Slow cold starts...

[mvbighead]

When garaged, and cold, it can take 3-4 seconds of cranking for it to turn over. When colder, it can take a little longer (according to the wife).

We've tried turning the key on for a few seconds, then starting. No noticeable difference.

I just bought MAF sensor cleaner yesterday and cleaned those, and it still was a bit slow to start in the garage (3-4 seconds).

Been reading and it could be a temp sensor somewhere. Some suggest oil, but this is a new vehicle (for us) and the dealer did a load of maintenance before we picked it up. (60k/70k mile services all performed.) The other thing I have read is the battery CCA may be poor, and a new battery may help.

2008 Subaru Tribeca is the model.

This particular issue isn't major, but I'd like to do any maintenance I can to improve the situation. I am not against replacing the battery if that is necessary. The engine and those sensors looked quite clean. To be honest, those sensors looked clean in all of my vehicles (it was quick easy thing to do so I just did it to everything).

Any ideas? No CEL, so at this point everything is just a guess.

 

[996GT2]

Getting your battery load tested would be the first thing I'd try. Most stores that sell batteries should be able to do it for free.

Battery performance quickly drops off as temperatures drop, so if you have a battery that's on its last legs, the slow cranking in cold weather would make sense.

 

[sdifox]

I would definitely start from the battery. How old is the battery?

 

[mvbighead]

Battery is original I'm sure.

 

[Vetterin]

Battery is original I'm sure.

Well, there you have it!

 

[twinrider1]

Smashing through the boundaries Lunacy has found me Cannot stop the battery....unless it's the original from 2008. And check/clean your connections.

 

[mvbighead]

Eh, I am going to check that tonight. If it is old, I'll just go ahead and get a new one. Call it preventative maintenance.

 

[vshah]

get one from costco if you have a membership, much cheaper than anywhere else. $65 vs $110 for me.

 

[Scarpozzi]

My personal experience with cold weather is that it will decrease the cranking amps of the battery which will cause it to turn a little slower.

IF the battery was weak, my old 1999 Jeep Cherokee actually idled rough until the alternator charged the battery enough. I'm guessing the computer MAF and O2 readings were being skewed somehow by the weak battery.... A few months after having those issues my battery died and a replacement fixed it... I had never seen anything like that, but cars these days use computers a lot more than you think.

If the replacement battery doesn't fix it. You cleaned your MAF sensor....that's good. My Buick lost its MAF a few months back and it wouldn't even start....idle was all over the place unless I revved the engine. Consider taking your car to autozone or wherever you can hook it up to an OBD read for free. See if there are any error codes. If no codes, you might consider some throttle body cleaner, injector cleaner, and fuel treatment.

 

[mvbighead]

get one from costco if you have a membership, much cheaper than anywhere else. $65 vs $110 for me.

Funny, I called them a few moments ago to get the pricing. $75 here, but still cheaper than Autozone and others at roughly 110 or so.

 

[mvbighead]

My personal experience with cold weather is that it will decrease the cranking amps of the battery which will cause it to turn a little slower.

IF the battery was weak, my old 1999 Jeep Cherokee actually idled rough until the alternator charged the battery enough. I'm guessing the computer MAF and O2 readings were being skewed somehow by the weak battery.... A few months after having those issues my battery died and a replacement fixed it... I had never seen anything like that, but cars these days use computers a lot more than you think.

If the replacement battery doesn't fix it. You cleaned your MAF sensor....that's good. My Buick lost its MAF a few months back and it wouldn't even start....idle was all over the place unless I revved the engine. Consider taking your car to autozone or wherever you can hook it up to an OBD read for free. See if there are any error codes. If no codes, you might consider some throttle body cleaner, injector cleaner, and fuel treatment.

I have the bluetooth ELM module and the app to do this, so I may be doing that at some point. Problem is, it isn't throwing any codes, so I suspect I won't get anything out of it.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

Is it slow cranking? I hate to ask this.. but did you check the oil level?

 

[mvbighead]

Is it slow cranking? I hate to ask this.. but did you check the oil level?

I had read that elsewhere as a possibility, but as the dealer we bought it from ran it through some checks, and I didn't think it was necessary. IE - I trusted the dealer's service dept. I will be checking that tonight.

I did examine the battery last night, and it is the original battery. There's a sticker on there that seems to suggest it us good for 84 months or something. However, it also shows 550CCA which seems low compared to the other batteries I've perused online. 640 on a Duralast gold; etc.

I have not yet checked the Costco battery's numbers, but I suspect it will be an improvement.

As far as slow cranking, it does seem to be slower. One side of me thinks that could be due to the battery, but I've read a few suggestions about checking the oil. I do intend to throw Mobil 1 in there after we put 3000 on there, but in the bitter cold, I am not to eager to start an oil change.

 

[Vetterin]

FYI, it's the summer heat that actually kills a battery. There is an old saying that goes: A battery dies durning the summer but QUITS during the winter.