Funny acting battery jump starter...

softdown

You know those jump starter you see in automotive sections for about $60-90? They work great....for about two years.

Mine is now three years old and reads 11.2 volts. Yet says it is fully charged when using the built in ac charger. I am charging it with a charger now. The charging light is flashing on and off. The charging needle is bouncing back and forth. 

I am sure it is shot. Just wondering what would cause such a condition. 


Just venting now...probably don't want to read this:

Three cars malfunctioned in a nine days. Ruptured axle housing on truck.....there is a good reason for getting heavy duty trucks vs 1/2 ton trucks. My washboard roads killed it when carrying a couple heavy loads. Ouch. Expensive too. 

Gas line ruptured right above fuel tank on Jeep when very remote. Good thing I looked under the Jeep before the hike or I faced an approx. 25 mile hike with three dogs and a stretch of highway. Decent sized chore due to dropping fuel tank. Ouch. 

Insured minivan after long sit. The drivers window collapsed when I activated the electric window. Learning how to remove window tint and install new window regulators. Ouch.

These are the small problems. Don't get me started on the ones that are 1000 times larger. Think I need a good hour of therapy.

706jim

softdown said:

I am sure it is shot. Just wondering what would cause such a condition. 


A GM electric car once said: "There are liars, damned liars and battery suppliers".

softdown

706jim said:

softdown said:

I am sure it is shot. Just wondering what would cause such a condition. 


A GM electric car once said: "There are liars, damned liars and battery suppliers".

After over 120 years of using lead acid batteries, they still seem a bit mysterious. I placed a 2007 marine battery in my truck with a 488 last week. It is working great. It spent its life sitting in the battery bay of an unused sailboat close to San Fransisco. Had about 5 volts in a 12 volt battery. 

I "experiment" with lead acid batteries. Not as a real scientist, more out of curiosity. Batteries are weird. Sometimes fragile, sometimes not. 

littleharbor2

Those jumper boxes need a freshening charge every month or two. I had a couple cheaper ones not last, mostly due to neglect. The latest one from Costco has worked well for about 3 or 4 years now. It has an air compressor built in and gets used more often than if it were just a jumper.

softdown

An hour of trying to charge...with bouncing meters and light. Voltage dropped from 11.2 to about 10. Toast.

Is it possible to change the battery in these things?

pdh

> Is it possible to change the battery in these things?

I have a JNC 300XL and the user manual says, "The jump starter battery may be removed by unscrewing the perimeter screws on the back cover. Disconnect the wires from the battery terminals. Note the position of the battery and wire locations."

I'm going to guess that not all of them are this user-serviceable -- check your user guide and see what it says.

softdown

pdh said:

> Is it possible to change the battery in these things?

I have a JNC 300XL and the user manual says, "The jump starter battery may be removed by unscrewing the perimeter screws on the back cover. Disconnect the wires from the battery terminals. Note the position of the battery and wire locations."

I'm going to guess that not all of them are this user-serviceable -- check your user guide and see what it says.

Contacted them and received this:  "We haven’t found it economical to replace batteries in the units, but if it is something you are pursuing, PowerStation recommends you find a technician to help with replacing any parts in the unit.  Batteries and Bulbs, or Batteries Plus are companies that may have technicians to assist."

I wonder if the newer and very small lithium battery jump starters would last very long. They *should* do much better.

westbranch

I bought a NoCo(Li) battery booster , the 1000Amps model for my quads to eake out another summer of use on the existing batteries... definitely need replacement as they just click the solenoid when the temp dips to freezing...they do make a 2000A model too at almost 2 x the price of the 1000... great little unit that can sit for a long time before needing to be recharged.

Estragon

Unfortunately, I'll probably find out mine is bad at about the worst possible time; when I'm trying to start my only means of transportation in the dark when it's -40.

My guess is they fail prematurely if charged below 0°C, or if kept on a float charge.

I thought by now, if we kept a few di-lithium crystals handy, we'd be okay, but I guess not.