Battery Question :3

Allowing your batteries to discharge and then freeze will most certainly destroy them. I usually just take the batter out(its only two bolts, very easy to do) and set it in my house when I wont be using the vehicle for a few weeks during the winter.

 

The battery is probably pretty old to begin with. A charged up battery without any drains should last very long in the cold. I had a year and a half old battery sitting from the beginning of August to the end of January and it started right up as a replacement for the dead battery in my car.

 

As with all batteries you don't want it to be dead for long periods of time.

If a battery is dead for a long time, it'll go into this super low capacity mode and will have a significant decrease in charge even if you charge it all the way back up.

Like everyone said, cold temps reduces the capacity and life of a battery. The Chevy volt is facing this problem as well.

 

The problem is the limitation of materials inside the battery and that of parasitic draw due to modern electronics. Now if its an old truck then more likely due to materials, but early 90s and newer vehicles suffer from parasitic draw from computers and other electronics.

 

I have no idea what a volt meter looks like....but we're keeping the jumper cables inside the truck now just in case. Thanks for the help. You guys were all over this.

 

Uhhh I don't think we have one of those lol.

 

if the battery was replaced recently you can just go swap for a new one if it still has warranty

 

Almost all batteries come with a warranty. Interstate is what I use, and they offer 60, 72 and 80 month warranties on there batteries.
As others have mentioned, cold weather does decrease chemical action inside the battery, but on a small car like the one you have, where the engine can practically be started with a ratchet, you should be able to spin the engine over for a few minutes even in the cold weather. The presence of cold on larger engines which require more than 1000cca, only escalates as the engine gets bigger.

Amy, isnt this car relatively new. I thought you got a new one after the engine blew up in your other car?
If so, than contact the place where you bought/rent/leased the car from. They usually have some policy when it comes to parts which need to be replaced.

K-TRON

 

Uh guys, I said it was for our truck, not my car....and I said the issue was resolved.