A HubNut Fail Day! Broken Invacar, dead Oltcit, dead 2CV - with clutch issues!

[@malcolmmorton989]

is the compass for the walk home ?

[@robinjones6999]

with your number of cars you need a proper jump pack as used by road side assist companies

[@tonys1636]

Or just a spare high capacity battery and a long pair of commercial vehicle jump leads. I had 4 nearly new large 6 volt batteries salvaged from a truck that was being broken, The haulage company must have forgotten they were new before sending truck to breakers.

[@tonys1636]

@Alfred Wedmore Used to keep them on a 4 wheel trolley connected in 24v on a 24v trickle charger, kept the cells topped up and specific gravity checked weekly, just used to disconnect to provide 6v or 12v when needed, although often 24v for my ex army lightweight Land Rover, the only ones made with 24v electrics to power the radios they carried in service. They replaced the Austin Champ as it was too heavy to be slung under a chopper at the time. The 20ft, half inch diameter copper jump leads cost more than the batteries did, the price of copper was high at the time. They would jump start a V8 Rolls Royce diesel no problem. They also powered the workshop/garage radio. Essential equipment.

[@andrewgurney6019]

Stop buying crap Mr H, quality , not quantity and please sort Elie's electric out, and do it properly she deserves better.

[@mikemidulster]

I bought two of these packs for £39 each about 4 years ago. They are mostly used for starting ride-on mowers but one of them managed to start a combine harvester which had been sitting for a year. It helps if you allow a few minutes after you connect the pack before trying to turn over, and also if you depress the clutch so that the starter is not also turning over a cold gearbox.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

It's all gone very Hubnut with the cars.... But I think Elly was just jealous you were spending more time on the Oltcit, she was demanding your attention.

[@thedeadstig123]

that no name chinese jump pack will not have a capacity anywhere near that I bet, just like their knock off mobile phone batteries

[@stephenw2992]

I have a decent brand 12v 6.5ah SLA battery I use if my car has been sitting for too long. Chinese lithiums have a habit of bulging or catching fire.

[@martinda7446]

Shouldn't have a problem reaching 10A/h really. It isn't a tough task these days, and as 99.9% of batteries are manufactured in China to a high specification it seems to me you have a good chance to meet specs. Many cheap 18650 cells rated at silly numbers are just the most basic 500mA/h parts and not the impossible 9900mA/h as advertised, but that is a different area. There certainly are a lot of cons, but this looks like a half decent thing.

[@MasticinaAkicta]

In china you can put as big numbers on things as you want. If it has it or not...

[@twocvbloke]

@@martinda7446 Problem is, the quoted capacity is claimed to be 99Ah, which is completely impossible in that size of pack... :S

[@martinda7446]

@@twocvbloke No it's not . These are listed everywhere at 9900mA/h.

[@archie2archie]

please send the duff powerbanks to bigclive for a teardown,and to find out as the weight would suggest its only 9600 mah. Good show as usual

[@Radfordperson]

Good idea!

[@Zadster]

That could be a good KZbin crossover vid

[@HowardLeVert]

That claimed battery figure reminds me of PC speakers 20 years ago that claimed 300W output from a tiny little plug-in power supply that could supply 6VA if lucky.

[@Ragnar8504]

I once saw 150 W from two AA batteries. I've read that the definition of Watts PMPO is "peak impulse power at the instant of a direct lightning strike into the speakers" :-D I also remember seeing a "5 HP electric motor" and the only explanation I could find for that number was that they'd multiplied the startup inrush current by the line voltage.

[@HowardLeVert]

@@Ragnar8504 New keyboard please!!

[@RWBHere]

PMPO is Peak Music Power Output. It bears no relation to the true RMS power output, and as you infer, it's the theoretical maximum a speaker or amplifier could deliver instantaneously, just before self-destruction. Any sound from the system at that level would just be a moment of 100% total harmonic distortion. (A crackle.)

[@Ragnar8504]

@@RWBHere Yes, and that's why there are so many jokes about PMPO power ratings.

