Watch Where You Jump – Dead Car Batteries
June 28, 2008 8:33 am Consumer, General Interest, How To Auto Repair, jump-n-carry
Recently my brother had a dead battery, so I took my jump box to his house to jump start his car. It’s funny how some things are second nature when you’ve done it a thousand times. He had already tried using his new bargain booster box that he had just bought at a local parts store. The less expensive jump boxes usually only have continuity on one jaw of the cable clamp.
The better quality jump boxes, like the JNC4000 or JNC 660 have power on both sides of the jaws. When there is power on both sides of the jumper clamps it makes it much easier to get a good connection when jump starting a car. Anyways, my brother properly attached the red battery jumper clamp, from my jump box to the positive side of the battery first. And he knew not to clamp the black jumper lead (from the booster box) directly to the battery’s negative terminal, because a small spark from connecting it there could ignite the vapors from the car battery and cause it to explode. But he made the mistake of hooking the black negative cable from the jump box to a bolt that held a small ground cable to the body of the car. This can force the small gauge body ground straps to carry excessive amps and possibly cause a melt down.
It’s always better to find a good size bolt head on the engine to connect the negative jumper cable to. For more detailed instructions and warnings see Jump-n-Carry’s pdf instruction manual. A foot note, my brother now knows the right way to jump start his car….and not to leave the dome light on all night.
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Auto Mechanic Howard :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 3:48 am
Good auto tool blog. It’s surprising how many people don’t know the proper way to jump start a car. If you’ve ever been near a battery explosion, you are more likely to be more cautious and think about creating a spark near the battery and possibly igniting the gases coming from it. I was working in a shop when a battery blew up, it sounded like a shot gun. Luckily the auto mechanic load testing the battery was wearing his safety glasses. Battery acid was everywhere, but it could have been much worse.
dennisb :
Date: December 14, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
dennisb - Auto Tool Sales :
Date: December 14, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Choosing a jump box is similar to choosing a car battery, you usually get what you pay for. Our most popular jump boxes for normal automotive use are the Jump-n-Carry JNC660, the JNC4000 and the Don Schumacher PSJ-2212. I personally like the 2212 booster because it has voltage readings right on the unit, so you can see if the car’s alternator is working after the vehicle is jumped. The 2212 jump box also has an on/off switch that can be turned on after the jump connection is made. This can help prevent causing a spark that could ignite fumes from a battery in the car. Also the 2212 can be kept on charge without worrying about over-charging the unit’s internal battery. Most jump boxes can be over charged decreasing the life of the unit, but not the PSJ2212.
John :
Date: December 15, 2008 @ 7:53 am
Great, Thanks for the quick and helpful response. I read your links you provided. Now here’s the particulars. 1996 Jeep Gr Cherokee I-6 (hunting vehicle) I need to carry it with me all the time as I travel and park offroad while hunting. Still recommend the 2212 or another (size/cca)?
dennisb on Choosing a Jump Box :
Date: December 15, 2008 @ 7:54 am
John,
I could steer you toward a more expensive jump box, but if I was buying a jump box today it would be the PSJ2212. I’ve sold these to used car lot owners that use them daily and I like the extra features that I mentioned before. Whichever jump box you decide on, remember we have free shipping at $99 and up and there’s no sales tax charged outside the state of Florida.