Lithium- based jump starter/battery packs

[Zak33]

12ah might be ok on a small petrol... but on a larger diesel in winter, it'll do no use for glow plugs and cranking at over 20:1 compression.

My advice... proper jump leads if you have a second car close by.. and you can keep them in the car to help other people

or

a spare car battery in the garage that you trickle charge occassionally to keep it topped up

Lastly.,.. my experience of Li batteries in cold environment is poor. SO unless it's staying ion your HOUSE, I'd not bother.

Lithium Ion rechargeable drills for example are rubbish after a cold winter left in a van everynight.. where as NiCad dont seem to bother.

[DanceswithUnix]

I have seen modern cars fried by jump leads, hence the popularity of booster batteries. One fried car was a colleague's rather nice Alfa 156 GTA (the 3.2V6 model) which was fried by the AA man who claimed he knew what he was doing. The handbook specifically forbids jump starting on that era of Alfa!

I actually use A CTEK battery conditioner for any battery woes, but that only helps if you are stranded at home and the battery hasn't completely died. Looks like the modern version is:

http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/MXS%203.8

Nice device, you can leave a car plugged into the charger for months and it won't trash the electrolyte unlike a traditional trickle charger as it stops when the battery is full and waits for the charge to have dropped a bit before topping it back up again. It is also gentle enough to not fry your ECU so you don't have to disconnect the battery from the car.

Also, if you battery isn't salvageable, the CTEK should tell you.

[Zak33]

I've jumped loads of Alfas and I truly think the only time it kills the ECU is when someone does it wrong.

If really worried though, it's a case of keeping a spare battery as I said.

A good trickle charger is great... a truly truly slow cheap one

I use the Streetwize one from Amazon. It's sloooooow.. and it's awwwesome, it's a great £12 spend

and add that to a car battery and you're solved for years. It doersnt need trickle charging all the time.. once every month for a night is fine.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...rch_detailpage

[DanceswithUnix]

I've jumped loads of Alfas and I truly think the only time it kills the ECU is when someone does it wrong.

Is it really worth the risk though?

Those late 90's early 2000's cars seemed particularly prone to it, but basically I just don't do jump starting any more.

Besides, you are never far from the nearest Halfords and whilst I generally cringe at their products their battery range is pretty good specially the lithium tech ones. Just go buy a new battery and fit that.

[Zak33]

but there's often nowt wrong with the battery... and it's just had lights left on or 20+ short journeys with all the electrics running

with no need to buy a battery.. (as it too would be flat if it had those things) and no time to genuinely trickle charge it... jumping is ideal.


Well for me it is anyway

[peterb]

I have seen modern cars fried by jump leads, hence the popularity of booster batteries. One fried car was a colleague's rather nice Alfa 156 GTA (the 3.2V6 model) which was fried by the AA man who claimed he knew what he was doing. The handbook specifically forbids jump starting on that era of Alfa!

I actually use A CTEK battery conditioner for any battery woes, but that only helps if you are stranded at home and the battery hasn't completely died. Looks like the modern version is:

http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/MXS%203.8

Nice device, you can leave a car plugged into the charger for months and it won't trash the electrolyte unlike a traditional trickle charger as it stops when the battery is full and waits for the charge to have dropped a bit before topping it back up again. It is also gentle enough to not fry your ECU so you don't have to disconnect the battery from the car.

Also, if you battery isn't salvageable, the CTEK should tell you.

I use one of those. The battery is in the boot of the car and I have the connector permanently wired into the terminals. Apart from the primary purpose of conditioning the battery, its also a good way of powering other relatively low current devices with using the internal accessory (aka cigarette lighter) socket.

[DanceswithUnix]

but there's often nowt wrong with the battery... and it's just had lights left on or 20+ short journeys with all the electrics running

with no need to buy a battery.. (as it too would be flat if it had those things) and no time to genuinely trickle charge it... jumping is ideal.


Well for me it is anyway

If a lead acid battery has been fully discharged, it is badly damaged. At best a sulphate layer grows across the lead plates and at worst crystals of sulphate bridge from one plate to another shorting them out. That leads to reduced capacity and/or voltage. Modern cars are pretty brilliant at starting, so you might get away with it despite a wonky battery, but don't be fooled into thinking there is no problem.

[Zak33]

gotta disagree totally.

I've worked on forecourts with 120+ used cars.. some go flat. totally flat. Boot open every day, boot light nor removed.

A trickle charge brings them back totally.

I've jumped used cars that wouldn't even make the central locking work and left them to run for the morning at about 2k and they're then fine. I know they're fine cos I sold them and met the owners many times over.

Healthy car batteries that have run flat from a proper long term drain don't die. They come back.

Old batteries.. totally different thing. My wifes 2.2 Honda needed a battery. No trickle charging would fix it. It was old.