A portable jump starter is one of the emergency tools you should have because you never know when your automobile’s battery will run out of power. While you can find portable jump starters in the market, it makes more sense to find a new one. This is because used portable jump starters suffer a myriad of problems quickly, unlike new jump starters. With this in mind, you may spend more money repairing a portable jump starter than buying a new one.
So, how do You Fix a Portable Jump Starter
You can fix a portable jump starter by testing the charger, inspecting the jump starter, removing the casing and inspecting the wiring, checking the connector jack, replacing battery cells, and reassembling the casing.
How To Use A Portable Jump Starter
To use your portable jump starter, you have to turn off the car’s engine first; starting a car battery attaching the jump starter can cause a fatal accident with serious injuries. Locate your car battery, especially if it is not in the engine compartment. You must follow your car engine’s terminals to complete this task. Please pay attention to these terminals’ negative and positive symbols and avoid mixing them up.
The positive cable of your jump starter must go to the positive terminal on the battery, while the negative jumper cable must be connected to the engine block. Please make sure the jump starter remains in a stable and safe condition and let it remain in this position for some minutes. Start the engine, and if it doesn’t start, allow a 5-second gap and then retry. Do not try to start the engine continuously; doing such may damage your jump starter. Disconnect the portable jump starter cables once the car has started.
Is Your Portable Jump Starter Not Starting?
There are some reasons why your portable jump starter may refuse to start a car. Assuming you have followed all the necessary procedures but have not gotten positive results, you may have to check that your jump starter is fully charged. If your jump starter is fully charged, but the car is still not starting, you need to check the vehicle itself.
You need to ensure that the car’s wiring system is well-connected and working correctly. Poor wiring in a car is often the leading cause of why jump starters don’t work. You also need to check that your jump starter’s components are good.
If your portable jump starter is the problem, you can try the following solutions.
Steps To Fixing A Portable Jump Starter
To fix a portable jump starter, you need a utility knife or a small pocket knife, Pliers, screwdriver and wrenches, a soldering gun (optional), and a cleaner for electronics.
The following steps apply to fixing a portable jump starter;
Step 1. Test the Jump Starter Charger
If your portable jump starter wouldn’t turn on, you may have to charge it for almost a day or at least 12 hours. Suppose you will have to double-check the adapter or charging cable after charging the device but still wouldn’t power up. If the device still doesn’t power up, you can move to the next step.
Step 2. Check the Device
Put the portable starter charger under a bright light and inspect the external casing. Pay attention to the appearance of cracks, warps, and broken components. In this case, the jump starter might have suffered some irreparable internal damages. You can move to the next step if you don’t discover any warp, cracks, or broken components.
Step 3. Remove the Casing or Housing
Just before you open the casing, you should have a small container to collect screws and other bolts and nuts from the removal of the case. Some portable jump starters don’t come with visible nuts and screws, but you can use the knife to make a shallow cut along the seam and then a flat-head screwdriver to open the housing. Be careful when opening the casing with a knife to prevent cutting the internal components.
Step 4. Check the Jump Starter’s Internal Wiring and the Connector Jack
A visual inspection of the internal wiring of the jump starter is essential at this stage. Pay attention to visible signs of corrosion or loss of connectivity. Tighten the loose connections and replace all wires that are broken or corroded.
The next step is to check the connector jack. The connector jack might have become corroded, burnt, or melted. You may have to repair the entire connector jack unit if severe damage occurs.
Step 5. Check and Replace the Jump Starter’s Battery Cells
If all other parts of the jump starter appear to be working in good condition, you should check the battery cells because they might have worn out. Before replacing the battery cells, you need to write down their name, serial number, and model. It would be best to transport the old removed cells to an electrical store. You can take the entire unit to the store, where the battery will be replaced and soldered.
Step 6. Put the Casing Back
You will need the required adhesive to glue the pieces back in place if you have initially cut through the casing. If you didn’t break any part of the casing, you can reassemble it and recharge the appliance to ensure it is working correctly. Keep in mind that a portable jump starter battery may take up to 24 hours to be fully recharged.
Tips For Extending Your Portable Jump Starter’s Lifespan
The average portable jump stater may last for between 6 and 10 years, but this will depend on a number of factors. If you always store the appliance in a cool and dry place and ensure that it doesn’t get too hot, then it should last for up to 10 years, if not more. If you leave the jump starter unused for a long time, you will have to recharge it continuously even after use to restore the battery power. The following are some tips to extend the portable jump starter’s life;
Store Under Moderate Temperatures
It would be best if you always stored your jump starter in a dry place under moderate temperatures of between 50F and 70F degrees.
Allow Some Rests In-between Jump-starting
Since portable jump starters have limits, they may require up to 6 minutes of engine cranking; hence you should allow about 4-minute rest for the appliance before you resume jumping the battery.
Always Keep the Unit Recharged
It is important that you keep recharging your portable jump starter. If you rarely or don’t use it for a while, you must recharge it every 3 months. Since Li-Ion batteries lose their efficiency when they are redundant for a long time, you have to keep recharging them even when they are not in use.
Learn to Remove Connectors as Soon as Jump-starting is Completed
Once the battery is jump-started, you must remove the connectors immediately. The reason is that the charging system in a car consumes more voltage than what your jump starter is made for. Disconnecting the connectors quickly will protect your portable jump starter from any likely damage.
Ways To Recharge Your Portable Jump Starter
There are three ways you can recharge your portable jump starter these are;
- Electrical outlet
- Your vehicle’s AC adapter, and
- Solar Power
1. Charging Your Portable Jump Starter Via an Electrical Outlet
Charing a jump starter via an electrical outlet is the commonest option, and it remains the simplest choice. What you need to do is plug the jump starter into the electrical outlet and allow it to charge. Keep in mind that you may need to use an adapter in case there is no direct connection plug for the appliance. Most jump starters do come with charging indicators today that keep you notified when the appliance is fully charged. Some indicators may even indicate your jump starter’s battery health.
2. Charging the Jump Starter Via AC Adapter
Some cars do come with a cigarette lighter, while modern cars come with an AC adapter component that you can use to recharge your jump starter. Whichever option you find in your car, you can easily plug in the jump starter and recharge for a few hours.
3. Solar Power for Charging Jump Starter
Solar panels have become one of the cheapest and renewable options for charging many appliances today, and your jump starter can also benefit from this revolution. It would be best if you made sure that the solar panel comes with a port that can be connected to the jump starter; otherwise, you will need to buy the appropriate adapter for this purpose.
Conclusion
The portable jump starter has remained one of the essential automobile accessories you need in the world today. Even if you don’t use it, it might be of help to other motorists who might get stranded and need it to jump-start their automobiles. Portable jump starters should be affordable, and they also come with manufacturer warranties.
