Author Topic: cold weather starting (Read 12638 times)

jtanguay · « **on:** January 21, 2005, 01:52:45 pm »

this is really ticking me off... I hear about people starting at -30C HOW!!!

my engine barely cranks over!!!!!!!!!! 900CCA battery in there, is that the problem? Its only -20C here and I need my car to start

I cranked it about 3 times, and now my starter sounds like it was wounded... lol? I'm hoping its the battery, but its a sears die hard! The ones on those commercials you see starting big trucks.. -40C cold cranking power.

Would it be worth putting 10w30 in the engine and or finding a 1200CCA battery? Does anyone have any tricks to start it this cold? I think my starter is going as well... This is VERY frustrating, as my gas golf would start right up no matter how cold it could get here (god bless mechanical fuel injection!)

crazybushman · « **Reply #1 on:** January 21, 2005, 05:16:01 pm »

I use a oil pan heater, battery blanket, a good block heater, Howe's fuel condtitioner, a 1000CCA motomaster battery, and it has yet to fail in starting (all the way down to -45C last winter). It even started up the other day in an 'emergency' at -26C without being plugged in. I think good compression and proper wires to your starter help as well.

Cheers!
Tyler

Dr. Diesel · « **Reply #2 on:** January 21, 2005, 06:08:11 pm »

my brand new engine with a 1000cca battery wouldn't start the other morning. I changed to 0W40 synthetic and now there's no problem at all. I was running 15w40 for break-in.

Hammy · « **Reply #3 on:** January 21, 2005, 06:21:43 pm »

I think Dr. 'D' is right on the money with the synthetic oil. The conventional dung, is like sludge at these temps. You can barely move the crank with a ratchet wrench. I have a 1050 cca battery, and I soldered all of my joints, and installed new cables(1 gauge).

Jtanguay, if your starter is on the way out, then you had better rebuild or replace it. Cranking speed is critical for starting.

After -25C, I usually go out in the morning and plug my car in for about 15 mins, just to take the edge off.

Good luck.

jtanguay · « **Reply #4 on:** January 21, 2005, 07:35:43 pm »

hmmmm i did put rotella synthetic 0w40 oil in there, so that should be good... has to be my starter/battery. I'd like to do work on it but the fingers don't last long out there!

oh yea forgot.. my battery is 800 CCA....

who makes a good 1200 CCA battery? I might as well go all out!

srivett · « **Reply #5 on:** January 21, 2005, 07:38:09 pm »

Go down to your ESSO bulk station and grab a flat of 12 bottles. You have a choice between 0w30 and 0w40. Price is about 4 litres a bottle so it isn't much more than regular oil. If your car starts really well with it run it until the engine begins to start hard again. At this point the synthetic has gotten filthy from cleaning your engine so you'll have to change it again regardless of mileage.

For some reason my car now refuses to start when it is -30. I think it is because my IP is drooling fuel all over the place.

Plug it in for half an hour and all is good.

Steve

jtanguay · « **Reply #6 on:** January 22, 2005, 11:00:30 am »

I plugged the car in overnight

I'm pretty sure its a bad battery... there is no way that it cranks over fast enough. The jumper cables that I used before to try and start it broke (werent meant to take that much amps and got REAL hot lol).

This weather stinks. I want to get under the hood and start laying out some new wiring.. possibly add another battery in the trunk in parallel with the one in front and try to get 1500CCA...

Hammy · « **Reply #7 on:** January 22, 2005, 02:55:19 pm »

If you are going to try to run parallel batteries, you have to make sure they both are identical in amp ratings. Also you will definetely want to use two new batteries. Otherwise the weaker will draw from the stronger, so to speak. I have found this way to be costly. I would recommend a larger single battery (from say a Dodge truck with a Cummins engine) and make sure all connections are good.

It has been my experience, that if a starter/starter circiut, alternator, or battery, that is in poor condition, will put excessive strain on the other components and cause premature failure. Meaning a weak starter will trash a battery very easily. They all need to work in unison.

srivett · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2005, 03:22:02 pm »

If you think the battery is at fault have it tested. This works most of the time but I had a battery that refused to fail a test but after going through everything else I tossed the battery. It was the battery even though it passed 3 different tests at 3 different stores. :? There were definately issues with my car that caused the battery to fail and I found them. New battery cables, new parts in the starter, new belts, new wires for the alternator, etc.

Steve

BlackTieTD · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:35:33 pm »

does it fire right up no problem when you boost it off a running car?

jtanguay · « **Reply #10 on:** January 23, 2005, 11:25:53 am »

well it turns over faster... but it generally doesn't start up right away.

the car i boost off of also has to rev up, otherwise mine doesn't crank over fast enough... At -35C i got it to start dieseling (a little bit) but I couldnt keep it up... (this was with boosting)

my brother got me the 800 CCA battery for 25 bucks... so I'm probably just going to get another one of those and end up with 1600 CCA

there isnt anything wrong with mixing synthetic oil with say, 5w30 dino oil?(just to thin it out on a really cold day. i know that it will ruin my synth oil but thats ok)

srivett · « **Reply #11 on:** January 23, 2005, 06:27:59 pm »

Your car still won't start? Maybe the wind is blowing away the heat from your block heater. The solution to this is to get a big blanket and wrap your engine up.

You can also put a big rubber truck mudflap under the engine for the winter. That 15w40 has got to go too, it is probably the reason your engine won't spin fast enough to start. If it is safe to do in your area have somebody tow you down the road in 2nd gear to start it. Then change your oil before it cools off.

Steve

Hammy · « **Reply #12 on:** January 23, 2005, 07:04:54 pm »

If you are going to use two 800 cca batteries, you had better put two new ones in, and not use the old one. Ask any trucker, or anyone with pickups, or vans that have parallel batteries. They always replace both, and always have problems when one is old and the other is new.

If you plan on running 1600cca, you had better change the battery cables. Otherwise excessive cranking will ruin them in short time, with all the amps going through the cables.

jtanguay · « **Reply #13 on:** January 23, 2005, 10:34:20 pm »

thanks for the info moonstone. i just got the 800 cca battery about 2 months ago, so it should be okay. i pay just 25 bucks for it so i dont mind getting even more

for the cabling, i'm probably going to go to home depot and rig some heavy duty wiring through the car, and have a switch to turn the extra battery on. (still thinking on how i can trickle charge the battery while the car is running... maybe i can find something at princessauto

)

Patrick · « **Reply #14 on:** January 24, 2005, 09:12:43 am »

IF you insist on using two, just hook them both up the same. The alternator doesn't know how many batteries it's charging, it only reads voltage. Run a positive straight to the starter, and hook the negative to the block somewhere. I run two on my pickup (3/4 ton 4 door GMC powered by perkins

) and used to run a Kenworth that had 4. Don't replace one at a time, start with two new matched batteries, and stay that way. If one goes bad, replace both and use your other good one in a gasser, tractor, lawnmower, pickup truck, whatever. Unmatched just means trouble.