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Jay

Body Shop Beast – Booster Pac and JNC Battery Stand Ins

We worked a major tool show last weekend and had hundreds of great conversations with tool dealers who sell our products every day. As always, it was a lot of fun. One topic that recurred throughout the weekend was related to collision repair shops and their unique usage patterns for jump starters. So, we thought we’d cover that in this month’s product spotlight. For many different reasons, it is typical to find in-process vehicles in a body shop without a battery installed in them. The prime driver of this is the fact that, if any welding is going to be performed on the vehicle, the battery is typically removed to protect it and sensitive vehicle electronics. So, at any given time, it is common to have several cars in various stages of repair that lack a starting battery. Yet, those vehicles often need to be moved from station to station as they make their way through the repair process. Enter the lead acid jump starter. Body shops, as we heard many times last weekend, often use a jump starter as the primary starting battery in these situations, allowing them to move the vehicle a short distance over a relatively short

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Jay

Charging the Lithium Battery in Your Powersports Vehicle

Powersports Season is about to rev up here in the US and Canada, especially with the early spring we’re experiencing throughout North America. That means garages and barns are seeing lots of activity in preparation for getting the season kicked off right. Over the last 10 or so years, we’ve seen a huge shift in the powersports market from lead acid to lithium starting batteries. There are many reasons for the this, as we’ll see below, but a change of this sort comes with some very real world consequences, particularly when it comes to servicing those lithium batteries safely and beneficially. Why are Lithium Batteries Gaining Ground? Lithium batteries have gained steady market share in the powersports market due to many factors, but the greatest advantages driving lithium adoption are weight savings, avoidance of lead and the environmental concerns that come with it, and the increased longevity perceived to come with lithium batteries. There are other factors, but these are the primary drivers. And they all make sense. Lithium batteries are very energy dense and can deliver more power in the same package with a lighter weight vs lead acid batteries. That’s a winning combination. They also don’t have lead,

Clore Stories
Jay

JNC660 Impresses the Parts Manager

“As a parts manager at different car dealerships over the last 40 years, I’ve had the opportunity to use many different types of jump boxes. Now I’m retired, but a few days ago, I went out to my car and it would not start. Seeing as I do not own a jump box, I decided to order one. I won’t say what brand I ordered, but I will say it was junk. My next plan of attack was to order another jump box. Looking at all the different jump boxes available, I realized I have used most all of them. Then I saw the JNC660 and its bright blue color. I knew then that was the box I was going to get, because every time I used that box at the dealership, it never let me down. So, I ordered it, overnighted it even. It comes in. I throw it on the charger as per the owner’s manual. When the time was up, I go out, hook it up to the car and it started like a charm! I turn the car off, disconnect the jump starter, try to start the car again, but it would not start. Hooked the

Resources
Jay

Shop Battery Service Challenges – Babcox Tool Time Podcast

We were recently invited to join the Tool Time podcast for a discussion regarding the challenges faced by today’s shops when it comes to managing vehicle electrical system diagnosis, maintenance and repair. In it, our Jim O’Hara joined hosts Nadine Buttah and Eric Garbe to talk about topics ranging from the wide variety of starting battery types seen in today’s vehicle carpark to the comparative merits of different approaches to battery testing to the need in today’s shop for power supply function for module reprogramming and a whole lot more.  Check out the discussion below: https://youtu.be/3FcohSiBukk?si=1nSgQpB2NTDQZi6g We had a lot of fun participating in the podcast and hope that the topics covered are helpful for shops and technicians. Are there any other topics you’d like to see covered in a future podcast like this one? We’d love to hear from you and make sure we’re addressing those areas of greatest concern.

Products
Jay

OE-Specified Voltage Environment for Reprogramming 2024 Edition

When it comes to vehicle reprogramming, there is one constant, and that is the need for a stable voltage environment to ensure a successful reprogramming event. No matter what your reprogramming tool of choice is, be it OE tool, aftermarket tool or pass-through device, each OE has a recommended target system voltage in which the event should take place. Not surprisingly, they tend to vary from make to make, and even can vary from model to model within one manufacturer. Below is an updated table of OE-specified voltage environments for module reprogramming, developed and. Updated in partnership with our colleague Tanner Brandt, Diagnostic Technician, Technical Trainer, and Founder of Auto Diag Clinic. Where there is additional detail beyond the general spec, we have added it in the Comment column below. We hope this is helpful as you deploy the PL6100 and PL6800 in support of your programming efforts. Manufacturer Recommended Voltage Comment Acura above 12V Ideal target is 13.5V Alfa Romeo 13.2V-13.5V Not above 13.5V Audi 12.8V-14.2V   BMW 14.2V 13.8V for lithium batteries Buick 13.4V   Cadillac 13.4V   Chevrolet 13.4V   Chrysler 13.2V-13.5V Not above 13.5V Dodge 13.2V-13.5V Not above 13.5V Fiat 13.2V-13.5V Not above 13.5V Ford 12.6V-13.6V

