Battery Jumpstart

[easysurfer]

I had a chance to use my battery jumpstarter today:

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-J309-300-Jump-Starter/dp/B001U04NCA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1318974438&sr=8-4

I tried using my friend's car but the battery was totally dead. The jump starter jumped the car and started it with no problem at all.

I thought the battery needed replacing (still the original). So I brought the car over the Autozone (I remembered this time to AVOID Wally World). But to my surprise, they said, the battery still looks good. The instrument they used to check the battery is cool (he just conneced it to the terminals and is showed the battery was good and had a 75% charge --- I had just jumped it from being dead). He said, just drive the car around a bit to charge it up.

I bet if I brought the car to Walmart, they probably would have sold me a new battery.

I think perhaps an interior light was accidently left on (car wasn't driven in days) and that totally drained the battery.

 

[W2R]

Wonderful!

We love having a jumpstarter and found ours worked beautifully, too.

I love Autozone. Once when I needed a battery, they sold me one and it lasted a long time. After a 6-7 years people at work told me I should get a new one, because batteries just don't last that long down here in the heat. So I had Autozone test it, and they said it was fine. It was.

 

[TromboneAl]

I'm not clear on why jump starting from a friend's car didn't work. Did you have the friend rev his engine, or at least run it above an idling speed?

 

[easysurfer]

I'm not clear on why jump starting from a friend's car didn't work. Did you have the friend rev his engine, or at least run it above an idling speed?

No. Maybe my post wasn't clear.

I was about to drive my friend's car but the car didn't work, so I used my battery jump starter to jump my friend's car battery. I didn't attempt to use jumper cables to jumpstart one vehicle with another.

Having used a self-contained battery jumper, I don't ever want to use booster cables from vehicle to vehicle again. IMO, it's just so much easier and worth the extra weight in the car and time remembering to recharge it.

 

[donheff]

I have run into totally dead batteries that don't seem amenable to jump starting. You need to charge them a bit first.

 

[travelover]

I have run into totally dead batteries that don't seem amenable to jump starting. You need to charge them a bit first.

DW's Taurus battery died like that, suddenly. AAA couldn't jump it nor could my car or my jumper pack. A new battery did the trick. Maybe an internal short?

 

[easysurfer]

While jumping the car battery, the longest time was spent when I found myself saying "Where's the metal?" to use as ground.

Too many things are made in plastic these days.

I finally did find an area to clip onto that was metal.

 

[pb4uski]

While jumping the car battery, the longest time was spent when I found myself saying "Where's the metal?" to use as ground.

Too many things are made in plastic these days.

I finally did find an area to clip onto that was metal.

While I know it is not recommended, I still use the negative terminal (red to red, black to black, like my father taught me). Haven't blown myself up yet.

 

[easysurfer]

While I know it is not recommended, I still use the negative terminal (red to red, black to black, like my father taught me). Haven't blown myself up yet.

I'm curious, what is the advantage of black to black, besides just being easier to remember?

Of course the possible disadvantage is a spark, and Kaboom!

 

[FreeAtLast]

I thought the battery needed replacing (still the original). So I brought the car over the Autozone (I remembered this time to AVOID Wally World). But to my surprise, they said, the battery still looks good.

I had a battery problem years ago and I was told by the mechanic at the gas station that the battery test was fine. I told him to replace it anyway as I had a long commute and did not want problems. When he pulled the battery out he noticed a crack in the bottom.

 

[easysurfer]

I had a battery problem years ago and I was told by the mechanic at the gas station that the battery test was fine. I told him to replace it anyway as I had a long commute and did not want problems. When he pulled the battery out he noticed a crack in the bottom.

I still wouldn't be surprised if not long the battery needs replacing. It is the orginal and a 2006 car, so the 5 year mark. But for now, I'll take the chance. Also, I do think maybe an interior light was left on that did the draining for several days in a row.

 

[donheff]

I'm curious, what is the advantage of black to black, besides just being easier to remember?

Not sure what you are asking but if you are asking what would happen if you ran the cables red to red (both of which are grounded on their respective vehicle) and then connected the black cable to a metal part of each car you would not have a circuit. That would be identical to connecting both cables to the red terminal on both cars.

Of course the possible disadvantage is a spark, and Kaboom!

I understand the danger (hydrogen gas) but what is the likelihood of this actually occurring? I would expect it must be vanishingly small.

 

[easysurfer]

Not sure what you are asking but if you are asking what would happen if you ran the cables red to red (both of which are grounded on their respective vehicle) and then connected the black cable to a metal part of each car you would not have a circuit. That would be identical to connecting both cables to the red terminal on both cars.

I understand the danger (hydrogen gas) but what is the likelihood of this actually occurring? I would expect it must be vanishingly small.

Pb4uski mentioned that he still connects the negative to negative (black to black) lke the way his father taught him. So, my question is, does black to black make the process jump better? I wouldn't think so. Therefore, why take the risk? Yes, the likelihood is small, buy why take the risk of an explosion if you don't have to? Connecting to a ground really isn't much more trouble (once you find a darn metal place to connect to ) than black to black.

 

[travelover]

..........
I understand the danger (hydrogen gas) but what is the likelihood of this actually occurring? I would expect it must be vanishingly small.

I think it depends on how recently the battery was charged or discharged - that is when the hydrogen is produced. I know of two cases where a battery exploded and both were after being charged on a battery charger.