Battery going? Does this pass the smell test?

Just got back from a longer trip to the store 7 miles away than expected.

I was out of town for a few days for family gathering. Got home Monday (6 days ago). Car parked outside this whole time not run/moved. Its been pretty cold the past couple and was -13F last night and about -6F when I went to leave for the store. Turned over a little slower than normal but hey its -6. Started no issues. Let it warm a couple minutes while I grabbed the mail. Drove to the store 7 miles. Did my shopping and got in the car. Dash lights up, info screen is on, no crank. Nothing.

Tried it a couple of times. This is a stick shift so wondering if the clutch switch could be sticking in the cold. Pushed clutch in/out a few times, etc. Still no joy. I called for a tow. Took about 30min for the truck to get there while I waited in the store as its now up to about 0F out. Truck guy suggests a jumper pack to see what would happen before towing it to my house. $75 vs $160. Sure. Jump pack on for a moment and I get in and it starts right up.

Drove home no issues. The tow man was saying maybe the battery did not get a chance to fully recharge in those 7 miles after it was run down by all the computers for a week and its cold as well. 2020 car and original battery so its going on 5yrs old.

My problem with that (battery low from drain for a week in the cold) is why would it have started initially at my house and not at the store. Engine was warmed so not thick oil. It did have some time to recharge and that should not take too long.

What say you? I parked the car in a different spot where its easier to put a charger on it and not blocking the garage door to get my other vehicle out for work tomorrow if I need to. Maybe I should get a new battery....

I am going to go out and see if it starts again shortly after sitting for 30 minutes....
 
If there is a connection issue, or a battery that is weak, the issue may have been primed before that day. I live in MN and encounter air and storms coming down I-94 from ND. I would have the battery load tested and charging voltage assessed (in the running car, not a external charger) to get a handle on the situation. If the battery seems OK, check connections and cable condition. They do put #4 battery cables on vehicles which need #2. Jim
 
I keep coming back to if the battery was weak or bad connections, how did it start totally cold at -6 after a week and then not even a click with a warm(er) engine later with at least some recharge on it? There is no visible corrosion on the battery terminals but that can be hidden unless taking them apart. My usual experience with bad terminal connections is slow cranking though, but that is on older stuff.

I suspect this car like other modern ones the starter solenoid is not fed off the key and its controlled by a electronic box that decided something was not right and allowed no power to the starter.

I let car sit for about 30 min and it restarted fine. I will see what happens in the morning!
 
Just got back from a longer trip to the store 7 miles away than expected.

I was out of town for a few days for family gathering. Got home Monday (6 days ago). Car parked outside this whole time not run/moved. Its been pretty cold the past couple and was -13F last night and about -6F when I went to leave for the store. Turned over a little slower than normal but hey its -6. Started no issues. Let it warm a couple minutes while I grabbed the mail. Drove to the store 7 miles. Did my shopping and got in the car. Dash lights up, info screen is on, no crank. Nothing.

Tried it a couple of times. This is a stick shift so wondering if the clutch switch could be sticking in the cold. Pushed clutch in/out a few times, etc. Still no joy. I called for a tow. Took about 30min for the truck to get there while I waited in the store as its now up to about 0F out. Truck guy suggests a jumper pack to see what would happen before towing it to my house. $75 vs $160. Sure. Jump pack on for a moment and I get in and it starts right up.

Drove home no issues. The tow man was saying maybe the battery did not get a chance to fully recharge in those 7 miles after it was run down by all the computers for a week and its cold as well. 2020 car and original battery so its going on 5yrs old.

My problem with that (battery low from drain for a week in the cold) is why would it have started initially at my house and not at the store. Engine was warmed so not thick oil. It did have some time to recharge and that should not take too long.

What say you? I parked the car in a different spot where its easier to put a charger on it and not blocking the garage door to get my other vehicle out for work tomorrow if I need to. Maybe I should get a new battery....

I am going to go out and see if it starts again shortly after sitting for 30 minutes....
A 5-year-old battery and North Dakota winters don't mix in a vehicle you need to be dependable. Do yourself a favor and replace it before it leaves you stranded again. (ASSUMING the alternator is charging.)

We had a battery act just like yours (and in the winter, as well) in a two-year-old GMC Acadia, and thought the worst (some sort of electrical nightmare).

Replaced the battery with a new GM battery and it cured the issue, going on 4 years now with no issues.
 
A 5-year-old battery and North Dakota winters don't mix in a vehicle you need to be dependable. Do yourself a favor and replace it before it leaves you stranded again. (ASSUMING the alternator is charging.)

