To jump start a Mercedes-Benz Vito van, you will need jump leads and a working vehicle (donor vehicle) with a charged battery. The process involves connecting the batteries of the two vehicles using the jump leads to transfer power from the donor vehicle to your Vito's flat battery.
This guide provides a step-by-step process to safely jump start your Vito van.
What You Will Need
- Set of reliable jump leads (check for damage before use).
- Another vehicle with a fully charged battery (donor vehicle).
Step-by-Step Guide to Jump Starting
Follow these steps carefully to jump start your Vito van:
- Position the Vehicles: Park the donor vehicle close enough to your Vito van so the jump leads can easily reach both batteries, but ensure the vehicles are not touching.
- Turn Off Everything: Make sure the ignition is off in both vehicles. Turn off all lights, radios, heaters, and other electrical components in both vans.
- Identify Terminals: Locate the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on both batteries. The positive terminal is usually marked with a plus sign (+) and is often covered by a red cap. The negative terminal is marked with a minus sign (-) and is usually black.
- Connect Positive Leads: Take the red (positive) jump lead.
- Connect one end of the red lead to the positive terminal (+) of your Vito's battery.
- Connect the other end of the red lead to the positive terminal (+) of the donor vehicle's battery.
- Connect Negative Leads: Take the black (negative) jump lead.
- Connect one end of the black lead to the negative terminal (-) of the donor vehicle's battery.
- As the reference states, connect the other end of the black jump lead to either the negative terminal (-) of your Vito's battery or to a suitable earth point on the engine compartment, away from the battery itself. Connecting to an engine compartment point can help to avoid a short circuit.
- Always connect the jump lead for the negative terminal last.
- Start the Donor Vehicle: Start the engine of the donor vehicle and let it run for a few minutes (5-10 minutes is usually sufficient). This allows some charge to transfer to your Vito's battery.
- Attempt to Start Your Vito: With the donor vehicle's engine still running, try to start your Vito van.
- If it starts, let both engines run for a few more minutes.
- If it doesn't start after a few tries, there might be another issue. Do not continuously crank the engine.
- Disconnect the Leads: Once your Vito has started, carefully disconnect the jump leads in the reverse order of connection to avoid short circuits.
- Disconnect the black lead from your Vito (either the battery or the engine earth point).
- Disconnect the black lead from the donor vehicle's negative terminal.
- Disconnect the red lead from the donor vehicle's positive terminal.
- Disconnect the red lead from your Vito's positive terminal.
- Keep the Engine Running: Keep your Vito's engine running for at least 20-30 minutes (ideally by going for a drive) to allow the alternator to recharge the battery.
Safety Precautions
- Ensure the jump leads are in good condition.
- Never let the metal clamps of the jump leads touch each other when they are connected to a battery.
- Ensure good ventilation as batteries can produce explosive gases.
- Do not lean over the battery while connecting or disconnecting leads.
Following these steps should help you safely jump start your Mercedes-Benz Vito van.
