it is - 23 degrees with the wind chill this morning with the wind chill. my 96 sat outside plugged in overnight. when i went out this morning it turns over really slow and the batteries gauge shows down at 8 when turning over. batteries are only 2-3 months old. hooked battery charger up to it and it still runs down to 8 in like 2 seconds. any tips or ideas? i just installed tw chip sunday and it was cold and not plugged in and it started and ran fine. ( it was in garage and out of wind tho...
-23 degrees
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i know the windchill wont effect the truck but it is - 5 without it. but it effects how long i can stand out and mess with the truck. i had the charger on it and it finally started turning over faster. after an hour of charge it started. .
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9,225 Posts
I have seen batteries go bad quite fast when it gets cold. As far as how new they are it doesn't matter, they could of been marginal right off the shelf when you bought them. Also after you installed your chip and ran the truck did you go for a good ride or just start the truck a few times, that will also draw down the batteries.
Jim
Jim
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868 Posts
Two things come to mind....make sure your battery posts are clean and tight. When you plug your truck in you should be able to here the block heater working, drivers side fenderwell....my guess is that the block heater was not working as it should fire right up if plugged in all night, make sure the plug (on the 110 volt line) is not corroded too.
-23 windchill.....OH COME ON!!!!.....pass the cheeeeeze PULLLEEEEZE....windchill is a bull**** measure....that the news media use to get people hyped....to stay home under the bed 'till April.....totally bogus......Keeerap....imo
jrc
-23 windchill.....OH COME ON!!!!.....pass the cheeeeeze PULLLEEEEZE....windchill is a bull**** measure....that the news media use to get people hyped....to stay home under the bed 'till April.....totally bogus......Keeerap....imo
jrc
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1,066 Posts
What everyone has said. The batteries don't sound healthy. I would pull the batteries, and put them on a charger inside out of the cold. A load test sure would tell the story. Low temperatures sure will bring out the worst in batteries. Good batteries properly charged should start the truck. Clean battery terminals, the block heater working. The motor should start fine, also good fuel additive with a cetane improver is another benefit. USLD leaves a lot to be desired in the cold.
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17 Posts
I agree my 97 F250 7.3L psd has trouble starting but not to much and that ULSD is begining to be a real big pain in the *** right now its outside and im waiting to get the new oring set wich will be in today b/c the ULSD ate up my rings and stuff.
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1,811 Posts
Is it true that turning on your headlights for a minute prior to starting gets the battery chemicals churning and boosts output? Being from a warmer climate and parking in a garage, I have my doubts.
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3,689 Posts
My father always thought that, but I don't. The glow plugs are drawing all sorts of amps while your waiting for the wts light to go out.
If that does not warm them up nothing will.
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