We had a battery act just like yours (and in the winter, as well) in a two-year-old GMC Acadia, and thought the worst (some sort of electrical nightmare).

Replaced the battery with a new GM battery and it cured the issue, going on 4 years now with no issues.
Agreed, on these newer cars and trucks some of the old tried and true trouble shooting guesses do not apply. They will not start for a huge list of reasons that older vehicles did not have. Security, safetys, key detection etc all require voltage within a range and if they don't see it a fault is assumed. We had this on our 21 Explorer last year. Coldest morning nothing and after we jumped it and drove straight to the dealer they said if the battery is x% low that is what happens. Combination of 4 year old battery, sitting for a week and cold weather was all it took
 
What sort of car and what engine? Is the garage heated?

Is it nightmare in hell to clean the terminals, ground wire and starter connections? Can you get to and jumper the selenoid and/or clean those connections too?

Sometimes if starter is going a couple raps with a hammer will jostle the armature. I drove a truck with a hammer handy.......or parked on a hill.

What does the voltmeter read when running? >~14 Alternator/wires OK

Fully charge battery, check voltage with a meter. Should be >~ 12.5. Then motor off turn on headlights for ~5 minutes. Check voltage again, should not have dropped too much. A poor mans load test.
 
Check the connections at the battery and down at the frame connection and starter about the only thing that might be assumed is that the starter positive connection is good. If he connected frame with jump pack negative terminal might still be bad. How he jumped it and what it does when it got home actually can tell you a lot.

Regardless can’t really justify another 75 dollar jump if a battery costs 100 you may have even had one at the store getting groceries if it was the blue brand when in doubt begin with the battery she’s got a lot of electronics to keep powered better stay fresh as cold as it gets for you we I was glad it stayed positive today we had 8 degrees doesn’t seem to matter what battery I try about 7 to 10 years they go bad so if you are 20 degrees of cold north of me I’d call 5 a win.
 
Check the connections at the battery and down at the frame connection and starter about the only thing that might be assumed is that the starter positive connection is good. If he connected frame with jump pack negative terminal might still be bad. How he jumped it and what it does when it got home actually can tell you a lot.

Regardless can’t really justify another 75 dollar jump if a battery costs 100 you may have even had one at the store getting groceries if it was the blue brand when in doubt begin with the battery she’s got a lot of electronics to keep powered better stay fresh as cold as it gets for you we I was glad it stayed positive today we had 8 degrees doesn’t seem to matter what battery I try about 7 to 10 years they go bad so if you are 20 degrees north of me I’d call 5 a win.
Jump pack was clamped on the clamps/terminals of the battery. It was literally on for like 30s while I got in to start it too so no recharging of significance would have happened.

For sure I get that battery maybe an issue. Its interesting in that the car this one replaced I had a not too old battery in that. Started on a cold morning, drove to the office, went in to get something and went back out 10min later and it was a click-click. Got a jump from the building maintenance guy and went home to swap for my other vehicle and got a new battery. As it turns out, the "bad" battery has been fine in the old farm truck at the farm the last 3 summers!! Spins it over like a top.

Will see what happens in the morning. -10F in the forecast for tonight.
 
I didn't see anywhere in your post about how old the battery is. I would say its a bad battery my self. I always check the connections first. There is another clue that I use to determine if the battery is going. The top of the battery will be a little wet usually around one of the terminals. When I start to see that on my batteries its getting near the end. I don't know where the moisture comes from or if its battery acid. You shouldn't get any thing like that from a sealed battery. I have seen this on batteries in everything from an 06 Dodge to a garden tractor.

OTJ
 
I didn't see anywhere in your post about how old the battery is. I would say its a bad battery my self. I always check the connections first. There is another clue that I use to determine if the battery is going. The top of the battery will be a little wet usually around one of the terminals. When I start to see that on my batteries its getting near the end. I don't know where the moisture comes from or if its battery acid. You shouldn't get any thing like that from a sealed battery. I have seen this on batteries in everything from an 06 Dodge to a garden tractor.

OTJ
Abt 5yr old OEM battery. No evidence of issues before.

I let it sit in +5F for about 3hrs and just went and started it no issues. Let engine warm up for about 20min and shut off.
Will see what happens in the morning, expected -10F tonight.
 
I would do as the others said, load test battery That tells a lot. Test alternator should be 13.8v and above. And check connections and grounds. You said 5 year old battery? That tells me its days are numbered in the cold weather.
 
Clean all of the connections and test the battery and the alternator output. 5yo original battery in below zero weather I'd blow for a new battery, too cold for me to be fooling around with a battery past 3/4 of it's projected life at best. Years ago I would have played games with jumper cables and wishing, too far past that now.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top