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Using a "Jump starter" external battery to jump the Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Jeff S., Apr 17, 2017.

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  1. Jeff S.

    Jeff S. Junior Member

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    2009 Prius
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    Two
    Those jumpstarter external batteries are becoming more and more popular these days. For those of you who are unfamiliar these are lithium batteries that are much smaller and more compact than the big lead-acid batteries tow places and roadside maintaince vehicles carry around. Here is an example of one on amazon:



    They are cool because generally you can just leave them in your trunk in case you are ever in a Jam and you don't have to worry about having someone else around to help you out. They are also handy because they have USB outputs to charge other devices.

    My concern is that the jumper "cables" that you attach to the battery are rather short and are no where near long enough for the negative end (black) to reach the "recommended" discharge point on the Gen 2 prius. What do you guys think is good discharge point instead? I was thinking the screw/nut that is right next to the driverside headlight but I thought I would post about it.
     
    #1 Jeff S., Apr 17, 2017
    bisco likes this.
  2. Currahee

    Currahee Member

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    I always use the strut mount nuts but I think the prescribed locations are meant to be further away from each other to reduce the risk of the two clips touching and causing a short circuit.
     
    #2 Currahee, Apr 17, 2017
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Would they be overwhelmed by anything but a Prius, say a regular car or truck with alternator? (n)

    300 amp "peak power" vs 1700 amps for something like JNC660. I'm not sure myself, but would guess the latter has much more reserve and can handle bigger, regular vehicles. It's heavy/bulky though.
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Apr 17, 2017
  4. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    When I first got mine, its first outing was on my neighbor's Jeep Cherokee, three mornings in a row! Eventually he bought his own, but mine was called in to use yet again when he didn't realise that the little jumper packs worked better when they'd been correctly recharged. I've used mine on my Prius, and a couple of Hondas and a friend's Volvo.
     
    #4 WilDavis, Apr 17, 2017
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  5. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    1) Be sure you get one with a polarity safeguard feature, you do not want to connect plus to minus
    2) the one I own is good to 2.5 liter engines. There are more robust models
     
    #5 JimboPalmer, Apr 17, 2017
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