Peak Performance 600 Peak Amp Jump Starter
Has some bad reviews, cost $50.00 is there a better
Jump starter available

There are better ones but you will pay more money. I am looking at some reviews on the Peak and it doesn't seem that bad for the price. The biggest complaint seems to be that it pretty much won't work after the initial charge... so in that case you return it.

I have a cheap jump pack made by Husky... not the best thing in the world but it will start most anything I need it to. I took a chance on it because of the price and figured I could always return it if I needed to.

Seems to be that the biggest thing to worry about is that the connections are good and you follow the correct procedure for charging and jumping.

The reference I use to check reviews of these type items says that the only models they would consider acceptable are Black and Decker brand.

Personally, I would only jump a modern-day car or truck in an extreme emergency. Instead, I would remove and fully charge, or replace, the battery. With a jump start, a voltage spike or spark can destroy your ECM, alternator, and other sensors in a fraction of a second. The cables do not even need to be connected incorrectly to do this. Act in haste, repent at leisure.

I agree with TxGreaseMonkey wholeheartedly. Buy a new, best quality you can find battery and check its condition regularly. Just removing the battery in modern autos can cause problems with "defaults" of the many components. I don't carry jumper cables any more and when people in parking lots wave their cables at me, I wave and keep going.
Maybe TxG has some advice on maintaining power to the vehicle while removing and installing a battery?

Do you mean radio code and preset savers? If so, you can buy a code saver that plugs into your cigarette/device socket.

Yes TxG.

Articles like this one have caused me to wonder about removing battery and impact on the many computerized components.
How to Replace a Car Battery Without Losing Memory | eHow

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Originally Posted by smearcase

The reference I use to check reviews of these type items says that the only models they would consider acceptable are Black and Decker brand.

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I use a craftsman combo model. It works great and has been great for over 3 years running. It has a light as well as jumpr cables with 2 power supplies (12v and 110v) and it has a pump self contained for inflating tires or air matteress. I got mine at Kmart. It was around $100. And so far worth every penny.

Thank all for the advice. New battery is okay 12.8 and Alternator 13.8
Just don't want my son to be stuck again in a garage sale. Had to wait an hour for
State Farm road service, which by the way used a jump starter unit.

Car is now running tip top. Thanks all the advice.

It's not their problem if the ECM gets fried--count your blessings. Others on this site have not been so fortunate.

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Originally Posted by TxGreaseMonkey

It's not their problem if the ECM gets fried--count your blessings. Others on this site have not been so fortunate.

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And some have. In jump starting you just have to be careful how you do it. From the sounds of it the person that jump started the car was a trained professional. I know from personal experience in jump starting over 1500 vehicles I have never had a ECM go bad because of it. I did see a neighbor jump start one backwards and it burned everything up. Can it happen sure. But its not as likely to happen when handled by a professional.

The following story illustrates, all to often, what happens to the poor--just like many visitors to this site. Less than 2 months ago, I was helping a single mother of 3 get her 1998 Buick Custom started. Everything was ready to go, except the battery was almost dead. Her brother, against my advice, decided to take his F-150 and jump start the car. I watched him hook up the jumper cables, which he did properly. Just when the engine was about to start, a huge amount of smoke started rising from the engine compartment. The resulting damage to the electrical system was so severe that she could not afford to fix it and ended up donating it to charity. In my opinion, it's best to give conservative advice, where you can do no harm.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TxGreaseMonkey

The following story illustrates, all to often, what happens to the poor--just like many visitors to this site. Less than 2 months ago, I was helping a single mother of 3 get her 1998 Buick Custom started. Everything was ready to go, except the battery was almost dead. Her brother, against my advice, decided to take his F-150 and jump start the car. I watched him hook up the jumper cables, which he did properly. Just when the engine was about to start, a huge amount of smoke started rising from the engine compartment. The resulting damage to the electrical system was so severe that she could not afford to fix it and ended up donating it to charity. In my opinion, it's best to give conservative advice, where you can do no harm.

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How did he have the jumper cables hooked up?

Positive battery terminal to positive battery terminal. Negative battery terminal on the Buick to ground on the F-150.