Cold night, now car won't start. Tips, preventative measures?

[bruceb]

Agree that it is the battery causing your problems. Or possibly the terminals are not clean or tight on the battery. And I also always buy the largest capacity battery in CCA and Reserve Amps that will physically fit in the vehicle battery area. The cost for the higher cap units are not much more than the factory spec (which are usually just big enough, so they can get by with cheaper parts)

 

[ghostman]

A lot of you are recommending a charger. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment and the car is in an outdoor lot, so there's nowhere to plug it in.

I did notice solar trickle chargers that plug in through the 12v accessory power. But will that work on a 2012 CRV, as the power to the accessory port is off when the ignition is off.

 

[Squeetard]

You got any friends? Drive to an auto store and buy a replacement battery.

 

[Torn Mind]

A lot of you are recommending a charger. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment and the car is in an outdoor lot, so there's nowhere to plug it in.

I did notice solar trickle chargers that plug in through the 12v accessory power. But will that work on a 2012 CRV, as the power to the accessory port is off when the ignition is off.

Some solar chargers come with clamps to connect directly to the battery. The wire can be routed through the gaps in the hood and door.

Contrary to intuition, a bunch of short trips is extremely brutal on a car while a long highway trip is very light on a car. Getting on the highway and driving 15 miles or so at 55+ keeps the oil in good shape by sending water out of the oil through the exhaust.

 

[Scarpozzi]

How did you insulate the garage door? I need to do insulate my garage in the next few years. Interested in an economical heat source as well.

Nvm, might just get something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbrande...es-Garage-Door-Insulation-Kit-8-pcs/203630159

I bought R13 doors. Both doors and tracks were like $1800 I think.... It's new construction, thus I've not sealed the walls up yet. I've just foamed the bottom corners where the exterior sheathing and the 2x4 framing comes together to keep air from coming in. The most economical heat source is going to be natural gas or kerosene. You just need to be aware that a space like a garage has a lot of concrete (huge mass of rock to warm up), potential for huge amounts of heat loss when a door opens, and flammable materials often stored inside.

Something like this would be great LP or NG: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200577749_200577749

Most electric systems get pricey when you consider the cost to heat such a large space. I'll probably end up getting a minisplit and maybe have it piped for a natural gas furnace in the future. I'm just reluctant to do NG since it would require me upgrading my lines to get the volume I need on that end of the house. It'd probably cost me $100-200 to do that.

 

[T2urtle]

I got a 2003 lancer Oz rally. Chicago weather was just as bad as NY.

I had no issues with the car, it's parked outside as well. Last year it needed to get jumped but it sat for a week in sub zero.

A new battery will handle 90% of ur problems. U have the advantage of having two cars, just get a good set of jumper cables or the jumper box.

Here's the thing, jumper boxes shouldn't be in cars, they should be charged in a warm environment like ur house. U can only use it when ur home. Jumper cables should be in the trunk, u just need to find a willing person in a car to help. Sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's easy to get people.

 

[LTC8K6]

Both cars have at least 3/4 tank of gas. I drive the crv daily, but only 5 miles each way.... so about 10 miles a day. I only drive the Mitsubishi once a week.

If your trips were a little longer, it would probably solve the problem with both cars.

 

[T2urtle]

If your trips were a little longer, it would probably solve the problem with both cars.

Agreed. U need to get the battery charged up. Maybe switch off cars every other day or so, if that is possible.

