Prime electrical system for cold starts?
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,860
Likes: 4
From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
Prime electrical system for cold starts?
A Sears driver training manual says that in cold weather before attempting to start your car you should turn on the parking lights for 5 or 10 seconds to prime the electrical system. This supposedly will improve cold winter starts. Would someone who really knows electrical stuff comment. This sounds plausable, yet fishy. Thanks.
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INLINE SIX POWER!
'95 F150 XL300 Cubic Inches of Low RPM Truck Torque! And twin-I-beams too!
"Drive a stick young man! There'll be time for automatics when you're old and unable."
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 258
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From: Allegan Michigan
Prime electrical system for cold starts?
I've heard that before. I think what it does is gets the electrons moving in the battery and acrually heats up the battery a bit. Weather it really does any good? I don't think that you would ever notice the difference.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,157
Likes: 1
From: Central Kali
Prime electrical system for cold starts?
If you have a fully charged battery, and put a test load on it; you will see a drop in voltage for a few seconds or minutes depending on battery size and load. Then the voltage will start to rise for a period of time. It will reach a peak and then begin a slow decline as it discharges.
There might be something in turning on the parking lights, but I would like to see some hard proof. I would feel better with the bigest battery that I could fit under the hood.
There might be something in turning on the parking lights, but I would like to see some hard proof. I would feel better with the bigest battery that I could fit under the hood.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,415
Likes: 3
From: Comox Valley, Canada
Prime electrical system for cold starts?
I have absolutely no proof of that theory but.... if you turned on the lights the battery would heat up from the current draw and since a warm battery "works better" than a cold one it is possible but.....
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