I have a set of very heavy duty jumper cables, but the problem is that their connectors are so honkin' big that it is very difficult to get a good, tight connection to the very small positive terminal under the fuse block cover. In the past I've had nothing but bum luck with jumper cables with small connectors because with small connectors have come small gauge wire which, in turn, means their no damn good as far as giving enough juice to the dead car battery is concerned. Does anyone have a recommendation about jumper cables that combine a Prius-appropriate connector with big enough cables to actually work?
Jumper cables have to fit two cars. So unless you plan to do a Prius to Prius jump, you'll probably need the large connectors. Far more important than connector or wire size would be to get a smart cable. Incorrectly connecting a Prius jumper cable blows the expensive ($100+) fuse, at best, and could take out the inverter ($$$$). A smart cable automatically adjusts to the correct polarity.
I neglected to mention that I AM jumping a Prius to a Prius. My wife and I have twin 2007s! I'm not too worried about getting the polarity wrong...red = positive and black = negative is pretty ingrained in my psyche after 45 years of driving!
An example of smart cables http://www.amazon.com/Juice-Performance-BC0880-SafeGuard-Booster/dp/B00396BD6M/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8 An example of a jump pack, so you can also help others. (never actually start another car with a Prius, even another Prius) http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-XP400-Instant-Portable-Source/dp/B004EIDD2Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
You can start the Prius with 8 D cells...why do you need a heavy gauge cable? Zip cord would probably work.
Use a jump starting pack. Forget the cables. Keep the thing charged up so when you need it, it will be ready. If you are needing to jump start, then you need a new battery. Jump starting a Prius is just putting a band aid on the problem. Sooner or later the battery is just not going to work and nothing will make it jump off. As stated above, it doesn't take much to get the Prius into ready mode. Unless you have a dead cell or a shorted cell in your battery. Then the resistance is usually too high and the jump start just won't work for you... Ron (dorunron)
In that case you can disconnect faulty battery and only connect jump starting pack and drive it like that.
Had not thought of that. If one was to do that, it would probably work best to have the jump pack attached directly to the battery terminals in the back. Having one hooked up to the jump post and driving it might not be such a great idea. But IMO a jump pack could act as a temporary power source for a shorted or missing battery. Like I said, I haven't thought of that. IIRC, you are the first to mention it here on PC. Thanks for the post/tip! Ron
You may be over-thinking this a little bit. The Prius doesn't have a starter motor. You're not "jump starting" it but rather you're booting it up. You don't need monster jumper cables for a car that you can start with a 12-v DeWalt battery. Get a cheap set of cables from a big-box store. The set that I carry in Goofy cost about $5. You can also consider one of those battery-pack gizzywhoppers that they sell in places like Amazon but they're kind of spendy and IMHO a bit of over-kill for your needs. [Broken External Image]:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51c-pe-UcJL._AA160_.jpg Good Luck!
Although I'm confident all the advice given here is well intentioned, the OP's question has never been answered. What good is a jump pack if you can't fit the clamp over the small post in the fuse box. I know exactly what the OP is talking about because the small post in the fuse box is virtually encased in plastic. Only a small cable clamp will fit in there. So whether your using another Prius, a jump pack or 8 "D" cell batteries, you still need the right clamp to hook it up. The question really remains, what is the right clamp. My suggestion is a trip to Lowes or Home Depot, buy the clamps you need and make your own jumper cables for your Prius to Prius jump. I would recommend using at least 10 gauge wire so you can use it on other cars. I'm thinking clamps like these might work best.
lots of people I REALLY, REALLY respect here giving answers. -- Such as dorunron and usnavystgc and Robh. But, my question is that while I never, ever, plan to try to jump start my car....is that I have 4 gauge cables. Actually, we have four sets of these cables -- which are super heavy-duty and each are 30-feet long. So, my thought is that there must be some sort of thing we can attach to end of the cables (in the clamps), that would allow them to be used on the Prius, if necessary. We could carry them in the Prius at all times, so if needed they would be there. My husband got these cables many years ago on the advice of a car "guy" who said that anything less than 4-gauge/30 feet are useless. And, honestly, they have been invaluable for use on various other vehicles stuck out in the wilderness.... Suggestions for "add-on" things to put on the clamps...and...I really hate thread hijackers, am I being one?
1. An unpainted metal paper clip 2. An alligator clip 3. Any small conductive object that can be clipped to the dedicated positive jumpstart terminal
Found this thread to help jump my son's 07 last night. Big jumper cable connectors are fine. There is a vertical tab next to the jumpstart terminal bolt head/nut that is electrically attached. Easy to clamp onto that. Here are some pics I found on the net