 

[ghostman]

A question about jumper cables now. I went and bought a Husky set at Home Depot for $20. It's 20ft, 4 gauge copper-plated aluminum. They seem to have vanished from Home Depot's website over the course of 1 day, but it's similar to this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-16...ster-Cable-0160616-UL3/204736854?N=5yc1vZc8mb

I didn't use it yet since I figure the jumper box is coming in tomorrow anyway. I didn't know better at the time when I bought it, but I realize copper-plated aluminum is inferior to pure copper jumper cables. And I believe mine have 200A clamps. Now, I realize pure copper cables are super expensive, often in the $75+ range. I'm OK with copper-plated aluminum, except that I see some with 500, 600A ratings. For example:
http://www.amazon.com/FJC-45244-2-Ga...mper+cable+600
http://www.amazon.com/Jumper-Booster...mper+cable+600
http://www.amazon.com/FJC-45234-Gaug...mper+cable+600
http://www.amazon.com/FJC-45234-Gau...421002131&sr=8-3&keywords=20+jumper+cable+600

What does the 600A really mean, practically? I know it means it can withstand/deliver up to 600A of current, but does that mean my weak battery gets charged faster and I can start it up again quickly? Or are there scenarios when 600A is NEEDED and a 200A will not start the car? And is the 600A rating for the cable or for the clamp itself?

If the 200A Husky set will leave me stranded, I don't mind paying $15 more for a 600A set.

Thanks for everyone's responses. I have a JNC660 jumper box coming in tomorrow for my Mitsubishi and my Honda has new a battery that the dealership replaced for free.

 

[HeXen]

I use a Kinetic battery, they're beasts. Also use 0 gauge copper cables and contact grease.

 

[bruceb]

Full copper is better, but whatever you buy, be sure the alligator clips are firmly attached to the wires. You would only need the really high amperage cables for extreme cold conditions (like Canada or Alaska) or where they might be used to help jump start a big rig diesel in extreme cold.

 

[Yuriman]

I've jumpstarted some smaller econoboxes with some (admittedly rather thick) speaker wire. I wouldn't worry too much about the gauge, anything off-the-shelf- should be plenty.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Charge your battery with wallcharger (I usually do this on my cars before winter).
That and perhaps it may be time to get a new battery.

 

[LTC8K6]

If you keep up the short trips, you will continue to have problems.

 

[Pacfanweb]

I would expect an old battery in the 2002, but the 2012 should still have a healthy battery.

Do they sit a lot between drives?

If so, then a battery maintainer may be what you need.

You might purchase a charger with jump start capability so that you can jump start your own car if need be.

Or buy a AAA membership and they can jump start you.

2012 is now 3 years old. Could very easily be junk by now.

I have a jumper battery. Has saved me numerous times. Well worth the money, and get a good one. A $40 jumper is useless.

 

[LTC8K6]

2012 is now 3 years old. Could very easily be junk by now.

I have a jumper battery. Has saved me numerous times. Well worth the money, and get a good one. A $40 jumper is useless.

Any battery that is junk after 3 years is defective, imo. Or being mistreated.

We can see that it was covered under warranty anyway.

I still think the main problem is the short trips. The batteries are not being recharged during the short trips.

 

[imagoon]

Any battery that is junk after 3 years is defective, imo. Or being mistreated.

We can see that it was covered under warranty anyway.

I still think the main problem is the short trips. The batteries are not being recharged during the short trips.

Agreed. Most batteries are at least 48 months and up to 72 months. Mine seem to average around 5 to 6 years. The factory battery in my care made it to early 2013 (Late 2006.)

I drive a lot of short trips to the train station now. I typically need to use the battery tender to top it off every few weeks when it is really cold.

 

[HeXen]

Any battery that is junk after 3 years is defective, imo. Or being mistreated.

We can see that it was covered under warranty anyway.

I still think the main problem is the short trips. The batteries are not being recharged during the short trips.

This, also people who turn their car off and sit listening to the radio for a few minutes. Plus most cars these days have crappy alternators and very small gauge wire to the battery. If you have an 80 amp alt and 60 of it is going to power everything else on the car then 20 amps isn't much for a 10 gauge wire if your driving 10 minutes down the road.

It's not just the short trips alone but the consistency of those short trips keep it drained and eventually the battery goes bad after 2 or 3 years. Of course some of today's cheap batteries wouldn't last much longer regardless and most people buy the cheapest they can find.