[@2e0txe]

Those jump packs are intended to just boost a weak battery, not start a car with a completely dead one.

[@delukxy]

Yes, as you'd left the ignition on the battery was likely down to a couple of volts at best. That would absorb virtually all of the amps available from even a good jump pack. At 10.5v and you might have had a chance. Put a meter across it and see what volts you have. As I said previously get a couple of decent ones from that scrap yard for very little money and keep them on a C-Tek conditioner in the unit. Good call Jonno for an easy fix. Being loose like that could have cracked the other attachment lugs.

[@HubNut]

Off camera, it turned the Oltcit over very merrily for a few seconds each time. I'm pretty impressed with it.

[@garethblake3941]

While working for a ferry company the ship's engineer would use liberal amounts Easy Start fluid to start the main engines though he would comment that the only problem with using Easy Start was that the engines became addicted to it!! Keep up the good work and stay safe.

[@Ian-Steele]

Sounds like Elly is trying to run away from home if she starts at home, but won’t start to go back. 😁

[@jimf4748]

I bought one from Amazon at double the price and it has worked faultlessly, even starting my 3.0L diesel motorhome. Perhaps you only get what you pay for?

[@HubNut]

This one is still working fine. They're not really designed for continuous cranking.

[@northstar1950]

The strobe feature is for discos you can hold whilst waiting for roadside assistance. They think of everything don't they?

[@martinda7446]

A 12v car lead acid battery is usually rated between 40 and 80A/h with a CCA of 400-800A. This lithium battery is likely 14V with 10 A/h. This will allow - if the resistance is low enough - 600A for a minute. 300A for two minutes. A starter under load will draw between 150 and 250A under normal conditions. I guess this battery if rated at its 10A/h will last three minutes. Fine for most circumstances. Edit: Sorry The specs said 99800..which is of course impossible. This would replace two truck batteries.

[@scaleop4]

yea I was thinking the same when I was looking at it.

[@cme2cau]

I got sick of cranking my infrequently used Bedford, so fitted it with an electric fuel pump. That, and electronic ignition means I hardly have to crank it at all. A worthwhile investment.

[@barryphillips7327]

I bought a jump starter off Aliexpress which started a 3ltr diesel Hi Ace, it,s own battery was DEAD flat it would not even light the dashlights, it jump started the Hi Ace cold, twice, because it had to stay connected to get the van to the garage for repairs, it,s alternator had fried itself!

[@EdgyNumber1]

9:43 I had this issue on an old Manta that had a 5 speed conversion. I only found out after months, going to look for the same clutch/gear selection problem. My mate engaged the clutch before starting and I noticed the gearbox and engine sag downwards. I bought some hi-tensile 8.8 nuts and bolts from a hardware store and it was fine. Smooth Getrag shift.

[@usuallyfixingtinkering]

I've got a similar pack, fine for petrols for about 5 starts but a diesel probably one shot only! Useful gadget to have in your glovebox. I wish most problems were just a result of a bolt that needs tightening :)

[@kimba381]

I had a Jump pack just like that, Mr Hubnut, 'cept mine was red. It was excellent! A word of advice: don't hook it up to the battery backwards. Smoke didn't stop billowing out for 15 minutes! And it was a very odd shape after.

[@PurityVendetta]

Well, that's a new 2CV issue on me. I did have my fair share of clutch issues but they were usually down to the fingers of the release mechanism wearing through. I can't tell you how much I miss my 2CVs nowadays. I yearn for the simplicity and functionality of them ❤️

[@MorristheMinor]

One tip I'd like to pass on from late Grandfather. If you think your battery is low, depress the clutch, so that the starter motor is only turning over the engine and not the engine plus gearbox. The low current may be just enough to start the engine, but might not cope with turning over both. Hope that helps someone.

[@ptrwiv]

I’d suggest getting a CTEK charger/conditioner (with some extension leads and quick connectors they do), you can safely leave it connected 24/7 and it will charge a battery up and then condition it when full which can help with old batteries 👍

[@seancooke4127]

Ellie works her magic once more and brings a smile to Hubnut's face.

