Can You Jump Start A Jet Ski With A Truck [Exploding Batteries?]

Many of us have been there, we want to take our jet skis out on the water but when we go to start the jet ski engine we find out the battery is dead.

This problem tends to happen more at the start of the season, when people have not used them for months.

Since you’re able to jump a car, and PWCs use a 12-volt battery, could you jump start them with your car or truck?

The answer is no, but I need to explain why it’s a bad idea.

You can Jump Start your jet ski With a Car?

It’s best if you can avoid jumping your jet ski battery, as you run the risk of damaging the follow.

• Your battery
• Your vehicle’s battery
• Your electronics
• Your vehicle’s electronics
• And yourself!

There is also the risk of a battery exploding. Yes, lead-acid batteries can explode, especially ones that have been sitting dead for months.

Why Jump Starting From Trucks Is Bad?

When it comes to a jet ski, the problem of jumping off a car or truck is that people do it from a vehicle that can be running.

When the engine is running, the truck’s alternator is generating power, and that’s a problem.

If you connect your dead jet ski battery to a charged car battery, the car’s computer will sense the extra load and think its own battery is weak. In response, it will boost the alternator output to produce more power. If the jet ski battery has been sitting for months, it’s likely sulfated, which makes the situation even worse.

There are 3 problems that are now created:

1. The truck engine will try to charge the smaller jet ski battery and smaller electrical system.
2. If you get the jet ski to crank, you now have to remove the connection. With such a vast difference in charge, that it can create voltage spikes from the alternator which will fry the jet ski electronics.
3. The dead jet ski battery can explode.

Your vehicle’s electrical system and wiring is much larger than a jet skis and they can’t handle the power coming out of some vehicles, especially large trucks.

The worst is the voltage spike from the alternator. When a running alternator suddenly loses a large load, like disconnecting the weak jet ski battery, a voltage spike can happen, and it needs somewhere to go. You can get 100-200 volt spikes that are now looking for a place to go, either in you or the electronics of your truck or PWC. Some call this “the alternators working against each other“, but it’s the same thing. The electronics of your craft can’t absorb the spikes as well as your vehicle and will get fried.

This can happen on modern vehicles, with many manufacturers putting extra warnings on jump start or what kind of jumper cables.

Lead-acid batteries can also explode when too much sulfation takes place. They sulfate when left alone and not used for months, which is very common for jet skis, and a surge of power and the perfect mix can have the battery explode. There is even a warning sticker on all lead-acid battery about them exploding.

Could You Jump start From A Car That Is Not Running?

If the problem happens when the car engine is running, does that mean it would be safe to do it a PWC using a car with the engine turned off

You can jump start them from a car with the car engine off, but it would be better to disconnect the car battery completely.

You still have the voltage spike problem, but now it can come from the jet ski stator, as it does not have an alternator. A stator and alternator are very similar, and the problem is smaller because a stator doesn’t produce as much, but the problem is still there.

The best way to jump start jet skis is with another battery that is not connected to anything else. It’s also ideal to use a battery of similar size, don’t try with a lawn tractor battery!

Basically, only jump from a jump-starter battery pack.

You could Use Jump Starter Packs

Jump-starting from a car is not the best way to go about this. In fact, the best thing to do for your jet ski is simply replace the battery with a good one.

But we’ve all been in a tight spot before, so it’s okay to jump your ski from another battery that’s not connected to anything. In other words, you can use a jump starter battery pack.

If your jet ski needs jumping a lot, then you need to figure out why your battery keeps dying. I, keep a solar charger on my jet ski all the time and never have any starting issues until the battery is 5 years old, and then I replace it.

I understand jumper battery packs kind of suck, they too need to be kept charged, which makes them almost not worth it.

Though, there does exist a solution that fixes the jump starter charging problem, and it’s super capacitor jump starters.

Charge The Dead jet Ski Battery Instead!

If you’re not going to be riding you jet ski until the next day or several hours from now, just charge it instead to avoid problems!

The stator is not always going to charge your battery, so don’t think riding your jet ski will resolve your problem.

Most of the time the battery needs to be charged, no need to jump start it if you have the time.

It’s good practice to charge your battery the night before you ride, or keep a smart battery charger on your jet ski when you store it for the winter.

Is A new Battery Already Charged?

If you’re in a time crunch and need to get on the water right away, then you can buy a new battery.

Start here at this chart to figure out what battery you need for your jet skis.

The sealed jet ski battery should be charged and ready to start your engine.

Batteries that have the acid pack that you need to put on are not charged and must charge overnight if you want the most life out of the battery. Yes, it’s enough to start the engine a couple of times, but that battery will not last unless you can fully charge it the first time.