Real Life Lithium Jump pack stories

[Snagglefoot]

More Powa is always good with Lithium Jump Packs. However, to start a low battery caused by leaving the lights on or something, a 750 A pack works just fine. I bought mine at Cambodian Tire on sale for $75 CDN ($ 50 USD). There are packs out there that cost more than car batteries, but are they really good value? What other learnings are there out there?

 

[D60]

So many variables that performance is simply never guaranteed in my experience. Ambient temp, cold soak time, displacement, condition of terminals, quality of clamps (most suck), side or top terminal, COO and age of pack are just a few.

Even if Audew or GooLoo is presently the PF darling, after a few years it's anyone's guess if it'll work. They can show 100% and then the second you try to use it they show 0%. Then recover to 90%.

Couple this with a shifting market or changes in manufacturers and the Amazing GooLoo of 2023 might be significantly cheapened in 2025.

- Yes, it is true a well-tested pack gives you better odds of success.

- Yes, it is true someone will.say they used a 15-yr old Audew that was never charged to start a completely dead 5.9 CTD. The sun shines on a dog's posterior every once in a great while.

- Yes I carry li-ion packs as a first line of defense but I know there's never a guarantee, unlike quality jumper cables which are virtually guaranteed with proper technique, or a good JNC as second place.

If you read the Amazon reviews, even the "good" packs have high failure rates. What sets them apart is some manufacturers replace them with little hassle (also laid out in Amazon reviews).

 

[Astro_Guy]

I have the Gooloo 4000 and it has worked well for two years now.

https://us.gooloo.com/products/gp4000-jump-starter?variant=42678191947972

 

[brages]

Real life story: went to look at a Prius for sale but the 12v battery was dead. Owner has said something about leaving the lights on, not sure what that was. Anyway, the 12v battery (original) is in the trunk and the trunk release is electric.

I had a NEXPOW jump starter on hand, so I used Google to find how to jump it. There's a +12v tab in the fuse box. Got the car started... Ended up buying it. I think the NEXPOW was about $20 and is supposedly 1000 amps.

 

[IndyIan]

Our Chinadian Tire one is 4-5 years old now and has started a few Odyssey minivans, and our Outback a couple times, over the years. I use it for the first lawn mower start of the year too.
It's an small/mid size "Eliminator" model, so they try to make it half decent and it has been so far. It also charges about 4 iphones from near dead, and the light will go for a very long time, so its useful for camping trips.

 

[Rand]

all the "ratings" are meaningless. That 750amp rating is peak instantaneous amps for .01s or something equally not applicable to the real world use.

Then you get a more truthful one that says 350amps and everyone thinks its tiny and worthless but the actual output is 3x the "750amp" battery pack etc.

 

[opus1]

I've had to use my NOCO GB40 twice, and both times, no muss, no fuss, car started just fine.

 

[Leo99]

It's like my Epi-pen. I carry my jump starter pack around for emergencies but have never needed to use it.

 

[GMBoy]

While much larger in size, my Milwaukee unit is a beast! Best part it runs off a regular Milwaulkee battery pack.

 

[The_Jeff]

I've got a whatever brand like all the other box store junk.

It started a Lincoln Town Car 4.6 in below freezing temps. Started my Bronco II plow truck at seller's house with an absolutely stone dead battery. It couldn't start a Miata though. It also couldn't boost kiddo's 2nd gen Prius because, IMO, its logic was too smart and it couldn't just give 12 volts at 10 amps for 10 seconds.

I carry it because as a Prius owner I don't want to subject the 12v system to some other jerk via jumper cables. Similarly I don't get feedback via cranking speed that my own 12v battery is on its way out. But cables, even terrible 10 ga ones from Big Lots, work surprisingly well a surprising amount of time.

 

[D60]

all the "ratings" are meaningless. That 750amp rating is peak instantaneous amps for .01s or something equally not applicable to the real world use.

Then you get a more truthful one that says 350amps and everyone thinks its tiny and worthless but the actual output is 3x the "750amp" battery pack etc.

My rolling "200A engine start" charger has easily started things my li-ion pack would barely "rrrr rrr rr"

So yeah, there's definitely some new math being used in ratings

 

[bdc101]

My father in law bought some nice ones for everyone in the family about 7-8 years ago, I forget the brand. I kept it in the car with the 12 volt charger plugged in to make sure it was always topped off. It was about 2-3 years old when I first needed it and ... shock of shocks... it did not work. I never figured out if it was just dead or broken or what. It would charge a cell phone using the USB outlet but it was never able to actually start a car.

It gave me the same impression that I get from a cheap multimeter. I'm sure they might actually work, but since I have lost all trust in them, I'll never buy one again.

 

[zzyzzx]

I carry jumper cables because I don't want a lithium battery fire in my car.

 

[55hambone]

I've had a Schumacher SL1 since 2018. Every 4-6 months I plug it in and make sure that it has a charge. Started a neighbor's Silverado with it a few weeks ago in 20 degree weather. It's handy to have when you need it.

 

[Tempest1]

My son left the internal lights on soon after he started driving. I was able to get it jumped with a "Type S" pack from Costco.

 

[Astro_Guy]

I carry it because as a Prius owner I don't want to subject the 12v system to some other jerk via jumper cables. Similarly I don't get feedback via cranking speed that my own 12v battery is on its way out. But cables, even terrible 10 ga ones from Big Lots, work surprisingly well a surprising amount of time.

About two years ago I had to replace the battery on our 2017 Prius V. It's stowed behind the right rear wheelwell. It looked like it was about to rain so I closed the hatch without stopping to think about the latch being electrically activated. I tried using my jump starter on the terminals under the hood but no joy. Apparently the Prius needs to feel the presence of the 12 Volt battery for some reason. I ended up dropping the battery in from the back seat and slipping the cables on to open the hatch and finish the job.

My daily driver is a PHEV with no ability to jump another car. I carry the jump starter to help others.

 

[tblt44]

This is the one I bought.
It worked so good I bought 2 more for my kids

 

[Inked]

I have two GooLoo(s), one for each vehicle. I’ve had to use mine twice for other people. Once for a woman with her granddaughter at my dentist’s office. She was going to call for a friend to help who was over an hour away. The next time was just a few months ago for my neighbor who needed a new battery. I loaned her mine for a about a week after showing her how to use it. They are convenient.

 

[Propflux01]

I have a GooLoo GT4000 jump pac. It’s been used a few times. Always worked great. The key is to keep them at about 60% charge when storing. It still cranks engines over at that %, and since it’s a LIPO battery, they die off easily when kept at full charge.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I bought a NocoGB50 after the Nissan kept killing its battery.
It seems to have solved the problem of the Nissan killing its battery simply by existing.