[@olik136]

in my experience the jumper battery packs are only usable as long your battery isn't actually dead- which is the case like 90% of the time... for anything else and especially for bigger engines the old style packs with an actual car battery in them is still the way to go- especially when troubleshooting

[@MattExzy]

99,000mah.. methinks that alone is a grand lie. 99aH would be more reserve capacity than a large car battery - which is a folly of a claim.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@MattExzy Not necessarily more but at least the size of a proper van battery. Surely a 99.8 Ah pack would also require quite some time to charge up on what looks like a USB charger.

[@philtowle4683]

I have a pair of big croc clips with quick release ends to fit a car battery for jump starting. Bit bigger than yours but works a treat.

[@macgvrs]

You find fun things sometimes after you pull an engine. On a friend's Subaru he discovered his dash lights and gauges would only work if he pushed the clutch in. Turns out the ground wire between the engine and the body had been left off. The clutch cable housing was metal and when he depressed the clutch, it made the connection between engine and body and everything would then work. To quote you, "Fun times."

[@HubNut]

Reminds me of a Land Rover Discovery where the main engine earth failed, so it began earthing through the handbrake cable and melted it...

[@SeasideGarage]

I got the same jumppack and its helped me out many times... But it cant take more then about 4 secs of cranking before it will melt the resistor thingy (inside the red box)... I had to resolder it after trying to start my Austin metro for way to long.... So.... only use it on cars that jumps to life instantly... .. It started my Cinquecento, Skoda 105 and volvo 240 many times... :)

[@RichieRouge206]

Funny how you get days where things fail on multiple levels. But you handled it well and succeeded with Elly at least so not is lost.

[@Honky_Konky_Phooey]

I have 2 jump packs a noco gb150 at work which starts anything and an alstart boost max but both costing over £200 each.All these cheap Chinese packs are total junk. Absolutely love a 2cv the most fun you can have, my pal used to have one with Dennis the menace painted all over it people loved it. Cracking video as per usual 👍🇬🇧

[@Radfordperson]

I keep a spare good car battery charged for use in case of emergencies, usually a friend's / neighbour's car not starting. The jumper packs don't have the capacity.

[@BrorAppelsin]

Same here, 95Ah from a Sprinter van :)

[@Radfordperson]

@@BrorAppelsin Mine measures 70 AH, was a 75 AH battery. My friend (ex Mercedes Mechanic) had Sprinter battery in hi Volvo 340 for about 15 years, just been replaced, the battery that is, not the Volvo!

[@2tone209]

THE GIVE AWAY OF CHEAPNESS IS A COMPASS ON IT OH DEAR

[@flodareltih6775]

These packs are fine for starting modern machines with direct fuel injection but with older engine set ups you need extra cranking capacity.

[@millomweb]

Remember (nah, Ian won't!) BBC 2... IN COLOUR ! ? Well, if I'm not mistaken, we have Hubnut IN STEREO ! Very interesting !

[@SB-vb8ch]

Those booster packs are really only any good where you have a discharged but reasonably healthy battery on the car (the discharged battery will still contribute during cranking wheras a goosed battery gives nothing at best & at worst is another load). Most modern stuff just needs the voltage propping up to keep everything alive once the starter engages & the voltage drop is the greatest. Capacity gives you the ability to crank for a period to pull fuel through.

[@gryfandjane]

Nice to hear the Oltcit spring to life! If you’re casting about for names, “Old Sid” comes to mind. ;-)

[@graemew7001]

I was at Ripon Classic Car Show on Sunday and saw 2 Dolly's, 1 was Elly the other was grey and red, was this ever an option or a later respray? There was a lovely 1970 Fourgonette that was left with its original patina and in LHD, it's funny I never took any notice of them before I became a HubNutter but now I love them.

[@larsbjrnson3101]

The strobe is for self defence. It confuses an attacker if you point it to one in the dark.

[@Shane_Marsh]

Another quality vid Ian. I've just purchased some more merch and I love the little note about which car took it to the post office, a really nice touch. Thanks.

