obtained from your gauge will be offset as heat in- creases pressure. 5. For long periods of highway driving, the recommended infla- tion figure can be increased by 4 p.s.i. (30 kPa), but it should never exceed the maximum oressure branded on the tire sidewaii. 6. Tire pressure should be checked more frequently in winter. Cold weather causes tire inflation to drop (i.e. 1 p.s.i. (7.5 kPa) loss for every S°C of temperature drop). 7. Make sure all tire valves and extensions are equipped with caps to keep out dirt and moisture. 8. New valves should be install- ed every time a tire is replaced. Keeping these simple tips in mind and applying them on a regu- lar basis will help you receive longer life from your tires as well as providing sound and safer motoring.