OT: Car won't start

[temery]

Does the extreme cold kill a battery, or will it likely start once it warms up outside?

I don't know whether to call for a jump, or wait until later in the day, when it warms up, to try again.

Note: the battery is less than a year old, but I drive less than five miles a day.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Call for a jump. Happened to me the other day when it was -16 in Tahoe. Once it was jumped I was good to go.

 

[8893]

Yes, extreme cold can drain a battery. I don't believe it improves until it runs again, which means warming up probably won't help. You need a jump. And then to warm the engine up, drive to your nearest auto parts store and pick up a Booster Pac ES5000 to keep charged in your car. Even if you don't need it, you'll be a hero to someone else at some point. And then pick up a good inverter that you can run off of it, to run small appliances and mobile device battery chargers when camping, at the beach or when you lose power. We have two of these Booster Pacs and they have come in very handy.

 

[temery]

Yes, extreme cold can drain a battery. I don't believe it improves until it runs again, which means warming up probably won't help. You need a jump. And then to warm the engine up, drive to your nearest auto parts store and pick up a Booster Pac ES5000 to keep charged in your car. Even if you don't need it, you'll be a hero to someone else at some point. And then pick up a good inverter that you can run off of it, to run small appliances and mobile device battery chargers when camping, at the beach or when you lose power. We have two of these Booster Pacs and they have come in very handy.

Damn, I forgot about the booster pac thing. I got one of those for Christmas. I'll charge it up and give it a shot.

Thanks.

 

[ZenConn]

Get a jump or a portable batteries. Keep in mind that even if you buy one, it may take some time for it to fully charge. The bigger cars (SUV's) may require a little more juice on those portable batteries.

I just replaced my battery after the car didn't start and the battery didn't charge even after driving it around for an hour. Make sure you're not too far from home when you shut the car off

 

[CTKIDD]

Start ruling stuff out... A jump is a good start. If it cranks over let it run don't go nowhere. It's probably the cold but there are lots of things that can cause a battery drain. Pay attention to all lights if it cranks, maybe you left something on. I believe battery testing is free at autozone.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Make sure you're not too far from home when you shut the car off

Good advice. Only turn it off at home where you can recharge or at the auto parts store where you can buy a new battery.

 

[sledog]

Electron mobility ~ function of temp. Sooner or later (as temps decrease), the battery will not have enuff oumph (very scientific term). Who made the battery?

 

[temery]

Any idea how long it takes a booster pac to charge? The one I have is a Quipp 300amp. Sounds like it might not be enough.

Yes, extreme cold can drain a battery. I don't believe it improves until it runs again, which means warming up probably won't help. You need a jump. And then to warm the engine up, drive to your nearest auto parts store and pick up a Booster Pac ES5000 to keep charged in your car. Even if you don't need it, you'll be a hero to someone else at some point. And then pick up a good inverter that you can run off of it, to run small appliances and mobile device battery chargers when camping, at the beach or when you lose power. We have two of these Booster Pacs and they have come in very handy.

 

[Strummer]

Sledog is right.
Cold temperatures don't "drain" a battery, per se. That is, they don't cause a loss of the stored chemical potential. What cold temps do is cause current flow to diminish.

So, you turn the key and not as many amps go to your starter motor. Further, your motor is cold, your oil is thick, and the turning resistance is high. All together, not enough compression/momentum is generated to start the car.

Solutions:

1. Allow battery to warm up naturally. At higher temps, it will provide more amps. If you have a charger you can put on it to make sure it is topped up, all the better. Obviously, if you've discharged the battery attempting to start the car, you will need to charge the battery (unless you jump, then the car will charge the battery after you get it running).

2. Remove battery, bring in house, warm up next to radiator or vent (charge if needed). CAUTION batteries can produce hydrogen gas, which is explosive, so ventilate and no open sparks. And don't put it in the microwave. When the battery is up to room temp, reinstall and you'll get more amps.

3. Jump - I try to avoid jumping. Jumping can cause problems. Further, in extremely cold weather, jumping is not as effective. You need to have heavy gauge jumper cables and a good car from which to jump.

4. Combine 2 and 3 if neither works.

5. Check battery terminals and clamps - should be shiny metal. If not, get a 3 dollar post cleaner (specifically made for this purpose) and clean the posts and clamps. You can lose a lot of amps because of bad connections, and I've had many connections get crappy in a year or less. You can use 100 grit or 150 grit sand paper to shine up the posts and clamps if need be.

A one year old battery should be fine. It would be very unusual to have a defective battery one year in.

