I want to start carrying one with me when I travel.
What size do I need?
Do you have one you like and can recommend?
What size do I need?
Do you have one you like and can recommend?
What size portable jump starter?
mule
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Bumping this to explore work-arounds for the short cables on portable jump starters. The OP @mule said he found a reachable ground spot but I couldn't.
Looking for feedback on my idea - put a grounding strap, say 8-10" long (copper), on the official ground stud under the hood hinge.
It could either stay there all the time or I could carry a wingnut and keep the strap in the van somewhere. FWIW it's a 6mm bolt and sticks out 5/8 in.
It seems so simple but I hope I'm not missing something having to do with safety.
Looking for feedback on my idea - put a grounding strap, say 8-10" long (copper), on the official ground stud under the hood hinge.
It could either stay there all the time or I could carry a wingnut and keep the strap in the van somewhere. FWIW it's a 6mm bolt and sticks out 5/8 in.
It seems so simple but I hope I'm not missing something having to do with safety.
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That's a good idea. I'd just put both ends on the ground stud, the outer held with a wingnut. The engine block has some lifting points, or threaded holes for attaching lifting points, maybe that's an easier connection point for the jumper cables.
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Dumb question probably, but is it ok to ground to the engine block?
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The vice grip solution - winner idea! Simple and works. Assuming, of course, one has vice grips handy. We have an old pair that will fit in the bag with the JS. The valve cover stud is a good Plan B. I played around with a copper strap but it was going to eventually rub or rattle the hood latch cable. Thanks to forum members, as always! Will take this item off my list. Onward to shore power.
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Chiming in late on the earlier discussion about how much of an "American" company NOCO Company is. They are actually an old line American company. Privately held and been around over 100 years. Still owned and run by the Nook family. Started and still headquartered in Cleveland area. Their original product was a battery corrosion protection compound. The still make this type of product IN THE GOOD OL' USA! LinkedIn shows they have 126 employees in the US. The have a R&D faculty in Arizona and they hire quite a lot from AZ State. I know a kid who studies design at AZ State that works part time for them. I hear he likes it there. (should see if he can get me a discount) Of course the consumer electronics are made in Asia (HK), that's just economic reality. But I'd say they are about as American a company as you will find today. They recently expanded into the Glycol business through an acquisition.
Speaking of design - original packaging and current logo.
![148726]( "148726")
![148727]( "148727")
NOCO - About Us
The NOCO Company
LinkedIn Login, Sign in | LinkedIn
A Northeast Glycol Company
Speaking of design - original packaging and current logo.
NOCO - About Us
The NOCO Company
LinkedIn Login, Sign in | LinkedIn
A Northeast Glycol Company
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It's all connected. Chassis might be more direct to the battery, but for the purposes of jumpstarting it's all the same. Just make sure you're clamping to a big hunk of something, not a little bolt or strip of sheetmetal.
I bought the big NOCO GB150 on Amazon Prime Day when it had a 30% discount - discounted from $299 to $209. I'm pretty sure that that was the best price of the year. Some thoughts/notes:
1) The GB150 has longer cables which easily solves the cable length issue.
2) Both the GB70 and GB150 have the 12 volt output socket, which the smaller versions do not have. So they are a bit more versatile as a charging station or running a 12 volt device for a short length of time. (For example, I have a 12 volt submersible pump for my water station which is on the opposite side of the van from my Goal Zero battery, so I have to run a cable across the van, but I could probably just run that pump off the GB150).
3) I've used it several times on small and large engines - don't know the size of the large engine, but it was in a class A motor home - works like magic!
4) Bear in mind that there is a difference between jump starting a battery that is partially depleted versus completely depleted. I originally bought a Rezervo ultra-capacitor device. The first time that I tried to use it was after the trunk was left open overnight on a Honda Accord and the battery was discharged down to something like 8-10 volts (don't remember the exact number, don't hold me to it). In any case, the Rezervo would not start the vehicle.
5) All of these devices have a by-pass function for batteries whose SOC is below some threshold, whereby you bypass the reverse polarity safety feature and it somehow gives an additional boost to the battery, but you have to be careful to not reverse your cables. In the case of the Rezervo above, that still did not work on the Honda. Bottom line for the Rezervo was that if you hear clicking or have some dim lights on, it may work, but if everything is dead, don't count on it.
6) Hence I started looking for lithium based jumpers. As discussed elsewhere on this forum and interweb, they have some issues in heat and cold, which was one of the reasons that I tried the ultra-capacitor device first.
7) Given the issues with jumping a completely dead battery - which can occur just by leaving a door ajar for too long, or headlights on overnight, I started looking at the larger capacity jump starters, and when Amazon Prime Day rolled around, the 30% discount on the GB150 put the price down to the list price of the GB70, so I went for it.
8) I bought the NOCO case for it and it makes for a nice sturdy piece of kit. Given where I plan to take the van, I'm glad I paid the extra money. The GB150 is bigger and clunkier than the others, but not that big that it is a problem when actually using it - especially since it has longer cables. When thinking about getting one for my son who has a Subaru, I might consider the smaller GB70 just for storage space limitations of the vehicle, but in the van it just is not much of an issue.
9) I'll probably keep both the Rezervo and the GB150 in the van, if the heat or cold negatively affect the lithium battery in the 150, the ultra-capacitor in the the Rezervo still might bail be out under some circumstances, and the Rezervo is fun and easy to use in certain situations.
