Failed Batteries & Jump Start Boost Pack Question

[97RangerXLT]

I have a NOCO 1000 cca jump pack. cost 99 bucks on Amazon or you can get it at Menards. another 20 bucks can get you a nice case for it and the cables. As 85 said, you can charge your devices with it via the usb ports, I think mine might even have a flashlight built in. fully charged, it is supposedly/ allegedly able to perform 20 jump starts.

One of my favorite youtube mechanics (Autotech Mike) from Michigan has started a vehicle without a battery with a jump pack. but that was to move it from the lot to the service bay, not drive it. I would be concerned about the damage to the alternator if it tried to charge a battery that was completely dead or had a bad cell for any lenght of time. But one of those jump packs might get you where you are going just fine otherwise. My parents finished an out of state trip after the battery failed in their brand new Nissan Pathfinder last year. Nissan was being a corporate asshole and wouldn't warranty the battery and the mechanic recommended the NOCO jump pack. Dad got one and got the car back home. he was impressed, I decided for 120 bucks that is not a bad thing to have in the car.

AJ

 

[superj]

the little bmw we have been playing with for a year, or so, has an optime yellow top from 2011 that still starts the car fine. even after the car has sat for 4 or 5 weeks, that battery cranks it perfectly fine.

now if the car doesn't fire within 5 or 6 tries, it starts cranking slow.

 

[Rick W]

the little bmw we have been playing with for a year, or so, has an optime yellow top from 2011 that still starts the car fine. even after the car has sat for 4 or 5 weeks, that battery cranks it perfectly fine.

now if the car doesn't fire within 5 or 6 tries, it starts cranking slow.

Are you buying the same brand of battery every time? And the same size?

I’ve been fortunate to always have new vehicles for my needs, but I’ve always played with collectibles and old cars. I always buy the biggest replacement battery I can get, usually 800 cranking amps or more. It makes up for a lot of other sins in the vehicle.

I have group 65 batteries in both of my rangers and all three of my Lincoln’s, two 5L, and one 7.5L. I have two of them in the 7.3 F250. I buy the cheap Walmart batteries on sale, roughly about $135. I’ve never had a bad one.

A sidenote, I’m the only driver for six vehicles. I usually use the same truck and the same Lincoln for my daily needs. Whatever I don’t plan on driving in the next few days, I leave it on a four amp smart charger. Their dirt Jeep from China. Not only do they maintain the battery, when they’re in the maintenance mode, they can actually help to clean the plates making the battery last longer. I wouldn’t waste my time with it on a truck that I have to drive every day.

My second thought goes to the alternator. I agree that a defective battery or bad cables can damage the alternator even if it keeps running and seems to be working properly. I would start with replacing the brushes, which is fairly cheap and easy. Failing that, I would try a rebuilt alternator, and I would go to the 130 amp. Do you have any auxiliary equipment on your truck? If you look at my threads, I put a lot of crazy junk on my trucks, and a big battery and the higher amp alternator take care of all of it.

Next thing I would look at is the starter. I don’t know much about Ranger starters, but I put a modern planetary gear starter on my F250 7.3 a few years ago, and the difference in the spin rate was astounding.

And I wouldn’t think about the cables if I had one battery fail, but if I had three batteries fail, I’d at least get scrapyard cables to try to isolate the problem. Problem is the scrapyard cut the ends off when they’re removing the batteries these days, but again, fairly cheap part to change out compared to getting stuck on the side of the road.

On the Road Ranger, 97 4.0 130a alternator, I have a second battery because of my accessories. While that second battery is wired in parallel to the original battery, I have both a mechanical disconnect (a switch), and I also have one of the interrupters that will disconnect the original battery from the second battery if the voltage in the system drops below 12.4V when I’m playing with my accessories with the engine off. That way, the first battery should always have a charge. My second battery is a marine battery, but that is because of my accessories.

I’m planning on putting a second battery in the Missing Linc, 87 2.9. I’ll get a junkyard battery or maybe one of the reconditioned batteries from the junkyard. I think they’re $30 for the scrap, and $50 for the reconditioned. I only buy them if they’re up in that 800 cranking amp range. Rarely do I have to go back a second time if I get there first thing in the morning.

Finally, I think if I was having your situation, repeated failures, I would check for fugitive drains on the system all the time I’m driving it and parking it to see if there’s something else that is drawing it down. The reason I would check it frequently, is because it sounds like everything works OK, and then all of a sudden the battery is gone. I feel for you, because an intermittent problem is always the hardest to chase down.

And one last thought. Do you make a whole bunch of very short trips? Takes a pretty good chunk of charge to start the battery, especially in the cold Maryland winter, been there done that, and I don’t know the math of how long you’d have to drive on the road to fully recharge the battery. You might be taking it down with many short trips, and then it finally doesn’t have the juice to jump back. Along the same lines, are you running all your lights and wipers and blowers and who knows what on those short trips? A higher amp alternator might compensate for that, but that’s beyond my expertise, but some other guys here would probably know.

As always, just my two cents, hope it helps.

 

[superj]

Are you buying the same brand of battery every time? And the same size?

no, i took this battery out of a 2002 jeep wrangler that was sitting for 4 or 5 years. it was dead as a rock. i charged it up using alternating high and low settings over a week or two and it came back to life. since it started working and the bmw needed a battery, i put it in the car and it just happened to fit properly with the tray and cables.