 

[ghostman]

OK, here's an update and more questions...

I received the JNC660 jumper from Amazon. Pricey, but came highly recommended. Jumped the Mitsubishi without a problem.

Prior to jumping it, I measured the voltage on the battery. It was down to 9.6V. After jumping it, with the car still running, I measured the voltage at the battery leads. It was 14.6V. I take this to mean that the alternator was charging the battery by just leaving the car running. Or do I actually have to drive it around to charge the battery?

I ask because I don't have a lot of time after getting home from class to drive around unnecessarily for 15 minutes or to deliberately drive to a further market for groceries. But if I can just study in the car and leave it running, I can manage that.

I drove it around for 12 miles or so. Not a long trip, but I didn't have a lot of time. I got home, turned off the car, measured the voltage again. Battery with car off was now at 13V.

 

[LTC8K6]

OK, here's an update and more questions...

I received the JNC660 jumper from Amazon. Pricey, but came highly recommended. Jumped the Mitsubishi without a problem.

Prior to jumping it, I measured the voltage on the battery. It was down to 9.6V. After jumping it, with the car still running, I measured the voltage at the battery leads. It was 14.6V. I take this to mean that the alternator was charging the battery by just leaving the car running. Or do I actually have to drive it around to charge the battery?

I ask because I don't have a lot of time after getting home from class to drive around unnecessarily for 15 minutes or to deliberately drive to a further market for groceries. But if I can just study in the car and leave it running, I can manage that.

I drove it around for 12 miles or so. Not a long trip, but I didn't have a lot of time. I got home, turned off the car, measured the voltage again. Battery with car off was now at 13V.

9.6V is well beyond dead. You don't want to keep doing that to a lead acid battery, or it will die a quick death.

Yes, the battery is being charged as long as the engine is running. It should charge faster with the engine running faster.

I do not recommend a lot of idling. Maybe idle it for 5 minutes before you drive it to the store?

It seems like you should probably just keep the jump box ready and accept the consequences of the infrequent short trips. :biggrin:

 

[Accord99]

I ask because I don't have a lot of time after getting home from class to drive around unnecessarily for 15 minutes or to deliberately drive to a further market for groceries. But if I can just study in the car and leave it running, I can manage that.

Do you have a friend whose home has an outdoor accessible electrical outlet? If you do, I would ask them for permission to top off the battery every few weeks using a battery charger. Gas is cheap now but electricity is still cheaper and idling doesn't put much charge into the battery.

 

[cabri]

Do you have a friend whose home has an outdoor accessible electrical outlet? If you do, I would ask them for permission to top off the battery every few weeks using a battery charger. Gas is cheap now but electricity is still cheaper and idling doesn't put much charge into the battery.

Or just charge the battery overnight at your residence.
5 minutes to take the battery out of the vehicle and 6 to replace it (during daylight).

 

[ghostman]

Or just charge the battery overnight at your residence.
5 minutes to take the battery out of the vehicle and 6 to replace it (during daylight).

I thought about doing this. Is my current battery too far gone to revive at this point? It wouldn't start 2 days after I jumped it/drove it around. I measured the voltage this time and it was down to 7.6V, so it doesn't look good.

I suppose it's time to replace it, but I don't want to kill another battery when I'm barely using the car this winter. I think I'll wait until I use the car more frequently before replacing the battery, which is entirely dependent on my courses.

 

[cabri]

I thought about doing this. Is my current battery too far gone to revive at this point? It wouldn't start 2 days after I jumped it/drove it around. I measured the voltage this time and it was down to 7.6V, so it doesn't look good.

I suppose it's time to replace it, but I don't want to kill another battery when I'm barely using the car this winter. I think I'll wait until I use the car more frequently before replacing the battery, which is entirely dependent on my courses.

Replace the battery ASAP.

It is going; a new battery will not leave you stranded as frequently, especially since you know the cause and can protect against the effect.

If a new battery dies, it will be under warranty.