DesertEagle50 Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Hi, Can a GM from 1995 to 1998 be powered with a jump starter attached in place of the battery? If so, does anyone know a model name or certain specs to look for to jump start a 3.1 with a completely dead battery? I have a jump starter that I believed is good. A DMM reads 13+ volts between the clamps. However, I hooked it up to a 1995 Lumina and a 1998 Buick Century (also with the GM 3.1) in place of the battery and the cabin dome light wouldn't even come on. Is there something with the ECU/PCM that requires a battery to be installed? From doing a parasitic drain test, I know that when the Lumina is hooked up to a battery it will draw .01 to .1 amps for a few seconds, then .25 amps for a few seconds, then .001 amps thereafter. I didn't know if the ECU was performing a test of the battery at this time. I don't want to mistakenly throw out a good jump starter but it appears to have a very limited capacity. Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Try jumping an accessory (carefully) and see if it powers, like a window motor or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skitchin Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Hi, Can a GM from 1995 to 1998 be powered with a jump starter attached in place of the battery? If so, does anyone know a model name or certain specs to look for to jump start a 3.1 with a completely dead battery? I have a jump starter that I believed is good. A DMM reads 13+ volts between the clamps. However, I hooked it up to a 1995 Lumina and a 1998 Buick Century (also with the GM 3.1) in place of the battery and the cabin dome light wouldn't even come on. Is there something with the ECU/PCM that requires a battery to be installed? From doing a parasitic drain test, I know that when the Lumina is hooked up to a battery it will draw .01 to .1 amps for a few seconds, then .25 amps for a few seconds, then .001 amps thereafter. I didn't know if the ECU was performing a test of the battery at this time. I don't want to mistakenly throw out a good jump starter but it appears to have a very limited capacity. Thanks, Dave Sounds like the battery is likely shot. A battery can have the right voltage but have shit for amperage capacity left in it. You might be able to take it apart and source a replacement battery, but I imagine they'd be nearly as expensive as a new jump starter(especially harbor freight cheapos). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imp558 Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 That happens a lot with car batteries, they can read system voltage but be unable to move any significant current. I've never heard of a jump box having that problem though, but that's not to say it can't happen. Maybe you should take it apart and inspect all the connections. A bad connection will have trouble moving current too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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