"Cold" weather battery question

[OETKB]

I just swapped vehicles with the missus.

Whole-Lee crap.

I only have to remove both wiper arms, the brake fluid reservoir, the plastic cowl, and then the metal cowl underneath the plastic cowl, before you can even see the freakin' battery. yea, uh, no. I'll let my guys at my favorite overpriced shop do this on Thursday and install an Interstate. I about froze to death just eyeballing things a few minutes ago and not going to let the autoparts folks attempt it in the parking lot. It would be cruel and unusual punishment to expect this the next few days outdoors.

Looks like I'll be driving the Cobra the next couple of days.

 

[Smooth]

Could be Wisconsin.

 

[08mojo]

Batteries in general have got expensive.

I recently had to purchase a battery for our 10 year old car. It was $225 for a duralast battery!!! I was expecting $100 at the worst, imagine my surprise when he told me the total price.

 

[MFE]

That’s interesting, learn something everyday. Would an optima last longer than a standard lead battery? Or does the heat kill those as well?

Not sure about gel-cell vs lead-acid, but the thing that really kills the battery is not just the heat itself, but the demands the cars place on them when operating in the heat.

 

[OETKB]

Interesting. Once temps got up to about 30 today the voltmeter showed the alternator charging at 14.6-14.7 this afternoon instead of 15 earlier today.

I'm still going to have my shop put a battery in it on Thursday, plus it's due for oil/filter and tire rotation anyway. I never, ever want to have to change that battery when it demands it, especially in bad weather or someplace other than my driveway. There's WAY too much drama to get it out.

 

[98 svt]

I also noticed in the last year Auto Zone has raised their Duralast battery prices $20-$25 across the board. They used to be my go to place but last time I went they were close to $140 for our cars, I switched to the EverStart Maxx.

For $140, you can get an OEM Motorcraft.

 

[Dom_Stang11]

It’s CCA as much as the volts that affect battery starting ability. Thus bigger engines need more Cold Crank Amps than a 4 banger. I also prefer Maintenance batts vs Maint free batts. It gets over 100F degrees in summer & below 0F Winter in OK so just my personal experience & preference. Gotta keep good maintenance on terminals & add distilled water as needed but I usually get close to 5 years on all 3 of my Stangs & 09 GMC 5.3l truck all have Bosch platinum brand batteries. Keep in mind aftermarket battery/alternator killers like stereo amps need a capacitor(s) or you’ll toast ur charging system.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[SirShaun]

Heat is typically what kills batteries, then when it gets cold, that's when you realize your battery is weak. I'd just run the battery until it doesn't crank one time, then replace. I just replaced the battery in my Durango, when it refused to crank recently one past cold morning. They actually put it under the passenger seat, to keep it away from heat. Looked like the stocker so it made it 7 years.

In general I'd say if you get 5 years out of a battery your doing good. Can't be but so mad then.

If the voltage is under 12v, it's not going to crank. I've also had batteries show 12v, but a voltage drop was causing the no start. Have someone else crank the vehicle with you on the terminals with a volt meter, to see what voltage drops to on the crank. 12v was dropping to like 6v on me, when cranking. In which case need to replace the battery.

 

[OETKB]

If the voltage is under 12v, it's not going to crank.

The wee Escape 2.5l four-banger cranked right up the last three mornings showing 11.7- 11.8. It did turn over slightly slower than usual which is what caused my initial concern. In the middle of the day it is cranking right up with 12 plus volts showing.

I don't know how long it will last, but with the amount of crap that has to be taken off the car to get the battery out I am going to do it now, rather than be faced with a great big PITA on it's own schedule if I wait for it to totally fail.