mike rousseau Posted January 21, 2012 Report Posted January 21, 2012 I've had a couple mornings this winter where my truck didnt start right away... Resulting in a dead battery after a couple seconds of turning over... I don't drive it much... Pretty much on the weekend for ice fishing... So I was thinking about trying the block heater... I was wondering... How long do I plug it in for before I plan on starting the truck? And do you guys think this will help...?
BillM Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Mike, 3 hrs should probably do it. However if you're battery is dying that quick you might think about a battery blanket.. Or even a solar powered trickle charger you could toss on the dash when you're not driving it.
mike rousseau Posted January 22, 2012 Author Report Posted January 22, 2012 My other option was to put my battery charger on Friday night to make sure it's good for the weekend of fishing...
davey buoy Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 The block heater also will allow the battery to work less turning over.Maybe a timer friday night for the block heater,coming on 3-4 hours before you plan on heading out. I think maybe your battery is on it's way out as it hasn't been that cold consistently.
DRIFTER_016 Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Yeah a few hours is fine. When I moved to Yellowknife I parked my cube truck out front but didn't plug it in. Overnight temps were in the mid -40's. It would only click when I tried to turn it over. Plugged it in and 2 hours later it started fine. I do have battery blankets on all my vehicles as well. It makes them turn over like it's 70* outside. Warming the battery makes a big difference. I don't bother to plug in until average lows are below -15C. I could wait until -20C but the extra wear on the engine is not worth the electricity savings. IMHO
irishfield Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) ..and Ford thought I was nuts when I requested that they stop the nonsense of my truck turning on all the marker lights every time you open a door and the safety issue, for a women alone, of the interior lights coming on when you shut off the truck. All that kills the battery in a week when ice fishing and getting your helmut out of the truck each morning Edited January 22, 2012 by irishfield
mercman Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Mike, it hasnt been cold enough to freeze your motor up bad enough to drain the battery like you describe. I started mine to go to work this morning after sitting 2 weeks in the back yard.Started first shot. Maybe your battery is getting weak
danc Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 ..and Ford thought I was nuts when I requested that they stop the nonsense of my truck turning on all the marker lights every time you open a door and the safety issue, for a women alone, of the interior lights coming on when you shut off the truck. All that kills the battery in a week when ice fishing and getting your helmut out of the truck each morning Yeah, I hate that too Wayne. My car lights up like a Christmas tree every time I exit it. I don't notice it in the summer but in the winter I stand there freezing until everything shuts off, just in case it's human error. And I just replaced a one year old battery (under warranty) because of this silly power waste.
mercman Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Another thing i have heard is turning the lights on for 10 seconds before starting in cold weather will make the battery warmer, there fore start the car easier. Is this poppy noodle or truth
mike rousseau Posted January 22, 2012 Author Report Posted January 22, 2012 So I jumped my truck this morning... Drove 30-40km... Let it idle for 30 minutes at the bait shop... Drove a bit more... Fished 5-6 hours... Then drove another 30-40km home Just put the charger on... Reading 50%
BillM Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 I'd definitely put a trickle charger on it.
davey buoy Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 If you have a 12 volt meter,check the positive and negative terminals when idling.You should get 13.5-14 volts while running.If your getting these numbers than your battery is not to good.If the numbers you get are lower, than it's most likely your alternator.
OhioFisherman Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 I had a block heater on my Chevette and my first Astro van, I kept both parked outside, it was nice to have almost instant heat. The tractors at work all had them, diesels can be a challenge at times to start when the temps get real low. You could almost always tell the guys to lazy to plug their`s in, they were always running to the shop for help starting their tractors. On my cars I would plug them in when I got home from work, no timer, I figured the cost of the electricity was balanced out by the cost of fuel waiting for the windows to defrost.
vance Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 I don't know about Fords but GM has this brilliant idea that even though you have a block heater and you plug it in it WON'T turn on till the temp is -21 ,there is a temp sensor on the cord to keep you from wasting electricity. vance
danc Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 I don't know about Fords but GM has this brilliant idea that even though you have a block heater and you plug it in it WON'T turn on till the temp is -21 ,there is a temp sensor on the cord to keep you from wasting electricity. vance Wow. Thats the first thing that I've ever heard of that Chevy does better that Ford. Unless it fails, which Chevy products often do. Then you're stuck with no block heater at all...
DRIFTER_016 Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 I don't know about Fords but GM has this brilliant idea that even though you have a block heater and you plug it in it WON'T turn on till the temp is -21 ,there is a temp sensor on the cord to keep you from wasting electricity. vance You can purchase an inline one you plug in between the outlet and car that does the same thing. Block Heater Controller
Sinker Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 I'm putting my money on a weak battery. Sure, the block heater will help get it turning over,but its not going to help the weak battery get stronger. I'd suggest load testing your battery before it lets you down on a real cold night. S.
SlowPoke Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 I'd say address your battery/charging issues before going to the trouble of a block heater. We really haven't had the deep cold temps yet and a good battery would have cranked it over. I'm having the same issue with my Suburban right now. Anywhere below -10 or sitting a couple days and no start. Jump it with the spare battery and it fires right up. When it gets a little warmer I'll pop the new battery in. A block heater will help the engine start easier but it's main purpose is warming the engine and fluids. If your battery is that weak, it still might not start!
Tybo Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Your battery is done.Get a new one today or you'll be stranded. Odd that your chevy doesn't have a block heater.Must be a US truck.
Skipper D Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Mike , north over the train tracks on McConell ,when at the bottom of the over pass make the right , do the little jog there to the south and then east to Gerard st, turn north onto it , second last house on the left , drive straight in to the small shop , five night a week and all day saturday and all day sunday , he will take care of you no matter what you need , you will be impresed once your in the little shop , and dirt cheap , all you have to is drive in the drive way .
mike rousseau Posted January 22, 2012 Author Report Posted January 22, 2012 It's a ford and already has a block heater... Just never used it... And the battery has more cranking amps then stock... I made sure to up the power a bit when I replaced the battery 2-3 years ago... I'm really thinking when cold it takes a lot of power to start the v8... And if I'm not driving very far... The alternator can't keep up...
moose Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Mike , north over the train tracks on McConell ,when at the bottom of the over pass make the right , do the little jog there to the south and then east to Gerard st, turn north onto it , second last house on the left , drive straight in to the small shop , five night a week and all day saturday and all day sunday , he will take care of you no matter what you need , you will be impresed once your in the little shop , and dirt cheap , all you have to is drive in the drive way .
moose Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 you have a bad battery ,also check for corrision or your battery cable is loose and not making a proper connection , or your altenator is bad or your belt is bad , this has always been a process of elimination with truck
Skipper D Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) Battery ? quick load test , ground gable? quick cleaning and retighten , Starter drawing heavy ? quick test , second last house on the left , talk fishing while you watch............. lol . He had a heads up early this morning that there might be a chance , he has an eye open as he's installing a timing belt as we speak so another fisherman has a ride for tomorrow morning . Edited January 22, 2012 by Skipper " D "
danbouck Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 Wow. Thats the first thing that I've ever heard of that Chevy does better that Ford. Unless it fails, which Chevy products often do. Then you're stuck with no block heater at all... What about the button on my dash that allows the interior lights to not turn on
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