Power Pack Christmas Present

Steve-LPS-Thomas · Postby **Steve-LPS-Thomas** » 04 Jan 2010 11:20

I was the lucky recipient of a Ring 210 Heavy Duty Powerpack this Christmas.
It was chosen for it's claimed ability to jump start 4L Diesel/5L Petrol cars/ 4x4's.

A guy came to take our 4x4 jeep away for a service this morning (-3 degrees C) and unaware how to start it, he immediately used up the battery (admittedly weak). Rather disappointely the Powerpack (fully charged) was only capable of turning over the engine once at slow speed.

The 210 Professional Jump Starter & PowerPack features a large and powerful 40Ah battery with a 'cold cranking current' of up to 400A, ideal for jump starting 4x4's and other heavy use vehicles. 

I've now read reviews on the internet which basically say that although this product is an excellent and very useful bit of kit it will not start big engines as claimed (in adverse conditions).

Thing is, do I return it and find something better or accept it's limitations. It was Â£99 from Halfords by the way.

Any advice appreciated.

Steve

http://www.croyde-bay.com/triumph.htm

croydebay@aol.com

stevie_a · Postby **stevie_a** » 04 Jan 2010 11:39

If it was me I would return it especially as it was from Halfords

(usually good for returns of this nature)

as it was not able to do the job hat you pacifically purchased it for 

--------------------------------------------------------------

If it's not broke don't fix it.

Ianftr8 · Postby **Ianftr8** » 04 Jan 2010 15:18

Hi Steve,

Did you read the "classics Monthly" test reports on booster packs (nov 09) they reported on several of these units.
I have never had much faith in these packs - there is no substitute for the brute force of either a mains starter or a decent second battery charging from a running engine.
I bought a "sealey" starter charger a good few years ago, which seems to get loads of use this time of year (mainly from my neighbours.

Cheers
Ian

Ian Freeman
1979 TR8 DHC California car that never crossed the pond, started life as KDU 315V.
1962 Triumph Courier

stevie_a · Postby **stevie_a** » 04 Jan 2010 15:35

I browsed over it

I have two of the cheap ones in the unit

(a load of rubbish) I only use it by putting the first one on for half an hour

then put the second one on to try to start the van's

--------------------------------------------------------------

If it's not broke don't fix it.

Chris Turner · Postby **Chris Turner** » 04 Jan 2010 16:00

Nine years ago at Stoneleigh, I was told by the chap on the tool stall near S+S that if I helped him pack his stuff in the van he would let me have a starter pack(with compressor) for Â£20. I did the job, bought the pack and its the best tool Ive ever had, it starts everything. The stall was still there last year so I bought another for a spare in case the battery fails. This time it cost Â£39-99. There is no name on the casing.

www.triumphtrs.co.uk
THE Coca Cola car
TR7 Premium
TR7 Sprint
TR7V8 rally car

alanjarvis · Postby **alanjarvis** » 04 Jan 2010 17:21

Take it back! Is doesn't do what it say it does. I'm sure Halfords will give a refund.

I bought a cheaper (half price at Â£40 I think) unbranded yellow starter pack at Halfords last week as my TR7 is not charging well (loose alternator connector maybe). Just for a change I read the instructions and noted it said, connect the red lead to the battery live but the black to some metal part of the engine, NOT the battery earth. I wonder why, if I hadn't read the instructions I would have connected them both to the battery terminal?. I haven't tried it yet but i suspect that tomorrow I will need to, its -5C already and my ammeter was only a little way from the red as I drove home, headlights lights on. I will report tomorrow if I was successful! I really must fix that alternator connector but its too cold and dark...

Cheers!
Alan Jarvis
(Its not a fault, its a feature)

FI Spyder · Postby **FI Spyder** » 04 Jan 2010 18:56

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by alanjarvis

Just for a change I read the instructions and noted it said, connect the red lead to the battery live but the black to some metal part of the engine, NOT the battery earth. I wonder why, if I hadn't read the instructions I would have connected them both to the battery terminal?.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The reason you don't connect to dead battery negative terminal is it will probably spark and if there are excess hydrogen fumes (battery by product as it discharges) they could explode. If not ...you live.

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

PeterTR7V8 · Postby **PeterTR7V8** » 04 Jan 2010 19:10

I thought it was to protect modern electric components. [?]

I've used jump packs many many times & with some cars, usually but not always big ones, the only way to kick them into life is to use the battery that's in another car that is revving it's spleen out.

I asked a friend of mine who does roadside callouts how he copes with the new hybrids & he said flat batteries are a bugger on these cars. They will start ok when you jump them but at idle they switch to the electric motor & run the battery down as soon as you remove the jump pack. So you have to stay there with foot hard on the accelerator for 15-20 minutes before the car is driveable. You'd think a car as sophisticated as a hybrid would know when the battery is flat.

