Battery car jump starter

[Shnozz]

I want to buy a portable car jump starter. Amazon have a plethora of them ranging from about 10k mAh up to 20k or so. In the descriptions they talk of 12k being enough for "up to 4.0L" and the 18k ones "up to 7.5L" etc. How realistic is this? I will need it for a 4.3L and a 6L - will the 18k mAh ones be sufficient as they say? Or is it ambitious in their advertising? Any links to what people have bought and been happy with then I am all ears.

[Chris Bongo]

I had the Arteck one for my 2.5TD Bongo (really easy to start due to their light flywheel) and it never let me down starting cars.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Starter-External...



I bought mine in June 2017 and it was supposed to have a 2 year warranty, I came to check it before Christmas and the power switch seemed to have become faulty. Contacted them and they sent me a brand new battery.

It looks like the design has changed (mine is Red/Black and not as rugged as that one).

[The Dictator]

I have been looking at the exact same issue. I have a 1981 Mercedes 500 SEL and don't use it when there is salt on the roads, so I have recently had to charge the battery up a couple of times and it is a bit painful.

I would like to have something to hand that I can rely on to get me out of a jam there and then, not have to plug it in and wait until the next day.

I have trawled Amazon and it does seem like a bit of a lottery. Thanks to the above poster for their suggestion, I don't think I had seen that one, the reviews look good, albeit there are only a few of them.

[CABC]

i have same question, but the reviews are flawed on this.
posts praising the product when only used soon after purchase aren't that useful.
real questions are:
- how long can i keep the pack in the car, in all temps, and still expect it to work?
- after how many years will it say "fully charged", but like all lithium batteries actually be near dead

i have a few DBPower models that have worked well. they're now 4 yrs old and i recharge them every 3 months (test light always gives a higher reading than when i plug in to charge). my guess would that bigger is better to be there for you when you actually need it. 18,000mah. go with a brand of some sort in the hope that the components might still work in 2 yrs on a dark night.

[Andy665]

I have had a couple of RAV Power ones and noth have failed after a couple of years.

After a lot of research just bought a Tacklife T8 - never heard of the brand before but very impressed with the quality - looks and feels more solid than the Noco ones that seem to be getting advertised everywhere

[p4cks]

The Dictator said:

I have been looking at the exact same issue. I have a 1981 Mercedes 500 SEL and don't use it when there is salt on the roads, so I have recently had to charge the battery up a couple of times and it is a bit painful.

I would like to have something to hand that I can rely on to get me out of a jam there and then, not have to plug it in and wait until the next day.

I have trawled Amazon and it does seem like a bit of a lottery. Thanks to the above poster for their suggestion, I don't think I had seen that one, the reviews look good, albeit there are only a few of them.

Have you considered a CTEK battery conditioner or the like? I've one on each of my other cars as they're seldom used and means I don't have to jump start them each time I use them, and obviously keeps the battery in good order as they don't like to be allowed to go flat then charged

[Olas]

An isolator switch and trickle charger suit this usage pattern

[CABC]

p4cks said:

Have you considered a CTEK battery conditioner or the like? I've one on each of my other cars as they're seldom used and means I don't have to jump start them each time I use them, and obviously keeps the battery in good order as they don't like to be allowed to go flat then charged

ctek can mask a failed battery though. i had a battery fail after it stood outside in mild weather for 24hrs. up to that point it had always been on a conditioner and driven regularly. battery was a few years old and i know it had been flattened at the dealer before purchased it. the conditioner itself has subsequently worked well on the replacement battery, keeping car alive for many weeks where i know this car would drain a battery.

[Shnozz]

Olas said:

An isolator switch and trickle charger suit this usage pattern

I don’t have an electricity in the car park where the vehicle is kept. A solar charger can cope in summer months if I am away a month but in winter it can’t.

Thanks to the suggestions so far.

[The Dictator]

p4cks said:

The Dictator said:

I have been looking at the exact same issue. I have a 1981 Mercedes 500 SEL and don't use it when there is salt on the roads, so I have recently had to charge the battery up a couple of times and it is a bit painful.

I would like to have something to hand that I can rely on to get me out of a jam there and then, not have to plug it in and wait until the next day.

I have trawled Amazon and it does seem like a bit of a lottery. Thanks to the above poster for their suggestion, I don't think I had seen that one, the reviews look good, albeit there are only a few of them.

Have you considered a CTEK battery conditioner or the like? I've one on each of my other cars as they're seldom used and means I don't have to jump start them each time I use them, and obviously keeps the battery in good order as they don't like to be allowed to go flat then charged

Indeed, I have a CTEK MXS 5.0 and 2.5m extension cord sitting in my Amazon "saved for later" list. I think you're right and it may well be the better bet, particularly as they are a well respected brand.

I am currently using a battery charger, but a cheap one "borrowed" from my FIL. I think the conditioning aspect sounds good. My car is parked on the drive and I have a power cable running from the shed in through the slightly open window (I have wind deflectors allowing me to do this without the rain getting in)

In fact sod it I am off to move it from "saved for later" into my basket :-)

[Sheepshanks]

Shnozz said:

I want to buy a portable car jump starter. Amazon have a plethora of them ranging from about 10k mAh up to 20k or so. In the descriptions they talk of 12k being enough for "up to 4.0L" and the 18k ones "up to 7.5L" etc. How realistic is this? I will need it for a 4.3L and a 6L - will the 18k mAh ones be sufficient as they say? Or is it ambitious in their advertising?

I wondered what the cc of the engine had to so with anything - seems a bit of a random way of estimating their capability.

Reading the reviews is a nightmare of contradictory results, but apparently it's important to connect them properly and faithfully follow the instructions.

[Shnozz]

Sheepshanks said:

Shnozz said:

I want to buy a portable car jump starter. Amazon have a plethora of them ranging from about 10k mAh up to 20k or so. In the descriptions they talk of 12k being enough for "up to 4.0L" and the 18k ones "up to 7.5L" etc. How realistic is this? I will need it for a 4.3L and a 6L - will the 18k mAh ones be sufficient as they say? Or is it ambitious in their advertising?

I wondered what the cc of the engine had to so with anything - seems a bit of a random way of estimating their capability.

Reading the reviews is a nightmare of contradictory results, but apparently it's important to connect them properly and faithfully follow the instructions.

I guess its probably just the easiest gauge of the battery size needed to turn over the larger capacity engines. But I agree, all of it seems random, the reviews included! Hence the post on here seeking PH recommendations.

[Semmelweiss]

I have a car with the same engine. 500SL (R107).

It sat outside for 3 years. Bought one of these and it starts it, no problems.

TENKER 600A 14000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter, Emergency Battery Booster Pack, Power Bank with Dual USB Charging Outputs, LED Flashlight and LCD Screen https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0753FDKVH/ref=cm_sw_r...

[kambites]

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07K3SJHYQ/ref...

Haven't tried it on anything bigger than our Octavia (2.0 TFSI) but it starts that fine, although it cranks it far slower than the car's own battery would. I don't think it would cope with an engine with much more resistance to turning.

I think the important figure is the current not the capacity. Look at the maximum current draw of your alternator(s) and pick a jump starter to suit.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 30th January 19:00