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Ford Mustang GT 1996-2004: How to Jump Start Battery

If you've every been stranded from a dead battery, here's what you need to know.

By Charlie Gaston - September 23, 2015

This article applies to the Ford Mustang GT (1996-2004).

Whether your car has been sitting in the garage for a long period of time or you left the headlights on, the battery might have no power left, meaning your car might not start. So unless you're a member of AAA or you'd rather avoid the cost of having a tow truck come and save you, here's what you need to know about jumping your Mustang's dead battery.

Materials Needed

  • Jumper/booster cables
  • A donor car, battery booster pack, or battery charger

Step 1 – Open hood and connect jumper cables

The battery in your Ford Mustang is located on the passenger's side corner of the engine bay.

  • After opening the hood of your car, connect the positive lead (red cable) of the jumper cable to the positive terminal of your car's battery.
  • Then connect the negative lead (black cable) to any metal part of the chassis. Make sure the leads are separated to avoid shorting.
  • Open the hood of the donor car and connect the other positive lead (red cable) of the jumper cable to the positive terminal of the car's battery.
  • Then connect the remaining negative lead (black cable) to any metal part of the car's chassis. Again, make sure the leads cannot come into contact with one another.
Figure 1. Connect red lead to the positive terminal and black lead to the chassis.

Step 2 – Start the car

  • Start the engine of the donor car and let it run for 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Then attempt to crank your car's engine.
  • If your car does not start on the first attempt, wait another 60 seconds before trying again.

Pro Tips

  • It's recommended that you check your car's fuses, including the fuel pump fuse. They might be blown and need to be replaced.
  • Also, if the amperage on your battery fluctuates, check that the battery is properly grounded.

Step 3 – Disconnect the jumper cables

  • After you have successfully started your car, keep the engine running and disconnect the jumper cables in reverse order to connecting them.
  • Disconnect the negative lead (black cable) from the donor car's chassis.
  • Disconnect the positive lead (red cable) from the donor car's battery.
  • Disconnect the negative lead (black cable) from your car's chassis.
  • Lastly, disconnect the positive lead (red cable) from your car's battery.

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