But baby, I thought I was doing my best.

saabfast · Postby **saabfast** » 04 Jan 2010 19:39

I have a cheap starter/compressor pack from Maplins (received as a present when they were on offer, about Â£25 I think). I did not expect a lot but it started my sons BMW 635CSi on a couple of occasions when it was left on my drive in the recent cold and snow while he sold it.

Alan
Saab 9000 Stg 1
Saab 9000 2.3 FPT Auto
'81 TR7 DHC

Tom M. · Postby **Tom M.** » 05 Jan 2010 14:35

Hi Steve,

Was your Powerpack stored in a cold or heated area? Battery capacity goes down steeply with decreasing ambient temperature. Keeping it inside the house might help. Also lead acid batteries tend to self discharge at a rate of a couple of percent per month, so you need to recharge the battery every couple of months.

I'm guessing this PowerPack might start a big diesel at 25 deg C but as the temperature goes down you're fighting the battery's decreased capacity as well as the engine's reluctance to turn over. I design power systems for autos and the standard practice is to allow for starting at -40 deg F (or was it it -40 deg C, hmmm....). At this temperature the battery's capacity is about 1/3 of 25 deg C and it typically takes about 3 X current to crank, so the battery ends up being 10 X bigger than it needs to be at 25 deg C.

So it seems possible that they could say that this jumper pack will indeed start a 5 L diesel, just not at the temperature you need it to!

Tom M.

Marko · Postby **Marko** » 05 Jan 2010 15:30

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by croydebay

4L Diesel/5L Petrol cars/ 4x4's.

.....

powerful 40Ah battery

....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

LOOOOOOOOOOOOL

powerful 40Ah , ohhh this is funny !!!

most of those "power packs" would work fine if they didnt have such crappy cables,

to push such big currents you need thick cables, and i mean 35-50 mm^2 like on a welding machine.

you can start most of the petrol engines with any cables, big petrol engines could be a problem.

but diesel engines are another story, you cant start even a small 1.9 TDI VW engine without a good set of thick cables, not to mention bigger diesel engines.

i would vote for a good set of cables and a running car instead of those "power packs" ,they just have too small/weak battery

Shauniedawn · Postby **Shauniedawn** » 05 Jan 2010 21:48

Hiya.

I couldn't agree more.

I wasted a couple of hundred quid on two power packs about 5 years ago. Used to keep them charged up, one in each every day car 'just in case'. Never actually had to use them on either of our cars, but tried them on a few strnded drivers. Never once did they work.....

My conclusion was either buy a 'proper' professional one (several hundred Ã‚Â£), or invest on good quality jump leads. I think I paid about Ã‚Â£40 for the last pair of leads I bought. I have used them several times and they work a treat every time.

Shaun

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12691409@N08/

Hasbeen · Postby **Hasbeen** » 05 Jan 2010 22:19

I have a 17 plate 680CCA battery for my tractor. As I reaely use the
tractor these days, I keep the battery in the shed, where I can top
up it's charge regularly. This I believe makes it last longer.

As it's quite heavy, I usually stick it in the wheelbarrow to take
it to anything I'm having trouble starting. I probably look a bit
silly, but it works.

When you hook this thing up to a small pump motor, or a ride on
mower, [lawn tractor], it spins them faster than the run, after you
start them.

Hasbeen

Steve-LPS-Thomas · Postby **Steve-LPS-Thomas** » 08 Jan 2010 21:24

Thanks everybody for your feedback. It was (and still is) fully charged in my nice warm kitchen. The 4x4 got a new battery and we've been busy with numerous other weather related issues so apathy rules on the powerpack at the moment.

We are not on mains water or (sewage) so we have been struggling to keep everything from freezing up. The borehole/pumphouse etc. was put in by a PO who did the bare minimum so it's a loosing battle.. sort out one problem and it freezes somewhere else. Already replaced one pump at a cost of Â£500. Today we pretty much gave up, safer and cheaper to shut it down and ration our storage tank (so far not frozen) and wait for a thaw.

On the TR front, WAC has been log booked and it ready for collection but not taxed. The Victory is now a runner but also not taxed.

Steve

http://www.croyde-bay.com/triumph.htm

croydebay@aol.com

alanjarvis · Postby **alanjarvis** » 16 Jan 2010 09:28

Just in case anyone is interested I used this power pack (Â£50 at Halfords) to start my TR7 this morning no problem

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165629

After 2 weeks under the snow the battery could hardly turn over the engine but once I connected up the power pack it started after a couple of attempts.

Cheers!
Alan Jarvis
(Its not a fault, its a feature)

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Power Pack Christmas Present

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