How to Jump Start Mini Cooper?

The Mini Cooper is a small and versatile car, but its battery can eventually drain and die like any other car.

That is why you need to know how to jump start Mini Cooper, following the three methods I will explain in this article.

By the end, you will know each method in detail and can choose the one that best suits your situation.

How to Jump Start Mini Cooper

Mini Cooper

You can jump start a Mini Cooper in three ways. Two work only if your vehicle has an automatic transmission, while all three will work on a manual transmission Mini Cooper. The three ways to start a Mini Cooper are:

  • With the help of an assisting vehicle
  • With a high-capacity battery jump starter pack
  • By pushing the vehicle(manual transmission only)

In the following sections, I will take you through each method, step-by-step, so that you know exactly what to do in each situation.

Three Ways to Jump Start a Mini Cooper

The first two methods are similar and involve an additional aiding factor to successfully jump start a Mini Cooper. The third method is only possible if your Mini Cooper has a manual transmission

Jump Starting Mini Cooper with an assisting vehicle

The first way how to jump start a Mini Cooper is with the help of an assisting vehicle. The Mini Cooper will draw power (electricity) from the aiding vehicle, charging the battery to generate electricity to start the engine.

Note that for this method, you will need to have jumper cables.

To start the car using this method, follow these steps:

  1. Open the hood, and locate the battery(top right corner of the engine compartment).
  2. Remove the screws and plastic cover (if any).
  3. Connect one clamp of the red cable to the battery’s positive terminal.
  4. Connect the other clamp of the red cable to the positive terminal of the assisting vehicle’s battery.
  5. Now connect one clamp of the black cable to the negative terminal of the assisting vehicle’s battery.
  6. Connect the other clamp of the black cable to the Mini Cooper’s engine block or frame.
  7. Start the assisting car and let it run at idle RPM for a few minutes.
  8. After a few minutes, start your Mini Cooper.
  9. If it fails to start on the first try, let the assisting car run for a few more minutes and try again.
  10. When the Mini Cooper starts, let it run for a few minutes together with the assisting car, and then remove the cables in reverse order.

And yes, you can do this jump-starting process in the rain.

Jump-starting a Mini Cooper with a battery pack

The second method allows you to jump start your Mini Cooper using a high-capacity battery pack. 

Battery packs are designed to send high-current electricity to the car’s battery, giving it enough power to jump-start the engine.

Note that you must have a battery pack available for this method to work.

Here’s how to jump start Mini Cooper with a high-capacity battery pack:

  1. Open the hood and locate the battery (top-right corner of the engine compartment).
  2. Remove the screws and plastic cover (if any).
  3. Connect the red battery pack cable to the positive terminal and the black battery pack cable to the negative terminal of the Mini Cooper’s battery.
  4. Try to start the engine, but don’t crank it for more than five seconds because the battery pack may overheat and become damaged
  5. If the car doesn’t initially start, wait a few minutes and try again.
  6. Once the engine starts successfully, remove the battery pack starting with the negative terminal clamp.

Read also: Can You Use A Jump Starter While Plugged In?

Push starting a Mini Cooper (manual transmission)

The last method is to push start your Mini Cooper. Since it is a smaller and lighter vehicle, you can easily do it by yourself or with the help of another person.

Note that this method of jump-starting a Mini Cooper only works if the car has a manual transmission.

Automatic transmission vehicles have a different way of operating and can’t be push-started. Here’s how to push-start your Mini Cooper:

  1. Make sure you’re on a flat or a slightly downhill surface.
  2. Insert the key into the ignition and make sure the steering lock is not engaged.
  3. Put your Mini Cooper into neutral.
  4. Start pushing the vehicle by yourself or together with another person.
  5. Once the car gains enough speed (around 10mph/15kmph), press the clutch and put it into second gear, then quickly release the clutch and start the engine with the key.
  6. If the engine doesn’t initially start, repeat the process.
  7. Once you feel that the engine starts, press on the clutch to prevent the engine from stalling and leave the Mini Cooper to run at idle RPMs for a few moments.

Now that you understand how to jump start Mini Cooper in three possible ways, you can also use them to start more than 90% of other cars. 

Internal combustion engine vehicles operate on the same principle (unlike electric cars). You can now apply one of the methods to whichever car model you want and jump-start it successfully. Also if you want you can check a similar guide on the actual process to jump-start a Range Rover

Read also: How Long Should I Let My Car Idle to Charge Its Battery?

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About Frank Diaz

Hi everyone, my name is Frank Diaz and I am the face behind GaragestPicks. I studied Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and worked as a mechanic for over 20 years. I love working on cars and doing DIY projects around the house. I write this blog to share my knowledge and help others fix their cars with most common tools.

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