Clore Jump-N-Carry 660 booster pack - 1700 Peak amps
The last place you want to be researching your next Battery Booster pack is late at night in an airport parking lot with a dead battery, but that’s where I found myself a few weeks ago after returning from a business meeting. Fortunately for me, another fellow traveler had also left their dome light on and had called airport security to come over and render assistance so I was able to flag them down to get me on my way home. Having been a technician for about 20 years and now in the Tool business it didn’t really surprise me when he reached into the bed of his truck, opened his tool box and pulled out a Clore JNC660 Booster pack. We connected it to my battery, I turned the key and crisis averted. After that night I ordered one of the JNC660’s for each of my cars vowing never to be in that predicament again. You can get one here.
The Clore JNC660 is one of the most popular items we sell and by far the most purchased booster pack we offer. We do get a lot of questions about some of the features and functionality of this booster so we are going to take a few minutes to try and provide some helpful information. Whether you are looking to buy one or already have one we hope this article will help answer any questions you may have. If you still have any questions we don’t get to in this article, please send us an email or better yet call us, we always eager to help.
Clore Automotive is a manufacturer of battery related service tools, one of their labels is Jump-N-Carry which you may sometimes see under the Solar brand. Just to get one misconception out of the way, Solar is the brand and not a description. This is not a solar powered booster pack. The JNC-660 just celebrated its 25th anniversary so it has been around a long time. It’s a testament to the quality and ability that it is still the booster many Tow companies, Dealers, repair shops, auction houses and yes DIYers use when they need a jump. I thought we would show you a few pictures of what to expect when you get this tool.
In Figure 1 below you see the contents of the factory package box. We pulled the booster pack out with the cardboard sleeve that is used to protect it in transit and that made it easier to slide out. As you see it comes packaged in a plastic bag. A manual is also included as well as a 12v male to male cord. The last item is a coupon you can use after the 1 year warranty expires to have your booster serviced if it fails for any reason. The coupon allows you to have it repaired or replaced (at the manufacturers discretion) for $85 no matter what condition its in. One item you might notice is not in the picture is a cord to plug it into the wall, the manufacturer does not include that with the JNC660. You can use any single outlet extension cord to charger the booster.
Here in Figure 2 is a better look at the booster out of its plastic bag. We also took this opportunity to weight the pack. It weighs 19 pounds exactly on our shipping scale.
Older models had metal battery clamps and were shipped with protective covers, as you can see in Figures 3 and 4 below the new clamps are plastic. The jaws are copper and connect to the cables with high quality components.
Figure 3 Figure 4
This booster pack has a built in automatic charger that plugs into a single outlet extension cord using a plug that is built in to the face of the pack in a recessed area as you can see in Figures 5 and 6. The pack also has an internal control board that regulates charging so you don’t have to worry about overcharging. Next to this is the handy cigarette lighter adapter where you can power 12v accessories or charge many consumer items that include the ability to charge via a cigarette lighter in a vehicle. The manufacturer also specifies that you can power an inverter that is rated at or below 400 watts. The 12v male to male plug you see in Figure 1 can also be used to charge the pack if you are not near a wall socket.
Figure 5 Figure 6
Also on the front of the booster pack is a Volt meter that can give you the charge status of the internal battery. Simply press the red status button on the unit and you can read the current voltage. In Figure 7 you see we are pressing the red status button and reading voltage near 13 volts on this fully charged unit. A fully charged 12 volt battery will have 12.65 volts. Immediately after a charge its common to have a reading of 13.2-13.5 because of a surface charge that is present in batteries after a charge. Some customers have contacted us thinking their units were defective because the voltage was not reaching 14-15 volts. Although the green status bar does extend to those voltages a reading above 12.6 is sufficient to determine that the internal battery if fully charged. Also seen in Figure 7 are the charging ang fully charged lights. As the names imply one will illuminate when the pack is charging and one when your pack has completed the charging cycle. In Figure 8 you can see the #2 AWG cable that connects the internal battery to the batter clamps. These heavy duty cables are more than adequate to handle the current needed to jump start cars and light to medium duty trucks and SUVs. These cables are 46 inches long which is plenty of cable to fit any application.
TIP: After jumping a vehicle with the pack still connected you can press the red status button to get a volt reading of the vehicle's charging system to see if the alternator is producing sufficient voltage. Although further testing would be required to get an accurate view of the health of the vehicle's charging system, reading the volts will give you a basic idea its condition. Many factors come into play but you should see a reading above 13 volts with the car running.
Figure 7 Figure 8
For The next picture we opened up the booster pack so we could get a look at the internal components of this pack. One of the reasons these boosters are so popular among professionals is the simplicity of the components. As you can see in Figure 9 the main component is the 12 volt battery. This is a sealed non spillable battery. According to the manual the booster can be stored in any position. Batteries in general are sensitive to temperature, the small batter in this pack is also affected by temperature. The manufacturer states that temperatures under 50 degrees F and over 78 degrees will affect the amperage output of the booster. You can also see the charger and volt gauge in above the battery. To the left you see the charge status and charge control board. To the right you see the 12 volt cigarette lighter port.
Disclaimer: Disassembly was for demonstrational purposes only. Disassembly may void warranty and may cause harm. Do not attempt.
Figure 9
The last picture in this article is Figure 10. Here you see the JNC660 connected to an 04 Toyota Sequoia ready to be jumped. We have made sure to follow the proper safety warnings and connecting procedures laid out in the manual. There is quite a checklist that they mention to be sure you can safely get going when you have a dead battery. Its recommended you read the manual before use since serious damage to your vehicle and harm to the user can come if safety warnings are not followed. From the picture you can see we made sure the cables are out of the way of any moving parts, we connected the negative cable to a ground location near the intake manifold and the positive cable to the battery.
Figure 10
Now that we have looked at some of the components that make up this booster pack and looked at an example of a unit ready to go to work let's talk about a couple of other important items.
One of the first things that need to be done as soon as you receive the booster is get a full charge in it. From our experience most come with somewhat of a charge but it's important to fully charge it before you try and jump a vehicle. This will ensure a longer battery life. This should be done with using the 120 volt method but can be done using the 12 volt male to male cable using a vehicle's cigarette lighter while the car is running. You should charge it until you see the CHARGING COMPLETE LED illuminate.
If you aren't using the booster pack regularly it’s a good idea to check the charge status once a month. If your boosters voltage is below the green bar on the voltage gauge, it's time to put it on charge. If you do use the booster frequently it is good not to deplete the battery completely before charging it. Many shops we have as customers keep these plugged in when not in use. The on board charging regulator will not allow the battery to be overcharged.
The internal battery is a lead-acid battery and must be properly disposed of if you replace it after it has been replaced.
As with all products it’s a good idea to register your Jump-n-Carry with the manufacturer after your purchase. Instructions on how to do that can be found in the user's manual or at https://cloreautomotive.com/product/jnc660/. It is also important to keep your receipt as it will be required if you need to use the warranty for any reason.
Probably the most important thing to do before using this booster pack is to read the manual and familiarize yourself with all the suggested best practices to use this booster while being safe and avoiding injury or damage to the vehicle.
If your ready to buy one look at our amazing deal in our store, just follow the link below.
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https://tooldom.com/collections/sale-items/products/soljnc660-22209