V8 and cranking

[supton]

I always thought they were harder to crank over? I was a bit surprised today when I had to jump my truck--I had killed the six year old battery (or it just decided it was time), was at 7.70V, so it wouldn't even click. Gave it a jump, and as usual, figured I'd give it a try after but a minute, just to see how long this would take. It cranked over and started! Sixty seconds!

It's been a while but it always seemed I needed a few minutes of charging to get I4's to crank fast enough to start.

[Wasn't planning on going out today, much less to Walmart; but I suspect, if I want this truck to start tomorrow, that I need to.]

 

[buck91]

Battery condition, charge rate, battery cables, engine grounds, oil viscosity, engine and ambient temps... Many variables.

 

[bioburner]

Might be a bad cell and a quick boost was enough to make the circuit. Had a couple batteries I can remember acting that way and once started were good for the day but come AM no go.

 

[supton]

I think I've used the same set of cables over the years. Truck does have 0W30, and it's a warm day today (40F), so that was a boon. Didn't expect such a discharged battery to come up so quickly--but then again, if it's done for, it might just do so, I guess.

 

[CrAlt]

The new style gear reduction starters are so much better then those from years past. They take a fraction of the power the old direct drive ones took.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: supton
I always thought they were harder to crank over? I was a bit surprised today when I had to jump my truck--I had killed the six year old battery (or it just decided it was time), was at 7.70V, so it wouldn't even click. Gave it a jump, and as usual, figured I'd give it a try after but a minute, just to see how long this would take. It cranked over and started! Sixty seconds!

It's been a while but it always seemed I needed a few minutes of charging to get I4's to crank fast enough to start.

[Wasn't planning on going out today, much less to Walmart; but I suspect, if I want this truck to start tomorrow, that I need to.]


It would be better to charge it with plug-in charger then test. Unless your SOL, jumping and driving is not the best for the alternator.

I would investigate before replacing. But it will be hard to find a battery on 12/25.

 

[supton]

Wanted to use the truck, probably didn't need to--but if it lost a cell then all the charging in the world won't fix. Quick jump and off I go. Was planning on using the truck tomorrow morning for our Christmas trek. Hence the drive to fix right this moment.

Just checked, it's been sitting for at least half an hour, 12.64V. Maybe I have time to replace, or maybe it'll drain down as the day goes. Quick look is finding 27R harder to find than initially thought. If 24F is a fit I might go that route (and I have a brand new one that I could use, if need be, short term).

 

[eljefino]

I once bought a grand marquis with the 4.6 V8. It had a totally dead battery (bad alternator) and I put 10 gauge cables on it feeding off my saturn with those stupid little 5/16" GM side bolts. A textbook cheezy connection. It chugged right over and ran. Disconnected the cables and it died right out.

+2 on the gear reduction starters.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: CrAlt
The new style gear reduction starters are so much better then those from years past. They take a fraction of the power the old direct drive ones took.
Both my 4 cyls have them. The amp reading I've see is ~40A continuous. The 3.4L Ford SHO V8 drew about 50A IIRC.

 

[Claud]

If everything is in good working order then any engine will fire right up under normal conditions. A big diesel rig will obviously have a bigger battery, starter, and cables compared with a little 1.0 liter subcompact.
So yes a V8 is harder to crank than than a six or four, all else being equal, but the correct battery should fire it up like new. Might cost a little more than one which just manages, but it,s easily the least expensive long term option.

Claud.

 

[Silk]

In the owners manual for the Lada 2104 I used to have, for a cold start (real cold I expect being Russian), it recommended to turn the headlamps on for 30 to 60 seconds before attempting to start the car...wakes the battery up and gets some heat into it. I think that's what's happening here, there is an attempt, and then...hey, she goes!

 

[CrAlt]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Originally Posted By: CrAlt
The new style gear reduction starters are so much better then those from years past. They take a fraction of the power the old direct drive ones took.
Both my 4 cyls have them. The amp reading I've see is ~40A continuous. The 3.4L Ford SHO V8 drew about 50A IIRC.


Ya which is nothing compared to the old school direct drive starters. The old Chrysler ones would draw anywhere from 175 to 500 amps depending on what they where cranking. One of the best upgrades now is to swap in the newer style OEM Denso gear reduction starters.

 

[maximus]

6 year old battery? You were on borrowed time to begin with. Replace the battery asap. That's the only option. Don't give it a second thought.

24F is an alternate size for that vehicle.

 

[supton]

Yeah, I know it's time to replace. Wouldn't be normal for me to be that proactive on replacing though--I usually wait until it won't hold a charge, then replace. Done this way too many times to change now.

Held charge over night, made the trip down. I guess these gear reduction starters are the bomb. "everyone" here says 10Wx is fine above 0F; last winter, when I had 10W30 I know it sounded a bit strained at 11F. I blamed the oil--I guess now I can blame the battery.

Which is in a sense amazing. it's been that bad for this long. We have come a long ways!

I'll probably grab a 24F this week. Was planning to work this week but the onset of my typical Christmas cold seems to indicate otherwise.