Jump Start my Maule

Discussion on keeping your aircraft airworthy and legal and/or any technical topics.


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chris_01
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Jump Start my Maule

Post by chris_01 »

HI There,
I have to ask the crowd as I seem not to understand the issue..

I know that the battery in my Maule isn't the fittest any more. Nevertheless, it'll work if I fly regularly or if I jumpstart it if I leave standing too long.
Usually, I'll jumpstart it with my car standing next to it, connecting the cables to the external power plug interface - by connecting the clamps from both sides.

Now, I own this one since a while that helped me a lot with my car in the past: https://no.co/gb70
I tried to start the engine yesterday. Without anything, the Starter turned the prop half way and then the battery was very low - not good.
So I took this NOCO jumpstarter batterypack, connected it in the same way I usually connect my cars' battery and tried starting it -> No Joy - there was no difference at all and my EDM showed something like 9V on the bus.
With one button on the jumpstarter pack, I can override the security stuff and just give current to the outputs. Didn't change anything.
I gave it up and brought the car. Connected as above, started the engine and all fine.

Question to the crows - Have I missed anything? I assume that jumpstart pack should have enough power to help me out and I also read it in other places that this is a good solution for a one-off jump-start on the field or so..

Thanks for your help!
Chris
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MXT-7-180A

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norcal64d
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by norcal64d »

I haven't used that jump box but it sure seems like it would do the ticket. That being said, have you tried connecting straight to the battery? My thought is maybe you have some corrosion on any of the connectors between the external plug and battery. All it takes is a small amount of resistance while pulling high amperages and you'll get a substantial voltage drop. Doesn't really explain why it works with your car through.

Edit to say, you could test the theory by using the jump box straight to the battery instead of through the connector.
Tim
1991 MX-7-180

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chris_01
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by chris_01 »

Thanks!
Yes - going directly to the battery would be a way, but I wanted to fly and not take off the cowling etc yesterday.. :)
I'll check all the contacts. Point is of course as well that a friend connected/operated the battery pack and hence I had to trust him to do the right stuff.
Certainly, as you confirm, the power of the pack should turn the prop - that was the main thing I wanted to have confirmed by a 2nd pair of eyes..
And - given that the car worked afterwards, I suppose there is no relais or similar thing that prevents the power from arriving where it needs to go.
Let's see next time.

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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by netconn »

I just used one like that yesterday. I've been installing some avionics and in the process I drained the battery. I pulled the plane out of the hangar to run it up and there wasn't enough battery left to start it. I have a jumper port just past the cargo door. I connected my little jump pack to the pins and the 540 started right up. It works good, I carry it in the plane.

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andy
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by andy »

I have a Schumacher jump pack https://www.lowes.com/pd/Schumacher-Ele ... lsrc=aw.ds that works great. You need one that can supply enough cold cranking amps to turn the engine fast enough for the magnetos to put out enough voltage for the plugs to fire. My Concorde RG35AXC battery can supply 440 cold cranking amps. The Schumacher jump pack can supply 1200 cold cranking amps. I also use it for camping since it has an integrated air pump, light, 110 VAC inverter and 12 VDC outputs. The compressor puts out enough pressure to inflate main tires or a tail wheel tire without draining your aircraft battery or killing yourself with a bicycle pump. The jump pack weighs 24 lbs so it's easy to carry in the airplane. According to the manual, you can charge the battery through the 12 vdc accessory jack but the green light doesn't come on. They say not to charge it from a vehicle for more than 30 minutes and to monitor the charge on the front panel. I haven't tried using a solar charger but it should work, although it might take a while at 1 amp.

I'm glad that my aircraft battery is under the copilot seat since I don't have an external power connection. That way I don't have to remove the cowling to jump the battery. If you are thinking about moving your battery into the engine compartment, that's something to consider.
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by asa »

I’ve had success with that same jump pack on IO540 and the O360 before that. Connected straight to battery. Have also jumped a propane forklift, my truck regularly, diesel mercedes….

I love that thing.

On my scout with firewall battery, it had an external jump point inside the firewall between pilots legs. It was great.

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chris_01
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by chris_01 »

ok - got it - something was wrong. Next time I'll try it on my own. :?
Nevertheless, is there a good way to bring the jumpstart cables into the cockpit? It would be much easier than leaning out of the RH front window while staying on the brakes and close to the red knob and pull the cable from the outside plug just behind the cowling..
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by Dkuber »

I use the GB70, works great. I purchased another jumper cable for it. Cut off the clamps and have it wired directly to my battery. That way I can just plug in the GB70 and off I go. Sounds like your battery is up front, mine is under my seat. I keep the Noco secured to the lower front bars on the right seat.

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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by asa »

chris_01 wrote:
Mon May 02, 2022 1:48 pm
ok - got it - something was wrong. Next time I'll try it on my own. :?
Nevertheless, is there a good way to bring the jumpstart cables into the cockpit? It would be much easier than leaning out of the RH front window while staying on the brakes and close to the red knob and pull the cable from the outside plug just behind the cowling..
If the plug is in the boot cowl (behind cowling, particularly behind the vertical line of firewall rivets) that means the cables are already inside the cockpit, probably just behind the interior panel. You could just unfasten the plug from the boot cowl, make a bracket to mount it on the inside of boot cowl or adel clamps to the fuselage tube, make a patch for the hole left in the boot cowl.

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andy
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by andy »

If your battery is under the copilot seat, it would be easier to flip the seat back, put the jump pack on the floor and connect the cables directly to the battery. Trying to get the plug out of the external jack by yourself while the engine is running sounds like a recipe for disaster. If your battery is in the engine compartment, adding an internal connector inside the cabin seems like the best bet. You could wire in a connector to the battery terminals and stow it under the seat until you need to connect the jump pack to it. To make it safer and easier, you could replace the jump pack's clamps with a heavy duty polarized connector that would plug into the connector on the battery like these: https://www.amazon.com/X-Haibei-Battery ... r=8-9&th=1
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by VA Maule »

Rather than fooling around with this jump starting stuff just get a new Concord battery and fly the plane often enough to keep the battery in good order.
If you can’t fly often enough to keep the battery up look for parasite drains. If your plane was originally certified for IFR it has an electric clock and though it doesn’t draw much with an already compromised battery it’s enough to pull it down during the idle periods.
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chris_01
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Re: Jump Start my Maule

Post by chris_01 »

just to close the topic.
Had the case yesterday again where I had to jump-start the engine with the powerbank thingy. This time it went well - because I did it myself. So something must have had a bad connection last time. All good now.

And - I agree with not fooling around with dodgy tricks but rather buy a new battery. That's my plan..

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