mrmrsmiley

That's exactly what I thought too.
Zoinks, can't complain to get a new battery.
I asked how much extra to upgrade to the best battery they have. He says 50 bucks and it will extend the warranty, so that's what I did, now we wait and see, in the meantime I keep the booster ready to be on the safe side.
Temperature is going to plummet again this week, so wish me luck

06 EX Mild Mods

Maybe there is a plug in radiator heater or oil heater mod like on trucks as an option that could be added. A halogen light left on under the hood might help keep the engine less cold. Ideas from my past in upstate NY.

ezone

And a battery warmer!

mrmrsmiley

It's been fantastic since last Sunday when I installed the new battery. We'll see when I go out this morning, super cold out there, this is a test day for sure


Thanks for the suggestions guys, I've had oil heaters and coolant heaters from days gone by. It looks like it was the battery, cause this lil monster has started in way colder temperatures the previous winter and I keep it well tuned up. It was super cold a couple of mornings here and it started, whereas before the battery change it would have failed.

mrmrsmiley

Well not a guessing game anymore, barely turned this morning
And the booster wasn't strong enough either. Going to return the booster and get a full sized booster.
Hmmm, time for a trade in


Super strange all week it was a champ and it's been as cold as this morning a few mornings weird

ezone

Are you running 5w20 oil or even 0w20 oil? Anything thicker than 5w20 needs to get out of there.
A super cold engine can require twice as much power to crank, while a super cold battery may only have half of its power available.
Any little issue can suddenly become a much bigger problem under these extreme conditions.


Ever do voltage drop testing?(damn hard to reach the pos cable end at the starter though)...Google it
Measure amp load of the starter?
Replaced the starter yet? Seems like many people have replaced these for various reasons.

Cleaned up the ground cable connections yet?
Follow neg cable from battery to body, disassemble and clean/wire brush/sand/file/etc. to bare shiny metal-- terminal, bolt, and body for good connection. Coat in dielectric silicone grease for protection.
Repeat the same for both ends of the short cable next to it, goes from body to transmission.
Stack the two cable terminals right there on the same bolt if there's enough room?

mrmrsmiley

Embarrassed to say I don't know, get my oil changed at Costco, use synthetic. Looked on the bill and it doesn't say anything other than synthetic.




Still original starter, funny thing, starter was my very first thought first time. No garage available to me to do drop test, so I have an appointment tomorrow night at a garage for them to do it for me.


I'll get this done at the garage at the same time.
Thanks for all the assists man, really appreciate it.
Some good peeps in this world

mrmrsmiley

Hey Happy Saturday morning Guys


Well my problem is definitely resolved, new starter installed.
Now when I place the key close to the ignition, the starter suffers from premature and tries to throw the engine out of the car. hehehe


The day I took it in, I was lucky because if wouldn't start in the morning after the battery on the charger all night. Came home after work and it was still -20 C and wouldn't start with the charger left on all day. Broke out the booster cables and it groaned into life. Got it the garage and the guys tests the starter circuit and tells me my starter is finished. Changed starter and like I said it tries to throw the engine out from under the hood.


Funny thing is the first sign of trouble mid November I thought it was the starter and called the dealership how much to change it. Car had 150000 KM so I figured for $300 it was basically an insurance policy. But the guy at the dealer says they're up to their eyeballs in tire changing for the winter and it'll be a week and half before I can get an appointment.
He talks me out of changing the starter saying all kinds of other things could be the issue. For a few weeks didn't have any trouble at all and then I started posting here once it became an issue again.


Just wanted to say thanks again for all the help, awesome community

RIPSAW

Glad you got it fixed. With a new starter and battery, it should be good for a 100 miles even with the gas tank empty? HA...

mrmrsmiley

Hey Guys,


I'm back again, my lil monster is acting up again.
No rhyme or reason that I can figure out, but once in awhile I'll turn the key all the way, lights come on, radio & fan but nothing not even a click out of the solenoid. Most of the time I'll turn the key back and then forward again and it'll jump right to life. Now occasionally I'll need to break out the battery pack and it'll jump right to life.
Any ideas?

ezone

Discount parts store reman starter giving up already? Don't laugh! They are crap!


Check the small wire that goes to the starter, the female terminal can get fatigued over time and fit too loose to give reliable contact.
I'd use a test light to monitor this while I attempt to crank it.

Stick shift? Check the pad that the clutch pedal switch plunger makes contact with, they disintegrate over time.
EDIT: Car is probably too new for this!

mrmrsmiley

Hey Ezone,


Thanks for responding, sorry for the delay responding.
Weather here isn't cooperating for working outside yet.
Sick as a dog.
My daughter goes up to the pharmacy for me in my car this morning.
Car starts in the driveway, but won't start when she's leaving the pharmacy.
She runs back, I walk back with her and teach her how to attach the booster I have in my car.
Before I do, I measure the voltage of the battery for the hell of it. 11.77 VDC
Use the booster and it starts immediately, with the car running voltage is 14 and change VDC.
Any thoughts

ezone

You say it would not start.
What did it do?
Did the starter operate (crank)? Not crank? Click loud? Crank but not run? Crank too slowly to run?



What is battery voltage now that you got the car back home?
Would kid have left headlights on while inside the store?

mrmrsmiley

It's happening often now where you turn the key and not even a click, no crank what so ever.
Was the first time I measured the voltage recently before boosting with my battery pack.
12.87 VDC sitting in the driveway right now.
No to the headlights, it's done it at least 6 times this week.

ezone

And it will not start now?

mrmrsmiley

Yes, just started it without any assist.
Every time though it's a crap shoot.
When it doesn't start, turn key and nothing, not even a click.
Put on booster and she'll start.

ezone

If you twist the key repeatedly will it eventually work?


Bad battery? Test while it's not strong enough to run the starter
Something draining the battery? (Compressor clutch relay stuck on? Very common problem.)