rdxnguyen

Living in the Midwest, it's always a good idea to have a jump starter pack available just in case. I have been looking at lithium battery packs that also has jump start capability. Are those any good or recommended to jump start cars? What kind of Amps for output current to look for so it won't damage/fry the car's circuit? Looking for open suggestions. Here's an on Amazon.

Waetherman

I own one of these and have used it to jumpstart both my old Honda as well as neighbors’ cars. I like that these newer ones have built in USB chargers and flashlights, which makes them good devices to have in an emergency. The one I have (Gooloo brand) touts surge protection, reverse connection protection, over current protection etc so I have never given any mind to the safety of the electronics in the car. I think as long as it’s running to the battery, the cars own electrical system should protect itself just fine. I know they come in different capacities with different max amps - mine is 800A but others I’ve seen have 1200 or 1500. Mine works just fine, so I try not to get amp envy.

rdxnguyen

Thanks for sharing your input!

lil12002

I have a 600a one i used to use all the time to start my TL, when the screen on my rdx froze and drained my battery completely the 600 a one didn’t work. Not even the battery pack AAA had was able to start it, they had to connect it to their truck’s bumper. Id suggest going with the best jump starter pack out there the rdx battery pack is huge.

NooYawkuh

The RDX has an AGM battery. Maybe this is a bunch of marketing hooey but I don't know if you can use just any charger.

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-u...ng-agm-battery

Wander

Hooey or not, I wouldn't use an old-school analog AC battery charger with a modern AGM or gel cell battery. Computer controlled "smart" AC battery chargers are pretty cheap these days; you can get a decent 10-12A unit for $50 or so and that's plenty.

But a jump starter battery pack isn't the same as an AC battery charger. As long as you don't bypass the car battery the vehicle electronics should be fine. ( The car battery will regulate the voltage ). Having said that, I wouldn't kluge it. Use another 12V car battery ( with or without another vehicle attached to it ) or a regulated power source specifically designed to jump or charge 12V car battery systems.

BTW, the AGM battery in RDX isn't "huge" it's just that AGM batteries have a low internal resistance, and that can fool some chargers into thinking that the battery is internally shorted. If a battery has an internal short circuit, attempting to charge it can cause an explosion. That's bad, so modern "smart chargers" are programmed to refuse to charge batteries from a deeply discharged state unless they are darn sure it's OK to do so.

acuraada

gooloo is good. I would stay away from those ones from Costco, bad experience with them. I've saved myself and others couple of times already with a battery jumper. One jump is worth your time and money waiting for help.

NooYawkuh

That link talks about their chargers charging and "maintaining" their batteries. I'm not sure why a maintenance free battery needs to be maintained

But I wonder if one of these chargers might help my situation. Since I did the map update, leaving the car on but not running, auto idle stop has been unavailable. It leads me to believe the battery condition has been compromised. Some here have said that driving will eventually solve the problem but it's been almost two months. Apparently, the charging system in the car isn't enough.

Anyone have any insight into these AC chargers? What do you think? Can these things improve the condition of battery in any way?

acuraada

That’s bunch of marketing term.... but they do point out some basics such as slow charging and heat temperature but that goes without saying.

I doubt your auto idle issue is due to battery and it’s charge. Something else is at play....

the best way to determine your battery condition is to measure its voltage via multimeter.