Fastmikefree

Hi
In case of low battery, is it ok to use a booster (type based on capacitors with no battery inside) to start a Z06 or is there any risk to damage the electronics of the car?

I did not find anything around that in the GM documentation but prefer to double check with knowledgeable people on this forum!

Phil

madrob2020

ronsc1985

As long as you connect it directly across the battery you should be good to go.

Where people get in trouble with these type arrangements is when there is a long run of wire between the booster connection and the battery. In that case transient currents between the booster and the battery can cause large voltage under and overshoots from the inductance in the cabling.. You can also take out fusible links from the large current being delivered to the battery from the booster capacitor bank.

Can you get by without following the above? Probably but why take the chance. The transient suppression built into the car electronics is designed to handle normal operation, not someone making a non stock connection to the 12 volt distribution system.

Fastmikefree

First of all, many thanks for your detailed explanations!

Does that mean that I should not connect the booster to the dedicated ports at the front of the Z06, but to the battery underneath the floor mat at the back?

Phil

ronsc1985

If the dedicated ports are a direct connection to the battery, i.e. no taps on the way to the battery, then you should be O.K. I haven't been able to find any charging studs on my 2017. On the 2008 the charging stud was obvious.

Fastmikefree

At the front, close to the fuse box, there is a dedicated positive port for jump cable and GM recommend to always connect the negative port to the chassis, and never to the negative port of the 'dead' battery that can potentially explode. The booster documentation makes the same statment, but I prefer to ensure that is the right way to do it.

Never used that kind of booster on a Vette but like the idea to be able to start the car if in the middle of nowhere with an empty battery.

NSC5

You can run into the same issues with the capacitor type booster, external battery jump pack, etc. IF the battery in the Z06 is totally dead in terms of an open cell or has a broken connection or extremely poor connection between the terminal and battery post. The car battery itself functions as a transient absorber so any transients generated from removing/connecting an external pack or from poor connections will normally be absorbed by the battery as it tries to recharge itself from the transient spike which clamps the spike at a very low voltage. But if the battery is disconnected, poorly connected, or has an open cell then your only transient protection comes from the transient protection built into some of the car's more sensitive devices which may or may not properly protect them or other items on the 12 volt bus.

This is also how you can get into trouble trying to jump a dead vehicle if the big fusible link is open because applying voltage on the protected side of an open link leaves the car open to very high transients.

On edit: As the OP noted, GM wants you to use the remote terminal for safety reasons to avoid creating a spark at the battery which can light off hydrogen that is produced during battery operation (and especially during the rapid charge which takes place when a good battery is connected to a discharged battery). If the fusible link is intact then there is no problem with using the remote terminal. Since we are at DC and not UHF a long piece of straight wire doesn't create an inductance issue. Where inductive discharge comes into play is when you have a coil, like the ignition coil, and the voltage is suddenly interrupted then the collapsing magnetic field brought about by removal of voltage creates a high voltage transient but your regular car wiring isn't built into a coil that creates that sort of magnetic field. The electromechanical relays used for switching some car functions can create a small inductive "kick" when coil power is removed but they have a diode across the coil to absorb this transient; solid state relays don't create this problem and they are rapidly replacing the older coil type relays because of much better reliability and no problem of generating a voltage transient from the collapsing coil magnetic field when voltage is removed.

If the battery is too low to start the engine but some minimal electrical activity is present (doors respond to fob, interior lights respond even dimly) then the battery is sufficiently healthy that it should absorb transients and it is safe to use the remote terminals or jump it at the battery. If the car appears completely dead then I would replace the battery rather than risk trying to jump a potentially open battery but the remote terminal is MUCH safer. Of course when replacing the battery connect the positive first and then firmly attach the negative so you don't wiggle it during attachment creating those undesired transients. I was picking up a replacement battery for my Deere utility tractor last year and the farm and auto store where I bought it also did service work and one of the "techs" was demonstrating to the customer how much "juice" the new battery had by tapping the negative connector against the post and showing the impressive sparks. As Bugs Bunny would say, "what a maroon"

ronsc1985

Any rapidly changing current, like the initial surge from connecting a capacitor bank to the battery creates a transient voltage spike. I.e. L di/dt. All wire of any length has inductance. In particular current other then dc crowds to the od of the conductor.
As per above if di/dt is large enough you create a voltage transient which the suppression built into the electronic modules may or may not be able to suppress.

One would hope the designers have eliminated any such problems this with the cabling design if you follow the recommended instructions.

ronsc1985

On my 2017 the owners manual (around page 290 if I remember correctly) outlines the procedure for jump starting the car. In particular the cables are to be connected at the battery.

I haven't looked for a stud under the hood for about a year but when I was while making a switch to turn on the intercooler pump the only place I could find a place to connect a clip on connector was on the buss bar between the firewall and the fuse box on the passenger side. Is the stud on the driver side?

Fastmikefree

Many thanks to you guys for all of these very useful information! Always learning a lot on this great forum!

383vett

It is on the passenger side directly behind the fuse box. It has a plastic cover that needs to be flipped up.

ronsc1985

I just looked. There is a flimsy plastic cover over something immediately above the buss bar I hooked up to originally. I didn't want to pry on the cover since it feels kind of flimsy and I couldn't seem to locate a release tab. .

madrob2020

Just looked to locate. Better in bright garage than dark of night in rain. Standing on pax side looking straight down, the release tab is shaped exactly like a L ('16 Z). Press aft straight back on the tip of bottom of L leg towards tail of car & rotate up & toward driver side, awkward spot-I raised the aft handle over fuse box for room (tabs for it are just aft of each rotating cams for the handles).

Stingcan

Guys, Are there any issues starting the car by letting it roll and dumping the clutch? Getting mine next week and just want to know if I ever have the need, if this is safe to do in these cars....

3 Z06ZR1

I wouldn't try it the pump has to spin till pressure comes up!