[@andysimkin5200]

I love these vids with bits of "consumer advice" thrown in Ian. Especially as they're unbiased. I brought a £40 "Yaber" jump-pack off of eBay and literally the next day it jumped my KA and a volkswagen Sharan on Sainsburys carpark so it paid for itself within 24 hrs. Thanks again for the fab vids!

[@Tarten21]

I bought a pack off amazon a bit dearer but same size and it started a my next doors 2.0cdti Insignia from cold totally dead i was amazed and it took 3 cranks to get it spinning fast enough to fire.

[@flodareltih6775]

Direct fuel injection is different gravy to start than an old carb engine tho

[@flodareltih6775]

The poles are shifting at such a rate that when the compass shows north it's actually North East! Pray they don't flip and reverse in a couple of years!

[@Ty4ons]

Project Farm did a test of a variety of small jump packs and there was a big spectrum of performance.

[@johnwinters4201]

Shock news! Cheap, lightweight jump-pack from eBay is not very good.

[@michaeltutty1540]

Very interesting, Ian. Glad you got Ellie going again. That we car is a real trooper.

[@rolandleusden]

For that price I bought myself a LiPo battery at HobbyKing (Turnigy nano-tech 4000mah 3S 35~70C Lipo Pack w/XT-60), which does start a 2CV.

[@pauldavies6037]

It's the TRUE cranking Amps that count To turn the engine over

[@georgecharles374]

Ask big clive about battery capacity in these packs

[@mbak7801]

That one probably 800maH. A compass????? First red flag.

[@martinneumann7783]

The OLTCIT is so cool, I do hope to see it on the road in in the near future... 😃

[@scalecrawlnl]

Learning by doing. Perhaps get some help with the Invacar to get it working well for Summer. And for your consideration, how about getting a workhorse like a 2nd Gen Prius to be sure of transport? Thank you for the video, hope at least one of the cars in the stable will play ball😎 PS Calvin of Calvin's Car Diary can perhaps source you an affordable and solid, daily driver👍

[@terryatkinson899]

Does the olcit have a cranking pulley for a hand crank? Chinesium quality jump pack... not what it says on the tin!

[@HubNut]

Ah. Good thinking!

[@jamespotter3334]

I'd love to spend a day with both those oltcits and swap all the good bits on to the good car. Did it once with a pair of escorts I had.

[@whitemoor66]

Blimey, a packed couple of days! Looks like Elly needs treating to a new electrical harness. I had these sort of issues with bullet connectors and the like on an old mini cooper. Go over a bump and lose the headlights (scary on dark country roads), hit another and back they came!

[@HubNut]

Yeah, she's a victim of my previous bodgery. I've been chopping that loom about for about 21 years!

[@Ragnar8504]

@@HubNut Some quality heatshrink through-crimps might extend its life for a while.

[@andrewentwistle515]

Oh dear poor Ian, there seems to me that there quite a few car problems arising at the moment. But I am sure that Ian will be able to get them solved.

[@Zadster]

99,800 mAh would give Dinorwig hydro plant a run for it's money - and that is capable of bump-starting the entire National Grid! From the sound of it, the Chinese manufacturer of that jump pack has just taken their competitor's pack details and added an extra zero to them. Or, in some occasions, two zeros. Putting 300A through those cables would result in an explosion of the sort that Mr Photonicinduction gets in his videos. A good (genuine) jump pack that size would be 10,000mAh or so.

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

The compass is to lead you on your walk to the next garage after it dies trying to start your car.

[@MattBrownbill]

Put a new lead acid battery in your Halford's pack. I did, in mine and it's like new.

[@bentullett6068]

Just another average day in the world of Hubnut where the cars don't want to play ball.

[@chrisrumble2665]

Oh no! You jinxed Ellie by mentioning the clutch worked in the fleet update.

