My father once ruined his radio when using an old simple plug-in booster start battery charger on an ‘06 Chevy product. It’s definitely a thing. I’ve used the same unit many times for other simple machinery with no issues.
A drift here on the trailhead shit bags. It’s a thing also. A friend found two dayhikers shot in a remote setting. It’s nothing new. Now that scraping isn’t lucrative the stoners have to make it somewhere.

A couple of years ago I went down this rabbit hole and turned to Project Farm for some independent, if quirky, review of jump starters. I ended up buying the Audew brand and gave them out as Christmas presents. Our kids have used them several times with great success.

I will have to say to be sure you buy one that is at least as capable to start the largest rig you anticipate using. The one I keep in my 6.7 Diesel is larger than the one I keep in my Jeep. Here’s the review that I based my decision on. Note that he has done more recent reviews on other brands as well..


https://youtu.be/JN8A2nIMUWA?si=Z6QRC29IMVvqeOyj

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
4) Black cable to dead car's bare metal chassis

I know this is right, and I know there have been threads on here before, but it's never worked for me. I always give it a try and always resort to connecting it to the negative terminal on the battery. I don't know if it's bad but the car always starts.

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
4) Black cable to dead car's bare metal chassis

I know this is right, and I know there have been threads on here before, but it's never worked for me. I always give it a try and always resort to connecting it to the negative terminal on the battery. I don't know if it's bad but the car always starts.

The reason it's bad, is that car batteries vent flammable gases. When you make the last connection, there will most likely be a spark.

Spark + flammable gases within arms reach of you = VERY BAD DAY

In most cars the negative terminal is directly tied to the cars body. So all you are doing is moving the spark away from the battery.

You just have to attach the negative clamp to bare metal, not painted.

quote:

Originally posted by PeteF:
You just have to attach the negative clamp to bare metal, not painted.

Why doesn't it start, and as soon as I attach it to the battery, it starts?

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:

quote:

Originally posted by PeteF:
You just have to attach the negative clamp to bare metal, not painted.

Why doesn't it start, and as soon as I attach it to the battery, it starts?

The power side, in most cases, has a power wire for each circuit. The ground side will not have a dedicated source. It uses the frame or chassis along with everything else (saves on wiring). Lots of stuff using the ground that way, to bypass that go directly to the battery post.
There is a lot of "different" information out there that is not keeping up with the times. We now have floating grounds in automotive that you will smoke if you manage to get the negative cable on a circuit.
The vehicle may have a dedicated jump cable location (check owners manual) or use a jump box.

^^^^^^
As one of my high school buddy's dad would say..."shit fire and save the matches!!"

Thanks for the comments about connecting the negative clamp to "bare metal" when jump starting a car. I looked in the Owner's Manual for the Venza and lo and behold!!! There's a negative post under the engine cover (that must be removed for access) when jumping the dead battery from another vehicle.

I'll be dipped!! I've never had to jump the battery in my Venza, as it's always (fortunately) died when it was sitting in the garage and I went out to start it and got nothing. All I had to do at that point was hop in the Venza and get a new battery at the Interstate store.

**** Thanks for the hot tip on the NOCO Boost X, btw!!