Good luck. I guess I'm cheap. I wouldn't pay for a jump unless it was an emergency.

Oh, and is the battery sized right for the vehicle? CCA are the critical battery parameter. If you replaced an OEM battery with a battery that has too few CCAs, then you are going to be fighting this same issue again at some future date.

If your car is relatively new, and gasoline (not diesel!), then it absolutely should start down to single digits, no questions asked.

Jump packs and jumper cables are nice and all, but I'm a big fan of making sure you have a proper battery (more CCAs than OEM even!), good connections, and a young battery (replace at first sign of slowing crank rate). Do those things, and the main purpose of your cables and jump pack will be helping others out, which is good.

 

[jleves]

You could also get a trickle charger and just charge the battery for about 6 hours.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

6. Dip stick oil heater - electric; works well if you have a garage in very cold areas. Anyone still have one of those gizmos? overnight temps about 60 F here. Stay safe, and warm back in the motherland!

 

[temery]

You could also get a trickle charger and just charge the battery for about 6 hours.

Kinda hard to get a trickle charger until my car starts

 

[temery]

This is a problem I have annually. I only drive a few miles a day, and I am told that affects the battery. The battery I bought last year was over kill for my Chevy Colorado.

With that said ... The car has only been started once in the past two weeks.

Any idea how long it takes one of those portable jump pacs to charge?

Sledog is right.
Cold temperatures don't "drain" a battery, per se. That is, they don't cause a loss of the stored chemical potential. What cold temps do is cause current flow to diminish.

So, you turn the key and not as many amps go to your starter motor. Further, your motor is cold, your oil is thick, and the turning resistance is high. All together, not enough compression/momentum is generated to start the car.

Solutions:

1. Allow battery to warm up naturally. At higher temps, it will provide more amps. If you have a charger you can put on it to make sure it is topped up, all the better. Obviously, if you've discharged the battery attempting to start the car, you will need to charge the battery (unless you jump, then the car will charge the battery after you get it running).

2. Remove battery, bring in house, warm up next to radiator or vent (charge if needed). CAUTION batteries can produce hydrogen gas, which is explosive, so ventilate and no open sparks. And don't put it in the microwave. When the battery is up to room temp, reinstall and you'll get more amps.

3. Jump - I try to avoid jumping. Jumping can cause problems. Further, in extremely cold weather, jumping is not as effective. You need to have heavy gauge jumper cables and a good car from which to jump.

4. Combine 2 and 3 if neither works.

5. Check battery terminals and clamps - should be shiny metal. If not, get a 3 dollar post cleaner (specifically made for this purpose) and clean the posts and clamps. You can lose a lot of amps because of bad connections, and I've had many connections get crappy in a year or less. You can use 100 grit or 150 grit sand paper to shine up the posts and clamps if need be.

A one year old battery should be fine. It would be very unusual to have a defective battery one year in.

Good luck. I guess I'm cheap. I wouldn't pay for a jump unless it was an emergency.

Oh, and is the battery sized right for the vehicle? CCA are the critical battery parameter. If you replaced an OEM battery with a battery that has too few CCAs, then you are going to be fighting this same issue again at some future date.

If your car is relatively new, and gasoline (not diesel!), then it absolutely should start down to single digits, no questions asked.

Jump packs and jumper cables are nice and all, but I'm a big fan of making sure you have a proper battery (more CCAs than OEM even!), good connections, and a young battery (replace at first sign of slowing crank rate). Do those things, and the main purpose of your cables and jump pack will be helping others out, which is good.

 

[jleves]

Kinda hard to get a trickle charger until my car starts

Once you get it started, it sounds like a trip to the local autoparts store or walmart, sears or whatever to get one would be a good idea considering you live in a buttcold place, don't drive far and don't start your car regularly. I think they are pretty cheap. I got one years ago and it has bailed me out several times.

 

[uconnfan68]

6. Dip stick oil heater - electric; works well if you have a garage in very cold areas. Anyone still have one of those gizmos? overnight temps about 60 F here. Stay safe, and warm back in the motherland!

Used to have block heaters for my diesel(s)... and double 900 CCA batteries. Still barely rolled over in really cold weather. The good old days.

 

[8893]

Any idea how long it takes a booster pac to charge? The one I have is a Quipp 300amp. Sounds like it might not be enough.

If mine is totally drained it can take all day to charge, but it's a pretty big battery. Sounds like yours is a little smaller, but 300 amps should still be enough for a full sized car. I'd look at the manual, but expect a few hours at least if it is starting from zero. There should be a charge indicator that tells you how much charge you have left.