Jump pack not used correctly, but success

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BeerCan

BeerCan

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My 968 drains the battery fairly quickly and I have not used it in some time. Of course it's dead when I go to use it but I figured that is what I have the jump pack for. The jump battery would not recognize that it was connected to the car battery so I pushed the booster button and got the car started.

Great, right? Well not really, the car lasted about a mile and it died. My fault for driving it without charging but what can I say, I live in the fast lane. So now the car would jump, but every time I took the booster off it died. I'm in the middle of nowhere and I really don't want to walk back to the house to get my truck. Frustrated, I jumped the car and left the booster connected to the battery and drove back. Let me say I literally made it to my driveway and it died. Booster pack is dead, but the car is home.

Hopefully I didn't toast anything, I figure if anything the voltage regulator might have took a hit. They are 15 bucks so no biggie there. ECU then I might be crying. I'll find out Thursday when I have time to mess with it.
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I'd be worried that the constant drain on the Li-ion battery would cause it to short and burn everything down to the ground.. At least you're near your house.. oh wait..

Glad you made it home. I've had my fair share of dimming lights and barely making it to my house on battery power.

Usually, if you have a barely-functioning alternator, it does not like having to charge a totally flat battery..
 
Originally Posted by BeerCan
My 968 drains the battery fairly quickly and I have not used it in some time. Of course it's dead when I go to use it but I figured that is what I have the jump pack for.

No, that is what you need a battery maintainer for.
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And they are much cheaper than the alternator you are about to buy or rebuild.
 
Originally Posted by MrMoody
Originally Posted by BeerCan
My 968 drains the battery fairly quickly and I have not used it in some time. Of course it's dead when I go to use it but I figured that is what I have the jump pack for.

No, that is what you need a battery maintainer for.
smirk2.gif
grin2.gif


And they are much cheaper than the alternator you are about to buy or rebuild.

No power where they sit.
Also if I have to get the alternator rebuilt so be it. It's the original one so it has done the job admirably. I changed the brushes/regulator a while back and that is a easy job.

Purchased some battery disconnects today for future use ...
 
Originally Posted by BeerCan

No power where they sit.

I have the same issue on the BMW.
I simply remove the battery in the fall and put on an intermittent trickle charger until spring.
Usually that gets it up to snuff for the few months per year I plan on driving it.
 
You got good $$$$$...

Don't be active like you are on food stamps...

Get a good battery maintainer
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I'll give you this, your title is accurate. Leaving the jump starter pack in place is not the intended/correct use of the product. I hope you didn't damage any of the vehicle's electronics, but you appear to acknowledge that risk. I think this is second time I've read of one these being used in a similar manner.

My impression is a new battery is in order. At the least, the current one needs to be put on a maintainer and see if it can be brought back to reliable operation.

As an aside, I have a GooLoo jump pack, a less powerful one than topic put to use not long ago. ~7year old Autocraft Silver on 3.0L Accord battery quit. It had been regularly on a maintainer but it was getting weak. Used the Gooloo to jump start, worked perfectly with 3 out of 4 bars, got the car home (jumper pack not connected). Just as a test thought I'd see if it would re-start car, worked again. Worth the <$35 I paid for it. Battery was replaced.
 
Sounds like the alternator is a Bosch regulated to 14V . They are regulated to maintain a battery, not charge it. They 're a long lived part in a BMW, You need a battery maintainer to handle a a drain of probably 20 MA
 
Sounds like the alternator is a Bosch regulated to 14V . They are regulated to maintain a battery, not charge it. They 're a long lived part in a BMW, You need a battery maintainer to handle a a drain of probably 20 MA
 
I got one of those too as a gift, I'd be leery about using it for anything more than jumpstarting a small car like a Fit/Versa or "booting" a Prius/Camry Hybrid or Tesla with a dead 12V battery. You're braver than me.

Get a battery maintainer like a Battery Tender or a "smart" charger like a Noco Genius with a motorcycle-style disconnect wired directly to the battery.
 
Battery disconnect is a great idea until you find out what is drawing the power when off.

How long does it usually sit between starts?
 
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Originally Posted by Smokescreen
Battery disconnect is a great idea until you find out what is drawing the power when off.

How long does it usually sit between starts?

It's probably been 6 weeks since I started the 968. The 951 has been much longer. These cars are pretty famous for unusual battery drain issues. Lot's of times it's something simple like the switch in the door that turns on the interior light, but it could be anything. Just need to spend the time tracing it to find out what is causing it. I think the 968 will kill the battery in about 3 weeks.
 
So looks like I beat the odds. After charging the battery all week the car is running fine. Been driving it all day with seemingly no issues. Whew ...
 
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So looks like I beat the odds. After charging the battery all week the car is running fine. Been driving it all day with seemingly no issues.....
Curious what used and where you charged battery?

With no parking area power source noted, I'd look into a solar maintainer myself.
 
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