jump starting an elise s1
Discussion
Haven't driven my elise for a while now and went to the garage to start it today but battery is flat...Never jump started a car before and having watched some youtube videos looks pretty simple.
One question I've got is whether any car can be used to start an elise?
As per my profile I've got a bmw which Im pretty sure has a different battery (same voltage though different amp, i think). Can I connect the two?
One question I've got is whether any car can be used to start an elise?
As per my profile I've got a bmw which Im pretty sure has a different battery (same voltage though different amp, i think). Can I connect the two?
The Elise battery is pretty small, so at a guess, the battery on the Beemer will be larger. The battery capacity will be marked in ampere hours (Ah) which means the battery may deliver that amount of current for an hour. The higher the number, the more charge the battery will hold.
The amount of current drawn depends on the load that is connected - not the size of the battery. The lower the impedance of the load, the higher the current. If a battery is capable of delivering a larger current than the one in your car, it will not force more current through your car and damage it, if that is what you are worried about.
As long as the battery in the car you are getting a feed from is bigger, there will be no problems. Don't worry if it is slightly smaller though - a small bit won't make a difference. Just don't jump start a V8 diesel from an 800 cc Fiat Panda!
When you connect the leads, make sure you connect the positives first. If you connect the negatives, then drop the positive lead as you make the final connection, it will make a very loud bang! Also make sure the battery on the other car is in good nick.
ETA: Just checked your profile - your E46 takes a 70Ah battery and the Elise takes a 41Ah - you'll be absolutely fine.
The amount of current drawn depends on the load that is connected - not the size of the battery. The lower the impedance of the load, the higher the current. If a battery is capable of delivering a larger current than the one in your car, it will not force more current through your car and damage it, if that is what you are worried about.
As long as the battery in the car you are getting a feed from is bigger, there will be no problems. Don't worry if it is slightly smaller though - a small bit won't make a difference. Just don't jump start a V8 diesel from an 800 cc Fiat Panda!
When you connect the leads, make sure you connect the positives first. If you connect the negatives, then drop the positive lead as you make the final connection, it will make a very loud bang! Also make sure the battery on the other car is in good nick.
ETA: Just checked your profile - your E46 takes a 70Ah battery and the Elise takes a 41Ah - you'll be absolutely fine.
Edited by Ganglandboss on Tuesday 24th November 18:19
and if you are a novice doing this:
tripple check the polarity of both batteries: look for the + sign and the - sign.
if you reverse it, you'll fry both car's ECUs and other bits in the worst case.
Many japanese cars use batteries that have the polarity the other way round compared to most european models. There a countless folks who have freed their cars just connecting left to left and right to right without READING the polarity symbols. Cable colors are also not standardized. The only common thing are the + and - symbols.
I recommend you to get a battery charger, e.g. a CTEK MK5.0 Polar. They operate fully automatically switching from charging to tickle charge. Connect and forget.
With 5A change current, you Elise should be able to start by itself within 1-2 hours. Then take it for a minimum 1h drive or let it just fully charge over night.
tripple check the polarity of both batteries: look for the + sign and the - sign.
if you reverse it, you'll fry both car's ECUs and other bits in the worst case.
Many japanese cars use batteries that have the polarity the other way round compared to most european models. There a countless folks who have freed their cars just connecting left to left and right to right without READING the polarity symbols. Cable colors are also not standardized. The only common thing are the + and - symbols.
I recommend you to get a battery charger, e.g. a CTEK MK5.0 Polar. They operate fully automatically switching from charging to tickle charge. Connect and forget.
With 5A change current, you Elise should be able to start by itself within 1-2 hours. Then take it for a minimum 1h drive or let it just fully charge over night.
Ganglandboss said:
The Elise battery is pretty small, so at a guess, the battery on the Beemer will be larger. The battery capacity will be marked in ampere hours (Ah) which means the battery may deliver that amount of current for an hour. The higher the number, the more charge the battery will hold.
The amount of current drawn depends on the load that is connected - not the size of the battery. The lower the impedance of the load, the higher the current. If a battery is capable of delivering a larger current than the one in your car, it will not force more current through your car and damage it, if that is what you are worried about.
As long as the battery in the car you are getting a feed from is bigger, there will be no problems. Don't worry if it is slightly smaller though - a small bit won't make a difference. Just don't jump start a V8 diesel from an 800 cc Fiat Panda!
When you connect the leads, make sure you connect the positives first. If you connect the negatives, then drop the positive lead as you make the final connection, it will make a very loud bang! Also make sure the battery on the other car is in good nick.
ETA: Just checked your profile - your E46 takes a 70Ah battery and the Elise takes a 41Ah - you'll be absolutely fine.
Very nice post! Everyday is a school day The amount of current drawn depends on the load that is connected - not the size of the battery. The lower the impedance of the load, the higher the current. If a battery is capable of delivering a larger current than the one in your car, it will not force more current through your car and damage it, if that is what you are worried about.
As long as the battery in the car you are getting a feed from is bigger, there will be no problems. Don't worry if it is slightly smaller though - a small bit won't make a difference. Just don't jump start a V8 diesel from an 800 cc Fiat Panda!
When you connect the leads, make sure you connect the positives first. If you connect the negatives, then drop the positive lead as you make the final connection, it will make a very loud bang! Also make sure the battery on the other car is in good nick.
ETA: Just checked your profile - your E46 takes a 70Ah battery and the Elise takes a 41Ah - you'll be absolutely fine.
Edited by Ganglandboss on Tuesday 24th November 18:19
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