[@Thanos.m]

I would say try one of the noco jump packs they are pricey but I've seen them starting 6 litre diesels and lots of cranking

[@Mrcento]

The jump packs they sometimes have in Lidls are decent. Around £40-50 iirc. Mine got a spaceship civic 2.2 cdti started and barely even touched the battery so their capacity seems pretty much as advertised, unlike the cheap Chinese ones.... Pretty sure if it can turn over a modern diesel lump it'd manage an Oltcit with a prolonged crank no bother for a lot more tries than that pack did!

[@flodareltih6775]

Starting an old carb engine will take way more cranking than a modern direct injection diesel unit!

[@eggy1962]

Mechanical fuel pumps stop working if left dry, squirt fuel into the pump both ends then re connect pipes you might be lucky even with the part car pump too

[@The-Observer]

I have a jump pack and it has saved me quite a few times. It's a Streetwize brand one and can jump my Land Rover 4 or 5 times on a single charge. Was about £75 bjut well worth it.

[@yellowbird8690]

Gone to option three on Scotty's wheel bearing; DIY. Order bearing kit. Going to use Whisky as a practice run first.

[@milksheihk]

I had a jump pack identical to that (from ebay right?), Maybe the tenth time I used it it swelled up & let the smoke out jumping a Merc 190d 2.5

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Interesting, I've been pondering these jump start packs. Probably a useful thing to have, but not rely on, I suppose 👍

[@xqqqme]

There are many tests of them on KZbin and...if you get something other than a no-name...it will serve you well. Mine has started my car 3 times during an "alternator altercation" and my neighbor's car once. They're also nice to have around for power failures to recharge phones and other devices.

[@andrewhaines8603]

We bought one from Halfords. It was the same price on Amazon plus I didn't have to wait or pay extra for delivery. It wasn't cheap, but it started the dead battery on our narrow boat really easily. Just takes an age to fully charge. Well worth the money.

[@barryhumphries4514]

I have a Chinese made up name jump starter pack that has saved me a few times. It doesn’t have a compass but it does have one brilliant feature. It has 3 lights on the end just like Hubnut's but, only the centre one is white. The other two do a very good impression of an American Police car. Fast strobing Red and Blue LED lights. 🚔 Probably not very legal to use on the road really! 🤨😁

[@adamlawonphotography5219]

Great video Ian, always worries me when a product manufacturer or rebrander embellish it will gimmicks like a compass and a crappy torch…. Hope it actually does what it says on the tin……😎

[@toppledgod]

Pay attention to what you're doing with electrical stuff Ian, the wires on that jump pack are so thin if you used it on anything bigger than the Oltcit it'd probably catch fire!

[@reddermot]

Cheap jump packs are cheap for a reason. Cheap electronics and cheap power cells. I tossed my cheap, failed items and bought a NOCO GB40. It's not the most powerful one in their range but at 12v and 1000A, it has not let me down yet. I'd also recommend CTEK battery chargers from personal experience.

[@drr1071]

Elly had me worried for a minute. Glad it wasn't a major issue

[@jusb1066]

Set up some space with all your current inactive car batteries,.link them together and use a battery maintainer

[@doveronefoxtrot4417]

I bought a really snazzy one for £69. They don't turn over for very long before dying.

[@leeallen7491]

I have one of those jump packs...brilliant piece of equipment

[@citroenamiadventures3424]

It’s not very Hubnut, I know, but why not buy a (some) decent batteries (instead of those stupid small packs) and put them on chargers regularly? Bonus points for the Oltcit. What a lovely car!

[@vannicrider7953]

The pack did amazingly well! I thought it would just melt

[@RWBHere]

It didn't hold enough energy for it to melt. Maybe it could catch fire whilst recharging though. I don't like playing Battery Roulette.

[@harrycrawford8517]

Those packs are great if the battery on the car is in good condition but just flat. They are not so good if the battery on the car has had it.

[@CrazyPeteUK]

Have you ever tried the Capacitor Jumpstarters, which use what little battery you have left and charge up to 12v?

[@jaggass]

'''Tomorrow will be a good day'' Sir Captain Tom Moore.

