It was about 10 degrees here today, and when I went out after work to start the car (it had been parked for about nine hours), it was real slow to start up. I almost didn't think it was going to start for a split second, but then it did fired up.

This is the first time this has happened. The car is 2.5 years old, including 42,000 miles and two Chicago winters. I've got Steeda UDPs, and an aftermarket remote start and alarm. Is it normal for a battery to go out this quickly? The car is driven every day, and rarely sits for longer than 12 or 13 hours. Can it be expected that the UDPs will slow the alternator down just enough that you will shorten your battery life?

The battery terminals are clean and the electrolyte levels were fine. Should my first step be to take the car in to get the battery charged? Or is it likely the battery is done for and should I just right away start thinking about replacing the battery? A long cold winter lies ahead...(but fortunately the car is parked in a heated garage overnight).

 

Personally I would not do anything. It took a while to start but it did and the cold really can hinder the CCA of the battery on start up. Do you drive on the expressway home or is it city driving for the most part? Short trips or cruising at freeway speeds (speed limit) can and will put more strain on the battery as it is not getting a full charge. If you have had no issues with the battery until now and the car still started then your lucky since so many people have had the dreaded "dead battery" issue. If the battery is the stock Ford motorcraft I would get an optima yellow top and/or a battery tender while stored at night or when not in use during the very cold days or nights (like under 20 degrees). The UDP's will drive the alternator less and will shorten the life of the battery but that can happen to any battery if the right conditions exist and the battery is not getting a full charge usually due to drain from accessories like aftermarket electronics and sound systems. If you don't have a huge aftermarket system or any other electronics running or used when the car is off the optima red top battery (which has more CCA-cold cranking amps) can get the car started faster when the cold hits and hits hard.

 

its 10 degrees out, its gunna crank slow. it was 20 degrees the other day. i started mine up in the morning and it cranked real real slow.

 

First off, colder temps mean thicker oil (despite the 5W-XX rating) so the engine and starting system have to work harder to turn over.

Secondly, most of the factory batteries are garbage to begin with so it should come as no surprise (especially if you had done a search) that a lot of forum members have had to replace their batteries early.

Just wait until you're below zereo. That'll be really painful when you go to start her. Any chance you can install and have plugged in overnight one of the many 120v heaters (crankcase, coolant, etc)?

 

My car is parked in a heated garage, so overnight parking will not be an issue. It fired up just fine this morning, and I went out to check it at lunch (after five hours of sitting in 12-20 degree weather), and it started with no problems.

My commute is mostly city driving, including some bumper to bumper on the expressway, with a 5-10 minute sprint at full speed towards the end.

I have an aftermarket double-DIN head unit and speakers, and a high end remote start and alarm system. Not sure if that is contributing.

I think I will monitor it closely for a little while. I guess what worries me is that I have been through two cold winters without the problems I am having now, so I wonder if the battery is starting to die on me, and I obviously don't want to take any risks (or have to worry about my car not starting). Like I said, I think I'll keep my eye on it before making any decisions, if it shows any signs, I'll definitely drop a new battery in (I still do have the stock Ford battery).

The Haynes manual says to only use a battery with the same CCA. Any idea why they say that? I think the battery said 500 CCA.