Battery Jumpers

**Bert Kemp** · 10-17-2021, 8:36 PM

I've had to use mine a few times when I left thr lights on and it always started the car, but it would not start a friends boat .any ideas why? does a boat take more power or something?

**Lee DeRaud** · 10-17-2021, 8:57 PM

Originally Posted by Bert Kemp

I've had to use mine a few times when I left thr lights on and it always started the car, but it would not start a friends boat .any ideas why? does a boat take more power or something?

What type of motor?

I've never tried one on an old-school engine, i.e. one with mechanical fuel pump, carburetor, and standard ignition. I suspect those need more from the battery/starter than what we consider standard in today's engines.

**Bert Kemp** · 10-18-2021, 12:40 AM

Originally Posted by Lee DeRaud

What type of motor?

I've never tried one on an old-school engine, i.e. one with mechanical fuel pump, carburetor, and standard ignition. I suspect those need more from the battery/starter than what we consider standard in today's engines.

50 HP outboard

**Ole Anderson** · 10-18-2021, 8:41 AM

As with most jumpers, you will have better luck if you attach the jumpers (or jump pack) and give it a minute to dump some juice into the vehicle's battery before engaging the starter.

**Perry Hilbert Jr** · 10-18-2021, 9:01 AM

20 years ago, I was given a cheapo Kmart special jumper unit. Weighed about 15 pounds. Sure did the trick around the farm with all the different equipment, trucks, tractors and batteries. It just died about 7 years ago. Got another better model, don't recall what brand, but I could charge/operate cell phones and operate the 12 volt TV we had during outages. Right nor we have mostly new vehicles and so I no longer have one. Have a couple trickle chargers I use on the equipment to keep the batteries up, especially when a winter storm is expected. My back hoe/loader is the one that is the most trouble to start in the cold.and of course it is the most powerful and efficient at clearing the 982ft driveway. (Sometimes takes longer to start than the 15 minutes for the machine to clear the driveway.)

**Curt Harms** · 10-18-2021, 9:10 AM

Originally Posted by Jim Koepke

The way around this is to take care of your vehicle and be aware of signs of an old or weak battery. If you leave your lights on when turning off the engine and the lights go dim, your battery is close to failure. There are other signs if you are good at trouble shooting with a voltage meter.

It is also wise to make sure the battery is kept clean. Someone once gave me a demonstration by placing a couple of quarters on top of my battery and then touching the probes of a volt meter to the quarters. It indicated the dirt on the top of the battery was conducting electricity and draining my battery 24/7.

Decent jumper cables are usually easy to tell by the quality of their build and making sure they are made with an adequate size wire. The clamps/clips at the ends should be able to connect to top mounted or side mounted battery terminals.

jtk

I noticed some corrosion on a battery terminal and made up a solution of baking soda and water. The solution and a brush cleaned up the terminal. I then dumped what was left of the baking soda solution on the top of the battery. The whole top surface began to fizz so yeah. Cigarette lighter - USB adapters are common. Some of them include voltmeters. If the voltmeter doesn't show about 13.5 volts or more with the engine running I'd wonder about the charging. If the volts are less than 12 with the engine being off for a couple hours I'd consider a new battery before winter. Seems like a useful gadget for a few bucks.

**John K Jordan** · 10-19-2021, 1:12 PM

Originally Posted by Curt Harms

I noticed some corrosion on a battery terminal and made up a solution of baking soda and water. The solution and a brush cleaned up the terminal. ...

How I eliminate corrosion of battery terminals: Clean terminals and connectors well. Coat the connecting surfaces with dielectric grease. Tighten firmly. Cover the entire terminal and connector (and wire ends) with a thick coating of heavy grease. No corrosion, ever.

**Mark Rainey** · 10-19-2021, 6:12 PM

The jump starters are rated on Consumer Reports, FWIW. Noco gets knocked...Antigravity, Bolt, Spirit, New Brights and Powerall recommended.

**Wade Lippman** · 10-19-2021, 6:49 PM

Originally Posted by John K Jordan

I have several and have used them often over the years. Those I have are large and heavy, with built-in inverters for 110v, one with an air compressor.
But I wouldn't be without good jumper cables. While the battery jump starters work fine for the most part I need way more power to jump start my skid steer with a diesel engine.

One thing I WON'T ever do again is buy one of those tiny units like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084ZPSG5N
I don't know if they lie about the capability, if the one I bought was not up to par, or if my expectations were too high but even after a fresh full charge it wouldn't start a car here.

JKJ

I gave my son one like this. He used it to start his FIL's car. So... I know they can work.

**John Terefenko** · 10-19-2021, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Mark Rainey

The jump starters are rated on Consumer Reports, FWIW. Noco gets knocked...Antigravity, Bolt, Spirit, New Brights and Powerall recommended.

Why is the Noco not rated high? You said antigravity, what does that mean?? What makes it different?

**Mark Rainey** · 10-20-2021, 10:50 AM

John, Consumer Reports rates the jump packs in 3 areas: warm temp jumps, cold temp jumps & reserve capacity which estimates how long the jump pack can be used to power other electrical equipment such as cell phones & laptops. The Noco was fair in cold jumps, & poor in reserve capacity. The antigravity jump pack was better in cold jump & reserve. All jump packs were poor at 0 degrees when the car battery and jump pack were at that temperature. The jump pack had to be warmed up to perform.

**Edward Weber** · 10-20-2021, 11:13 AM

I had to use my Bolt unit yesterday to start my tractor, saved a lot of hassle.
On the unit I have, you connect it, press the button and wait until it tells you it's ready to start. I find it works well.
Now I have to shop for a new battery.

**Jim Koepke** · 10-20-2021, 7:33 PM

I noticed some corrosion on a battery terminal and made up a solution of baking soda and water. The solution and a brush cleaned up the terminal. I then dumped what was left of the baking soda solution on the top of the battery. The whole top surface began to fizz so yeah.

People in my past have killed a car battery that way. It depends on the caps on cell covers. if the baking soda gets to the acid in the battery it can neutralize it. Mixing alkali and acid solutions can make a lot fizz.

jtk

**Curt Harms** · 10-21-2021, 9:05 AM

Originally Posted by Jim Koepke

People in my past have killed a car battery that way. It depends on the tips of cell covers. if the baking soda gets to the acid in the battery it can neutralize it. Mixing alkali and acid solutions can make a lot fizz.

jtk

So far so good. The battery is supposed to be sealed, there is no way to service it. Why is there an acidic deposit on the top? I presume there's some sort of vent. Is that where whatever the baking soda reacted with came from?

**Jim Koepke** · 10-21-2021, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by Curt Harms

So far so good. The battery is supposed to be sealed, there is no way to service it. Why is there an acidic deposit on the top? I presume there's some sort of vent. Is that where whatever the baking soda reacted with came from?

It may have reacted to something else. A lead/acid battery can outgas hydrogen and other contents as it charges. A sealed battery contains or is supposed to contain this. Older batteries had to be topped off occasionally. In olden days the guys pumping your gas would often check one or more of the battery's cells while looking under the hood.

jtk

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