[@Witheredgoogie]

As they use to say sort of in the definitive Batman show "another groovy day in Gotham City..but wait what's going on here"

[@Andy-sh9eq]

Nylon lock nuts are a good idea for the 2cv

[@44CT232]

While I can't speak for all of these lithium jumper packs, I find that the cheapy Chinese ones only really work if the car's battery is just slightly too flat to turn the engine over - they don't really work too well for trying to start a completely dead car (my dad fried the diodes on one once trying to start a dead diesel). Also, given that one is pushing those small lithium cells quite hard when cranking an engine, they can also be rather dangerous too, and I've seen one that had exploded after use.

[@HubNut]

Very much depends on the pack. My iClever pack started many, many cars and acted as a back up battery for phone and camera very merrily for two years. Sadly at that point, it stopped accepting a charge.

[@44CT232]

@@HubNut Fair point, and even the cheap ones I've used do work pretty well as a USB power bank and torch.

[@MrButtonpresser]

Time to get Peter Anderson over for some new wiring for Elly

[@philtowle4683]

Does he bring his own connectors?

[@MrButtonpresser]

@@philtowle4683 I think he’s a solder man.

[@stephinepaul7483]

Having just woken up a bunch of my own stuff,I feel your frustration(Lol..)!

[@Kai-Peter.Schellhase]

It never rains but it pours eh, Ian? Hopefully Jono's tip for fixing Elly worked - fingers crossed!🤞

[@paultasker7788]

At that size I would say that jumper pack is only 10000 to 20000mah. It would be much bigger if it was as claimed. Project farm channel does an interesting comparison of these jump packs. Some are awful and others very good. None of them are 30 quid though!

[@nickmoore2301]

Was that jump pack another quality item from WISH 😂 Good quality packs are at least £100, what do you expect for £30 ! It's probably full of old mobile phone batteries 🤪 Nice to see you actually fixing a car, keep up with the tinkering 👍

[@nickdoughty518]

You don't need a jump pack but a jet pack to get to the more remote cars.

[@2Thumbs0402]

If something claims to be "high power", it most probably isn't.

[@grayfool]

I've had very litttle luck with those cheap jump pack thingys. I think amps are much smaller in China so they give you more but still don't make up the difference with real ones. Well, something like that.

[@HubNut]

I've had mixed results. I got given one to test that easily started the Delica with a completely flat battery, and lasted for two years. I bought a smaller one earlier this year and it now seems to be entirely dead.

[@davidmg1925]

Pressie from vehiacl.my folks was a heaver duty jump pack. Beyond what i can carry for long periods but it will start your vehical. 😉

[@brianreardon956]

‘Inadvertent tinkering ‘ I’m going to steal that😀

[@georgeratcliffe7752]

Can you do a comparison video between the two oltcits?

[@chrisgreen1094]

There are things that you buy cheap on eBay and then there are things you don’t. Starter packs being the latter

[@chrisransom463]

North and south on that charger pack.is so you no whitch way walk home when it wont start the car ?

[@ronanwood6891]

The best jump packs are actually the biggest noco ones in my experience

[@micheltebraake7915]

Ho, stop, I can only handle 1 car at a time in a video ;-) Fail day? Elly is made again, so that's not too bad.

[@Mrflash222006]

It's light, the first clue, knock a zero off that rated number, Chinese eBay Junk

[@GPSOMG-]

I thought you might have jinxed it there at one point with Elly listening.

[@kevkfz5226]

Do you really need trickle chargers to stop the batterys discharging in the first place. Also im a big fan of AGM batteries which doesnt seem to self discharge like old lead acids.

[@wanderinggentile]

I wonder how many of us in the Hubnut community would be willing/able to offer material support so that Mr Nut has access to facilities and experience that would allow him to tinker with greater success. The C5's clutch, with hand tools and working alone might take 8 hours. With three pairs of experienced hands, a lift, and a gearbox jack, it could be done in 2. Dear Lord, stop me before I Discovery Channel this man into the grave.

[@HubNut]

Ha! It's a nice thought, but the Citroen book time for the C5 clutch is over six hours...

[@MattBrownbill]

So it was a 'quick release' engine in Elly.