Ok so my battery froze in the truck the other day and I need some ideas on how to insulate it to keep this from happening again. Thing is sitting on the metal tray with a strap over it in the open, and It is barely turning the truck over. Brought it in the house thinking it was dead and it was still reading 12.44 volts after cranking it a few times. Yes I am aware that nothing is going to keep it warm but to keep the wind chill out I am hoping it is enough. Right now its in the open in the engine bay and I am on top of a hill at my house. The wind whips up against the truck from the field so I am hopeful that insulating the battery will at least help enough to keep it from freezing. I have seen the battery sleeves but I need something today this is my daily driver and need to get back out to work after this battery is thawed.
Also .. Once a battery is froze does it permanently reduce CCA to an extent? If so I can exchange back at Walmart it's under warrenty. Will be my 3rd 850 CCA every start maxx in 6 months. Never again.
Thanks in advance

 

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I would wrap it some of that aluminum foil covered in bubble wrap. Sacrifice an old flannel shirt to wrap around the top and bottom. You could use some of the bubble wrap on the bottom as well. I would not risk putting it on the top.

 

Ford Part F6TZ10A682AA, still available.

It is a heat shield, but I would think it would insulate the battery in extreme cold as well. If you don't have one, a block heater and lighter oil will reduce the strain on your battery and starter in extreme cold.

For today, as suggested I would wrap it in whatever you can sacrifice to the cause to insulate it.

 

A battery will not freeze. It just won't. Second, wind chill does not affect an automobile, a radiator, nor a battery. Wind chill is a perceived decrease in temperature on the skin when exposed to air/wind. Perceived, not real.

Lower temperatures will affect how fast your engine cranks over. It will decrease the effectiveness of your battery but you have chosen a nice battery with a good amount of cold cranking amps. I would start by checking your alternator and wiring. You may even have something draining the battery after you shut down. May be slight enough in normal temps it's not noticeable but in cold temps it drains the battery enough to make starting an issue.

Lastly, what weight oil are you running? If you're running a heavier summer weight oil in the cold it will make it harder to turn over the motor. Viscosity matters.

Now if this is just to get through the cold front that is going through the end of the year, an old timers trick is to put a trouble light under the hood next to the block over night. A light bulb makes quite a bit of heat and should be enough to help the next morning.

 

If the battery is fully charged!!! or very close to it..

 

Good quality battery, good connections, block heater, little lighter oil. If the wind on the battery bothers ya just put cardboard around it.

 

You have to keep it charged, then you are golden! I froze a battery once and it was gone... now where i work it is up to minus 40 at times, have never frozen a battery that is charged.

 

Thank you all for the ideas and help it is much appreciated..
I am running 10-30 which I figured would be fine in this old truck but I didn't take in account that this engine was such a beast. I can see how a lower weight would help. That's a great idea.. I am going to go pick up some 5-30 today, adn some gas treatment heat when I hit the store. I have a friend at the local Napa auto parts store who took in about 20 batteries since the freeze all frozen with the sides bulging out. A battery can indeed freeze if it isn't 100% charged. I may very well have a slow power drain on the vehicle and I plan on testing that today when I get out there but even after I tried to start it multiple times it still had a decent reading of voltage on the multi meter.. I am going to put the multi meter on it and see how low it drops when I get it started. start ed but after I get it running with the 200 amp wheel charger I just bought. I appreciate the response thank you very much.

As far as the battery insulation I hope it will help, and my thought was cardboard as well. Hell it keeps homeless people from freezing here in Chicago it should help keep the battery a bit warmer. Haha.
I am going to duct tape a few pieces of thick cardboard box around it and put some underneath between the metal battery tray and the battery. Excited to see what the 5-30 will do compared to the 10-30 as far as cranking speed. Another friend of mine said it's just not cranking fast enough. He's a bus mechanic half his fleet didn't start the other day and needed to be jumped. I will keep an eye on the draw after I set i tover night another great idea thanks, Battery, and alternator are brand new.

 

An inexpensive battery maintainer will make a big difference. Another "old timer" trick was to turn on the headlights for a minute or two to warm up the battery. Now I know this sounds like it would take away instead of help, but it actually works. Just make sure to turn them back off before cranking.

 

Your friend doesn't know what he is talking about, a fully charged battery will not freeze. It will freeze if it is discharged ...

 

Did you even read what I WROTE MAN? "A battery can indeed freeze if it isn't 100% charged"
No one said anything about a battery being at 100% FREEZING? Be part of the solution and read thoroughly before you respond telling people they don't know what they are talking about.

 

Here is a heater

 

Where are you? I'm curious what sort of temperatures are causing the headaches.

 

I believe he's in Chicago.



​​ To the poster good luck it's too damn cold up there I'll stay down here in Southeast Georgia where we don't have batteries freeze.

 

I'll go with the herd on a charged one won't, but a discharged one will, unsure or the level of discharge where the tipping point occurs, but have seen the result. We try to get all of our batteries up before a freeze.
Wind chill is very real; there is a noticeable difference in starting a vehicle which was parked into the wind as opposed to having the grille pointed down wind. I didn't believe it myself until the move to Texas, the old timers soon set my arrogant Yankee self straight. We don't usually get the deep freeze here like the Northeast, but the teens with a 20-30 MPH wind knocked down cars that started in -30° up north.