Portable 12v Battery Jump Starters

Since this is a Gen 4 thread, that is not an issue for us. The 12 volt battery is now under the hood / bonnet.

 

I got a GOOLOO 600A Peak 15000mA jump starter. When I tried to use it after having left the lights on for a week, which had drained battery, the jump starter managed to power on some of the electronics (radio, head beams, etc) for a minute or two. But when trying to start the engine, the parking light started flashing and the engine did not come on.

After researching this forum it seems as if the parking light flashing was caused by that booster had to little amp. I had to call road side assistance for a jump start - worked on first try. These compact jump starters seem to be boosters and not work on a completely drained battery. Has anyone had my experience with a compact lithium jump starter, when trying to use on a completely drained battery? Or might it be caused by a defective unit or operator error?

 

I think your jump starter is defective. The rated 15A is more than enough for the Prius to properly boot up. The 600 amp peak is not needed for the Prius. The traction battery starts the engine.

 

The reason I thought it might not have enough power was that a traditional jump starter worked on first attempt and this post, but maybe it does not have enough power because it is defective...

Thanks for the message - I'll send it back and hope a different unit will work better. Though I would rather not find out...

 

The Gen 2 has a 30A surge when you press the start button, I believe it's something to do with the black box full of capacitors alongside the battery. I measured this with clamp on induction ammeter on SWMBO's.

 

I'd like to get a good jump starter for my Prius, that would still work if the 12v was dead, and would also work on a regular gas car.

I haven't used one before, and am not familiar with them. Would this Icleaver 600a be a good one to get?
It appears to have better ratings than the Arteck 300a. Any and all suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks

 

the more expensive one looks really heavy duty, maybe not necessary?

 

First impression: those leads are really short.

Maybe ok if you connect directly to the negative post instead of ground (substantial bare metal, solidly connected to body or engine). It's a no-no to do this, but it's done more often than people care to admit. I always figure blow across the top of battery, to dispel any possible hydrogen lurking.

Or look for a charger with longer leads: if they cut corners on the leads, maybe they cut other corners as well??

Jump-N-Carry is a good name.

 

Here's the latest one I bought for my own use:

Over the past 3 or 4 years I've bought several, some for me, some as gifts for friends, they all run about the same price, and with similar performance. The latest one purchased I've used more for recharging my phone and tablet rather than jumping the car, although the first one I bought (see threads passim) has been used to start at least 6 different vehicles ranging from Jeep Wrangler, to Hummer H2, and only once to jump my Gen II Prius.

 

Also, if the car's own battery is really drained, don't underestimate how much current might be flowing into that. Some years ago, AHetaFan measured currents in the high tens of amps into a battery that was deeply discharged. Granted, that was at the car's normal charging voltage, which is probably higher than what a Li jump pack puts out, but that could still be where some substantial current is going.

Anyway, the quality of the connection made between the clamps and the posts can make a big difference; if the connection is flaky, the normal currents pulled by the car can pull the voltage way down at the connections.

I'm inclined to think even a pocket-sized Li boost pack will be adequate to start a Prius in just about any conditions. Mine started somebody's old beater van once, and I gave the same model to my mom who used it successfully to start her Prius in very cold weather last winter with the battery badly drained. But the basics still matter, like squodging the clamps around a bit to make sure the connection is solid.

-Chap

 

Thanks much for the feedback.
The Icleaver leads are 8 inches negative and 12 positive, which appears to be a standard length, and should be plenty of reach. I'd prefer to get one that's less expensive, but based on reliability, durability and cost, I'm tending toward getting the Icleaver charger.

 

Looks like a good one. But how often do you have to charge the charger? How does the heat affect it, being left in the car all the time...

 

Temperature affects all batteries! (it's a chemical reaction, after all! (Chemistry/Physics-101 )) One of mine is left in the car all the time, the other lives in my Grab-Bag, and so when I come indoors so does it!
Oh, and I recharge it after every use whether or not it needs it, and I think the destructions recommend charging every 6-months even if it is not being used much!

 

Thanks Wil.

 

That looks really nice. I just decided to get a battery jump starter and wanted to get it in my hands before we leave on vacation the day after tomorrow. I couldn't be sure it would have arrived in time if I ordered from Amazon since I just decided, so I wound up spending a little extra at a brick and mortar up the street. And, of course, with a greatly reduced selections. I wound up with this one because I wanted to be able to start other people's cars, too, if the need arrises.

The store where I bought it uses them, so I figure it's pretty reliable. It's overkill, but I like a little overkill.


Update to add:
The store kept the empty boxes for the more expensive chargers on the shelves and then put the contents inside the box at the cash register. When I got home, I discovered that the USB charging cable was missing. When I went back to get it I brought up the price matching they had mentioned. After buying it, I had discovered that Amazon had it for about $35 less. I said I didn't think they could go that low with their overhead but wondered what they could do. The guy looked at the Amazon page on my phone and said, "We can do that." So they put the original purchase price back on my card and re-rang it at Amazon's price. I did have to pay sales tax, but I don't mind if it helps keep local people employed. WAY better service than at the other auto parts store nearby.

 

My son and daughter have used theirs on a dodge caravan but so far not on my new Prius'. I swap batteries every 4 years so to preclude this from happening. Great insurance BTW.

 

Don't think any of them work on a dead as a doornail battery but different brands work at varying qualities. All of them have been dumbed down in quality the last 4 years. My originals work as advertised after 4 years.

 

I think they will work with a completely dead battery, basically because the battery is just along for the ride. I think. I mean: you could pretty much remove the 12 volt battery from the car, and the jump pack will still get the car started, and it'll run, as long as you don't shut down.

 

If you are talking Prius, any combination of batteries will work. I jumped mine with a group of "D" cells McGyvered together with duct tape. That's because you are only jumping off the computer to start the ICE. The ICE is started by one of the Motor/Generators powered from the traction battery. Now, if you were trying to jump a car with a standard starter motor (say a Tacoma pickup, or a Corolla), your mileage might vary.