Battery Charge Dropping Due To Cold Weather
Posted in Car Batteries | Asked on Jun 30, 2010
I live in aurora colorado and my car battery hardly holds any charge. I dont use the vehicle very often like once in 3 weeks or so. Its a 2001 nissan altima, last time i ended up calling road side assistance to charge it up, today i tried to turn it on from my garage , but no charge. i havent used it for the last 2 weeks. So what is the best way to avoid this from happening again? Start car every day for 5 minutes? buy a protable battery charger? any ideas?? by the way i dont have a jumper cable either cuz i moved from texas and never needed one.
There are 4 Answers for "Battery Charge Dropping Due To Cold Weather"
it could be an old battery. or its called cold crank batteries get drained of power when its cold. try a new one. duralast is pretty good plus u get a lifetime warranty
A 2001… buy a new battery….. they don’t last forever.
Yes, you have to run the engine from time to time to keep the battery charged, especially in cold weather. A portable battery charger like a Battery Tender works, too.
Your battery loses 33% of its power when the temperature falls below freezing (32 degrees) and more than 50% when it falls below zero. (Source: Interstate Batteries).
Also, it could just be that you have an old battery. If that’s the original battery on your 2001 Nissan, then it’s probably outlived its usefulness. Before it fails again, take your car to a local shop and have them run a battery test. Many of them will do it for free, or will knock off the cost of the test if you buy a new battery from them. (disclosure: I work for Interstate Batteries, so I do have a brand bias!)
Have the battery load tested. If it needs replaced, buy the largest size, highest Cold Cranking Amp battery that will fit your car. Also, a 115 volt engine block heater will make it much easier to start. Plus, heater will be warm and no waiting to defrost windshield.
Buy a set of booster cables (you’re NOT in Texas anymore).