10) I just looked at my notes and the web on this topic and the GB150 has a built in voltmeter which the others don't have, and the 12 volt port on the 70 and 150 also allow them to be "fast" charged by that port. Some good info here: Compare Best NOCO Boost Jump Starters: GB20 vs. GB40 vs. GB50 vs. GB70 vs. GB150
From that website:
1) The GB150 has longer cables which easily solves the cable length issue.
2) Both the GB70 and GB150 have the 12 volt output socket, which the smaller versions do not have. So they are a bit more versatile as a charging station or running a 12 volt device for a short length of time. (For example, I have a 12 volt submersible pump for my water station which is on the opposite side of the van from my Goal Zero battery, so I have to run a cable across the van, but I could probably just run that pump off the GB150).
3) I've used it several times on small and large engines - don't know the size of the large engine, but it was in a class A motor home - works like magic!
4) Bear in mind that there is a difference between jump starting a battery that is partially depleted versus completely depleted. I originally bought a Rezervo ultra-capacitor device. The first time that I tried to use it was after the trunk was left open overnight on a Honda Accord and the battery was discharged down to something like 8-10 volts (don't remember the exact number, don't hold me to it). In any case, the Rezervo would not start the vehicle.
5) All of these devices have a by-pass function for batteries whose SOC is below some threshold, whereby you bypass the reverse polarity safety feature and it somehow gives an additional boost to the battery, but you have to be careful to not reverse your cables. In the case of the Rezervo above, that still did not work on the Honda. Bottom line for the Rezervo was that if you hear clicking or have some dim lights on, it may work, but if everything is dead, don't count on it.
6) Hence I started looking for lithium based jumpers. As discussed elsewhere on this forum and interweb, they have some issues in heat and cold, which was one of the reasons that I tried the ultra-capacitor device first.
7) Given the issues with jumping a completely dead battery - which can occur just by leaving a door ajar for too long, or headlights on overnight, I started looking at the larger capacity jump starters, and when Amazon Prime Day rolled around, the 30% discount on the GB150 put the price down to the list price of the GB70, so I went for it.
8) I bought the NOCO case for it and it makes for a nice sturdy piece of kit. Given where I plan to take the van, I'm glad I paid the extra money. The GB150 is bigger and clunkier than the others, but not that big that it is a problem when actually using it - especially since it has longer cables. When thinking about getting one for my son who has a Subaru, I might consider the smaller GB70 just for storage space limitations of the vehicle, but in the van it just is not much of an issue.
9) I'll probably keep both the Rezervo and the GB150 in the van, if the heat or cold negatively affect the lithium battery in the 150, the ultra-capacitor in the the Rezervo still might bail be out under some circumstances, and the Rezervo is fun and easy to use in certain situations.
10) I just looked at my notes and the web on this topic and the GB150 has a built in voltmeter which the others don't have, and the 12 volt port on the 70 and 150 also allow them to be "fast" charged by that port. Some good info here: Compare Best NOCO Boost Jump Starters: GB20 vs. GB40 vs. GB50 vs. GB70 vs. GB150
From that website:
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11,144 Posts
With vehicles that don't have the remote jump start post, it "official" practice is to attach the ground to the block or similar to avoid sparks near the battery ... hydrogen and all? Never quite understood the risk of hydrogen hanging around a dead battery especially after you open the hood. But WTF - no reason not to.
NOCO offers great products but my go-to for portable jump starters is the Antigravity MicroStart.
antigravitybatteries.com
XP-10 MICRO-START Jump-Starter
Top Rated, Best selling XP-10 is unrivaled for performance & quality in the mini jump-start segment. Start DIESELS and gas engines. Charge all your devices.
antigravitybatteries.com
2019 Transit cargo, HR, 3.5 Eco, Quigley 4X4, “Vandemic”
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Here’s a comparison of portable jump starters.
I purchased an Audew model.
I purchased an Audew model.
Audew Upgraded Car Jump Starters, Jump Box 2000A Peak 20000mAh Battery Charger Automotive(up to All Gas and 8.5L Diesel), 12V Battery Booster with 3 Modes LED Flashlight and Dual QC |
|---|
@surly Bill
Yea, I kind of wondered about Ford providing a seems-to-me-to-be-small 6mm official connection stud for cable clamps.
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12,819 Posts
Yep, kinda hard to get a lot of contact with regular jumper cable clamps. Maybe bolt a piece of 1" wide metal brace to it to get more contact with the teeth.
![148741]( "148741")
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I have used my small Noco GB40 to start a car with no battery at all. Granted it was only a 2L engine but my Noco was their small one. Started just fine.
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This one I purchased. The cables do not reach from the remote terminal on the fuse box to the ground that is supposed to be used when jump starting. Dont try to connect to the positive and negative terminal at your fuse box, this will melt your cables (jumper cables) or the Noco will just not work because it realize it is wired wrong.Noco GB20 is good for gas engines up to 4L. The GB40 is good for gas engines up to 6L. I have tested the GB20 on a 4 cylinder car without a battery at all, it started the engine.
Amazon.com: NOCO Boost Plus GB40 1000A UltraSafe Car Battery Jump Starter, 12V Battery Pack, Battery Booster, Jump Box, Portable Charger and Jumper Cables for 6.0L Gasoline and 3.0L Diesel Engines, Gray : Automotive
Buy NOCO Boost Plus GB40 1000A UltraSafe Car Battery Jump Starter, 12V Battery Pack, Battery Booster, Jump Box, Portable Charger and Jumper Cables for 6.0L Gasoline and 3.0L Diesel Engines, Gray: Jump Starters - Amazon.com âś“ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchaseswww.amazon.com
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I didn't have a 2020 Transit. Most here don't either.
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