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Flat battery using booster pack to recharge
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timtom
New User
Mar 24, 2010, 2:01 AM
Post #1 of 2
(8867 views)
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Flat battery using booster pack to recharge
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I am not very knowledgeable about car mechanics and so bought a booster pack to power charge what i think could be aflat/dead battery in my car - my car is a Toyota Yaris 5-6 years old - before carrying on the connection of cables should I DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE CABLE ON THE TOYOTA BATTERY - as I shall be recharging the battery as it is installed in the car?
Should I then attach the red booster cable to the positive on toyota battery and should I then atach the BLACK BOOSTER CABLE to a metal point on the engine, like a screw OR do I attach the black booster clip to the NEGATIVE ON THE YARIS BATTERY - on the booster pack it says DO NOT attach the black cable to the negative on the battery but I beleive that some peopel say to do this - which should I do: black booster to metal part on engine or to the negative (disconnected cable) on the toyota batter?
thank you all
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Mar 24, 2010, 4:25 AM
Post #2 of 2
(8863 views)
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Re: Flat battery using booster pack to recharge
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The booster pack IS a battery and is a way to jump start without needing another vehicle and you recharge your booster pack with "house" current charger - right?
It's only as strong as the boster pack is and many are overrated with stating amps of boost. You could use the charger for the pack while it's connected to the other battery to charge both - could take up to a whole day perhaps longer if if they are low or one is.
You are still only jump starting as with a donor car. Disconnecting the car's own battery cable means it would NOT be getting charged by the pack if that's what you were trying to do.
The negative of battery generally goes directly to engine ground and whether cables or a booster pack it's suggested to use the last hook up - negative to away from the car's battery to block of engine - they both what charge is in pack will run to the car's own battery. That alone unless battery is totally dead would jump the car to crank the engine. If car's battery is stone dead it could be too much for many of those packs and it probably would charge them both if you charged with the "house" current charger for the pack but that wasn't the intention of that set up and if the car's battery is really trashed could be too much on the pack and charger for it which it wasn't really designed for.
I'd sooner see you charge the car's battery with a separate charger. Small charger/maintainers are about $20 bucks and still can take a Loooong time to complete and would show (most) with a green light that it's done.
The reason for the last hook up being away from the battery is that a low or failed one can have excessive gasses that are explosive so you are making the last connection away from the source of the gas. That gas if present usually has an odor like sulfur and I would only take one out for testing and subsequent charging if so. Any jump you should do in well ventilated area, even good to fan away unseen fumes away from automotive batteries.
A 5-6 year old battery is hardly worth trying to fix/charge IMO as that getting into risk area of internal short which will stress out any charger and can cause problems with the car's charging system even if successfully jumped.
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Note: The common booster pack is a gel cell battery that doesn't use liquid so can tolerate being in trunks and not sensitive to being tipped like a common battery.
Again - I suggest you get a separate charger with settings for slow and fast and pay the extra for an automatic one that will shut down when done.
That or take the Yaris battery out for charging and testing at a local parts outlet as some will test and charge it for you sometimes for free,
T
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