NDN GQ

Hello Everyone,
I'm looking for a little input from you folks with a start up issue I'm having with my car.

The car has no engine mods done to it, 3200 miles, pioneer avic nav and sequential tails. No wires were cut for theis installation.

Background:
I was out of town for 10 days and left the car parked at my apartment complex. It sat there, weather has been cold.

Temps at night reached and are reaching upto 14*F.

Problem can only be noticed at first startup usually after overnight parking.

Problem
Car takes longer to crank and start up. Usually 1 to 2 seconds. It cranks (makes the crank sound) but takes 3 to 4 crank rotations/sounds before starting up.

Subsequent startups during the day are fine. Will see if it happens again on my way home today since it will be parked for 8+ hours.

Things I've noticed
My radar detector also gives me a voltage reading. Before I left I would get a reading upto 14.9v when the car was on. 13.6 when off. Now I get a reading of 15.0 or 15.1 when the car is on and 13.6 when the car is off.

Any suggestions or input on why Its taking longer to crank in the morning? I've never had a car before this have such symptoms after being parked for 10 days. I've left my previous cars parked un touched for upto 4 weeks and they'd start right up.

Also never had any of them hesitate like this at startup after having been driven around and parked over night.

howarmat

its normal there is nothing to worry about

Nuke

What howarmat said.

Cold weather (what IS cold in GA?) is always tougher on startup on any car. In addition to your car sitting, the colder temps thickens the oil a bit (even our 5WXX) and reduces battery capacity so it's most likely that you're seeing a higher charging voltage due to the alternator sensing the battery's diminished capacity. I wouldn't sweat the battery unless you can hear it cranking MUCH slower than normal.

NDN GQ

Thanks, I just wanted to make sure its not somthing unusual.

Thanks, It doest sound like its taking more effort to crank since the cranking sound is quick and consistent. Just longer to start up. I just got a little paranoid cuz I had read a few weeks ago about people with the shaker 1000 systems ending up with dead batteries cuz of not driving the car for a week or two. Just wanted to make sure its not something similar and known since my search this morning had not resulted in anything conclusive.

Nuke

I believe the issue with the Shaker's parasitic current draw was resolved at some point with the '07 models but on occasion I read threads that make me think it still occurs. It's easy to point a finger at a battery issue being the Shaker or something else. But it's probably good practice to be sure the audio and other systems are off before turning off the ignition.

Keep your eye on your battery as you're doing and keep your ears open. When you're in-tune with these things, you'll know when something isn't right. As it is, you've already picked up a quirk (allbeit normal) with your car.

NDN GQ

Yep, ever since I started moding my first car and seeing mod-resulting problems/failures I have become more aware of how a car behaves and pick up on abnormalities. Better to be a step ahead rather than stranded on the side of the highway.

Thanks for the input and advice guys. This puts my mind to ease some what.

mygt500

I agree with Matt and Nuke.....electrical systems (in general) can be quirky in deep cold temps (esp after a long period of no starting of the car- usually overnight)

If you have a garage that can help or point the front of the car (if poss.) opposite the direction of the wind or shield the car as best as you can (nose of car as close to a building etc)....it can help block some of that wind

Art161

That 13.6 volt reading with the engine off must be surface charge. I suggest turning the engine off, turning the headlights on for a minute or two, turning the headlights off, and seeing what the voltage is. A fully charged battery should read around 12.65 volts.

Nuke

What Art161 says is correct but also normal. Any time you charge a battery, there will be a residual surface charge that typically decays to the actual, no-load battery voltage. However, you're still looking at a reading that, IF it were different, might give you a heads-up of something not right. You might want to start taking a voltage reading BEFORE startup after the car has sat overnight and look for some negative trend if you suspect a battery or alternator issue.

1morepart

nuke, has answered this question very well. i have some mustang buddies in north georgia that run a 0w20 oil (amsoil) in the few cold georgia months...
jason