Battery Booster/Jump Start Kits

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Can anybody recommend a jump starter kit. ideally it needs to be as light /compact as possible but with enough oomph to get a Landcruiser 4.2TD turning over?

Thanks

[untakenname]

Beware of ones that have overinflated amp ratings, someone of them are way above what is possible within the reals of physics when it comes to wire gauge.

I've got this cheap one with an unbelievable peak amp rating but it spins over both a WRX and a Rotary which are notoriously difficult on the starter motors in winter.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOPVISION-2200A-Peak-Powe...

[anonymous-user]

Those little li-ion things are witchcraft, although they seem to have gone up in price now. They're all no name chinese stuff and any "brand" or version goes and quickly as it arrives though.

I have a larger one that effortlessly turned over a high compression 6 litre V12, and is the size of a large paperback book!

[V8RX7]

The cheap ones tend to die quite quickly

The Noco range are decent, several trade mates use them, not cheap though

I stick with the Clarke 4000 - cheap and effective but HEAVY

[Countdown]

Cheers all - links to online stuff would be good.

I borrowed my brother's last time - it was called a DBS9000 but I've googled and can't seem to find it. The battery was stone-cold dead and it took 3 attempts before it fired up. The pack went from 100% to 68% which, given the size of the engine (3L diesel) I thought was pretty good. The only annoying thing was the crocodile clips were quite small and a bit of a PITA to get onto the terminals.

Anyway I'll keep searching....

[Krikkit]

Some of them are US-specific models, but there's quite a few which are available over here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN8A2nIMUWA

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Krikkit said:

Some of them are US-specific models, but there's quite a few which are available over here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN8A2nIMUWA

Thanks, that was really useful (it included the dbpower unit my brother had).

Off to google Audew Jump starters

[Vocht]

I'd recommend getting one with a torch and usb port in like this. You never know when they may come in handy.

[SuperPav]

I've had a number of different ones...

The lithium ion ones (small brick ones) are brilliant. I've used mine to start everything from a Defender to a 992, and it's always good. You just need to be mindful that the cables going into it are NOT rated to the max power it can put out. If the vehicle is cranking for more than 3-5 seconds at a time, the cables will get hot ,and could catch fire, so do it in small bursts and let it cool down.

I dont actually like the 12v lead acid big packs in the post above, the biggest problem with lead acid ones (other than size and weight) is that they discharge overtime, whereas the lithium ion one can live in a glovebox for 6 months and not lose any charge.

[cornershop]

I have this one - started a 5.6 petrol twice and a 4.2 petrol once - still had 3 quarter capacity remaining.

https://www.britpart.com/all-parts/da1239

[Olivergt]

Countdown said:

Can anybody recommend a jump starter kit. ideally it needs to be as light /compact as possible but with enough oomph to get a Landcruiser 4.2TD turning over?

Thanks

OP, Apologies if you already know this but the older Landcruisers (< 98) were 24v starting and you could only connect to one of the batteries under the bonnet. I seem to remember mine had a huge big sign with instructions on one of the batteries.

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Olivergt said:

Countdown said:

Can anybody recommend a jump starter kit. ideally it needs to be as light /compact as possible but with enough oomph to get a Landcruiser 4.2TD turning over?

Thanks

OP, Apologies if you already know this but the older Landcruisers (< 98) were 24v starting and you could only connect to one of the batteries under the bonnet. I seem to remember mine had a huge big sign with instructions on one of the batteries.

Thanks for the info - i wasn't aware! To be honest it's never needed jump-starting, I only mentioned it as I am thinking I might as well get a unit that covers all the cars in the house.

[SlimJim16v]

Auto Express have comparison tests of these.

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hi all - a bit of a bump for additional comments/suggestions.

I've not brought a jump starter as Im only taking the car out once every 4/5 weeks and I simply borrow my brother's charger when i need it. It seems pointless forking out £100 for another one.

However I'm a little worried that the battery continually discharging and then being kickstarted and then recharged via a long run every 4/5 weeks isn't going to do the battery life any good and risks damaging the electronics. (Audi A6 3.0TDi fwiw)

Is there anything I can get which I can plug into the battery which maintains the charge. The garage is detached from the house and doesn't have its own power supply so it would need to be somethings elf contained.

Thanks

[GreenV8S]

Countdown said:

Is there anything I can get which I can plug into the battery which maintains the charge.
The garage is detached from the house and doesn't have its own power supply so it would need to be somethings elf contained.

You could use either another battery (which would have to be taken away and recharged from time to time) or a solar powered charger. To provide suffficient charge during the winter months it would need quite a big panel. You may find it's cheaper and easier to run a new power cable out to the garage, as well as making the garage itself more useful.