2017 XC60 - Jump starting
 

Hello
My car's battery is dead from not having had much use over the past few months. Have been trying to find how to jump start and I am struggling to understand where the earthing point is. Tried to connect the negative terminal from the jumper cable to a screw head which promptly started sparking. So, had to remove it.

Can someone please help and let me know where I should find a suitable earthing point.

Many thanks

Regards

There’s a bolt head identified in the instruction manual but it’s tiny, as you’ve noticed. I clamped the jump lead on the biggest bit of metal I could see in the engine bay which worked fine.

If you have another car instead of a battery pack I’d recommend giving the battery a decent top-up for ten minutes at 1500-2000rpm before attempting the start to minimise the current flow from the donor battery.

If the positive lead was already connected, this is normal.
If not, it is really weird.

As Gaby has said a spark when connecting the negative lead is normal (after positive lead has been connected), that is why you connect the positive lead first at the battery and then to the earth point which is placed away from the battery and any potential hydrogen gas from the battery.

Best method is:

Positive of dead car to red croc clip. Then positive of live car to red croc clip of other end of red lead.

Then (being careful not to touch either car with your body) negative of dead car to black croc clip, then finally negative of live car to other end of black lead.

If your dead car is all switched off then it shouldn't spark too much. I tend to leave the live car running during the process.

Also I always used to rev to 2000 rpm, but have recently read that most modern cars have smart alternators which are demand driven rather than revs driven (ie they engage and disengage with demand) so there is no point in reving the engjne.

Unless you need to jump it leaving it on charge over night is better, there is an earth strap on the opposite side under the steering wheel on a rh drive that I use

No one seems to have mentioned Volvo Assistance.
Surely, if one has a problem, which you are having difficulty fixing yourself, then just call them.

tem.

I use a jump starter pack, so just connect red lead to positive and then the black lead the the earthing point, then leave for a few minutes before starting the car.

It can be remembered as:
From Red to dead, then back to Black.