So my battery died sitting in garage too long. Usually I'd call roadside assistance for a jump, but came in mind is the portable battery jump starter.

What do you guys have? Does v8 require higher amping voltages?

 

Here is what I use. I put it on the car at the end of October when the car gets put away for the winter. Stays on all winter long and start right up in the spring.

 

Thanks for kind reply. Don't the battery tenders need outlets to keep them plugged in?

 

Yes, an outlet is required. Better for the battery to keep it charged than simply jump it after it dies.

 

I use a big old honking Sears battery charger with the slow 2amp trickle charge. It keeps my battery in great condition come springtime.

 

This is what I use as well, but I don't leave it on all winter. I top my battery off a couple times over the winter, and then right before I pull the car out in the spring. I do unhook the battery completely to prevent the car drain, but there is still the normal battery power loss over time.

Been looking at replacing with a CTEK charger. Sounds like those are endorsed by many of the top and high end auto makers.

Been watching this one. Seen it as low as $98. Probably get one once it goes below $100 again or my good old reliable Diehard charger bites it. Looking at this because have read that many times dead battery's that can't be brought back by the old school charges, can be fixed by these smart chargers with their conditioning algorithms. Good luck...

 

Thanks all for kind reply.

I'm just confused about the difference between battery tenders (charger?) and battery jump starters. The battery tender/charger is to keep the charge or charge the battery when it is alive. The jump starter on the other hand, is to wake the dead battery. Well, my battery is dead.

Another is that I have no access to outlets in my underground garage.

That being said, I am looking at these jump starters. Supposedly this is what AAA carry for their roadside assistance...
Booster PAC ES5000

 

They are all confused and not answering your question; you are being very polite, re-asking the same question again and again, LOL ;-)

I think pretty much any of those jump-starter batteries should work; I don't remember the ratings off the top of my head, but just don't get a super small one. I think they all claim that they can start a diesel truck, so our little V8 should not be a problem. I'm pretty sure the one you linked should work fine; to make sure you can check the cranking amps rating on your battery and make sure the jump starter battery is the same or higher.

I carry one of those in my car when I leave the car at the airport during a week of travel, just in case the battery is weak when I get back. Luckily I haven't needed it yet. Also got one for my daughter to keep in her car, just in case.

Your battery might be dead dead, meaning cannot be revived. If they sit discharged for a long time, it kills them dead. I'd pick up one of those jump starters at Walmart or wherever, get the car started, take it for a good drive to charge the battery; and be prepared that it might not start again next time.

 

Would the battery last longer if it was disconnected when the car is stored for extended periods? That way nothing is draining it.

 

Although nothing is drawing current from the battery when disconnected, it is still recommended to connect a tender charger to the battery when the car is being stored for extended periods of time. The battery tender will insure the battery always remains fully maintained, fully conditioned and also prevent the battery from any type of discharging while being stored for extended periods of time.

 

Yeah, theoretically, if the battery is not connected to anything, it should be able to sit there for a long time without discharging . . . but I think they actually do discharge very slowly, even when disconnected.

And then if they sit discharged for a long time, they lose their ability to take a charge. I believe there are ways to recondition them with cycles of charging and vibration but you need a special charger it doesn't always work. I don't know the details, but I believe it has to do with the chemistry of how they actually work inside.

Then there is that "old wives tale" that if you leave a battery sitting on concrete, it will discharge and die. I still don't understand how that works, since the housing is plastic and should insulate the battery from the concrete, just like it insulates the battery from the metal frame of the car. I think this is actually a myth, and probably rooted in the long term discharge issue.

 

Haha. I figured everyone's situation can be different, should've been more clear about the outlets.

I notice many of them on the market (Walmart, Homedepot, Autozone, Pepboys...etc) come as a combo unit; Jump Starter + Air Compressor. I thought, hmm the air compressor could definitely be handy - no more trips to tire store or gas station. The reviewers said otherwise however. I came to conclude getting the standalone unit is a better choice.

 

I agree. I meant to reply last night On the difference between the three options and forgot. I am not sure of your situation or if it would even work for a car battery. I use a solar charger on my home generator battery. I do run it in the spring and fall if I haven’t had to use it otherwise but I have never had an issue with it not starting. Not so much this winter but just sitting in the cold temperatures for a few months will have bad effects on a new battery.

 

I've used a few different Lithium-Ion Jump Packs from Amazon. They are much smaller than the old Lead Acid packs and have USB ports to charge phones too. I was about to post links to the ones that I've bought, but models change so fast that the links don't work anymore. I'd keep an eye out for sales and get one rated with higher output than your car's battery. The ones that I have are 600-800 amp output and have 10000 - 20000 mah battery in them (who know if those numbers are real/accurate though). I like ones that have QuickCharge 3.0 Input and output. That way you can charge your phone more quickly on it and it can be re-charged from a standard Quick-Charge plug as well. Check out www.slickdeals.com for any current sales or just manually look on Amazon. Prices are all over the place, but you can often find a good one on sale for $50-$60 range with these features and higher than average output amperage.