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Jay

Module Reprogramming

This month, we’re jumping back into the world of module reprogramming, as we a look at a bunch of resources on this continually hot topic. Every week, we are talking to shops, technicians and our channel partners about this application and the equipment needed to support it. Since it is an expensive proposition to get into the programming game and keep up with the changing vehicle requirements related to it, we feel it is good to circle back on it a few times each year to keep you up to date on the latest trends and topics. The Critical Role of the Flashing Power Supply We decided that we’d follow the old newspaper adage and not “bury the lead.” After all, we are a manufacturer of battery chargers and flashing power supplies. So, when we read this very well presented piece, by Andrew Markel on Import-Car.com, clearly and effectively making the case for why a flashing power supply is essential to the module programming application, we were very excited. Often, articles about module reflashing skip over this aspect of the service completely, which we find depressing for us and confusing for the audience. In this great article, Markel distinguishes between

Resources
Jay

GMC Sierra – No Start, Is it 1983?

We’re continuing our streak of longer (truck-related) resource articles referenced, but this one is a bit less convoluted, makes for an easier read and ends with a good outcome and a happy customer. But, like the others, it just might save you some serious time and a lot of headaches. In it, Enrique from California recounts the tale of a difficult 2020 GMC Sierra where a customer asked him to program a new PCM “because of a code p0606.”  Enrique installed the new PCM, completed the programming and relearns, but the vehicle wouldn’t start. He retraced his steps, even reinstalled the old PCM (which was driven in with the truck prior to the repair). Nothing. He performed a visual inspection to be sure he didn’t disrupt anything during the repair process, but found nothing amiss. He went back through the install and programming for the new PCM a second time, double checking every step. The truck still wouldn’t start. The only clue he found was a repeated odd noise when he push the START button.  Here’s a hint from his story: “Before that I must say the customer had already turned the steering wheel all the way to the left

Clore Stories
Jay

JNC1224 Keeps Heavy-Duty Moving

“The JNC1224 is the go-to standard here at HOLT Cat – Caterpillar’s Authorized dealership serving 118 counties in South, Central, North and East Texas for the last 90 years. Anytime we need to jump start any of our machinery, from a large 992 Wheel Loader to one of our smallest machines, the JNC1224 is always ready to do the job.  We have 30 locations and growing, not including our Texas First Rental locations, Holt Truck Centers, Holt Crane and many other Holt-owned business. We have always come to rely on Clore Automotive jump starters to get us started and up and moving. Regardless the time of day or inclement weather these jump packs have always come thru for us when needed.  I have used other brands of jump starters before, and nothing has come remotely close to what Clore’s jump starters have to offer when it comes to reliability, power and ease of use, time and time again. Besides this being our second JNC, we also own two PL3750 Pro-Logix Wheel Chargers that get used daily, have been in service 10 and 13 years respectively, they have come thru consistently for our Austin location and this is just from our

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Jay

Children’s Mercy Update: Winter 2024

We received a year end update from our partners at Children’s Mercy Kansas City and wanted to share the details of all the great work that they are doing to improve the health outcomes of their patients, patient families and the broader community. In 2023, the Children’s Mercy Center for Family and Community Connections (CFCC) once again grew their community impact and brought increased service to their audience. Here are a few stats and milestones from the past year: Over 4200 families served (121% increases – wow!) Over 10,000 families referred to community services Over 138,000 diapers provided to families Over 2000 individuals received transportation assistance The Kanbe’s Market initiative brought fresh produce to the families served Launched the Powering Families webinar series to empower families and caregivers with the knowledge needed to achieve the best outcomes for area children Grew the CFCC network of referral resources to broaden coverage to meet children’s needs We’d like to wrap the update with a quote from their update to us. “Access to the right care at the right time is essential in supporting a child’s healthy growth and development. With [Clore’s] help, this unique social service center is addressing social determinants of

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Jay

Jump Starting 101

As we move into December, for most of us, that means we are dealing with much colder temperatures than we saw in recent weeks. Which brings all kinds of changes and adjustments to our routines. One big thing to contend with when temperatures drop is how it impacts your vehicle. A key aspect of this is your power system, specifically the impact of cold temperatures on your vehicle’s battery(ies). This issue isn’t confined to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, as cold can cause problems for hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery electric (BEV) vehicles as well. As we pointed out in a previous article, these non-ICE vehicles contain low voltage batteries that perform a variety of tasks, depending on which vehicle architecture they are deployed in. So, we thought we’d focus this month’s article on what to do when you encounter a depleted battery and need to perform a jump start. This is primarily related to ICE, HEV and PHEV vehicle types, but we’ll touch on BEV vehicles briefly as well. Successful Jump Starting Starts with a Ready Unit In life, where you end up often is a result of where you start. This is definitely true when