Hard Starting
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 220
Likes: 0
From: MN
Hard Starting
I would like to know everyone's opinion on my truck. It's a 2000 Ranger with 5-speed and 4.0L. The alternator went out about 8 months ago so I took the opportunity to buy the upgraded model from Autozone which is rated at 130 amps, I think. About a month ago, my truck wouldn't start one morning and since it had the original battery in it, I bought a new one from Autozone. It's the best they had with a 3 year replacement/8 year pro-rated warranty. It has been really cold here for a while, like below zero at night, and not much higher during the day. If I don't use my truck everyday, it won't start, just not enough juice. If I drive my other vehicle one day and let my truck sit, then my truck won't start. Is there something wrong with my new battery or my relatively new alternator or does that sound right because of the extreme cold? My other vehicle starts fine after sitting. What do you guys think? Thanks.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 696
Likes: 0
From: Lynchburg, VA
The battery's CCA falls off quickly as you drop below it's rated temperature. For example, at -20F, the CCA could be only 70% of its rated capacity at 0F. I found this tool to make the correction as a function of temperature. Maybe you should compute to see if you have enough CCA at the actual ambient conditions. Also, like one of the other threads today/yesterday, a dead cell in the battery was causing the problem. You may want to take it back to the store and have them test it.
http://www.bgsoflex.com/ccatemp.html
http://www.bgsoflex.com/ccatemp.html
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,269
Likes: 0
From: Where's my map???
It sounds like you have a short somewhere and is slowly draining your batt. When you park it. Pull the neg, batt. cable. If it starts after 2 days. You have a short. If it does not. The batt. is no good.
Frank
Frank
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,055
Likes: 3
From: Magnolia, TX
I agree that it sounds like you have a current drain somewhere. The 4.0 is not a real high compresison engine so it's not a pig when it come to CCA requirements to turn over.
Agree with TewFerFord on the diagnosis method.
CMOS
Agree with TewFerFord on the diagnosis method.
CMOS
