Car battery in cold weather

[Sue J]

Thanks for the comments. He has a garage space in a separate building. There is not an easily accessible outlet for the trickle charger in the garage. He says there is a lightbulb above and that's it. Also, leaving a charger on unattended may not be allowed. And his car has to be in ACC mode on the ignition to use the trickle charger. That might be ok in your own private garage but not a shared garage space.

He will pursue getting the battery checked at another shop. He's going for an oil change this week and will ask there about the battery and charging system in his car.

I think the problem is the infrequent short trips and this bitter cold. He goes to his work office once a week, it's 2 miles. He shops 1 mile from home and when he comes over here it's just 3 miles. His life is just too convenient!

I bet he gets the portable charger today or tomorrow with his Amazon Prime. I'm glad I already had mine for him to use. If it was me I'd return the trickle charger, but he likes gadgets so he may keep that.

 

[pjigar]

I have this one Amazon.com: GOOLOO GP3000 3000A Jump Starter,12V Car Battery Jump Starter for up to 9.0L Gas Engines & 7.0L Diesel, Supersafe Lithium Jump Box Battery Booster Pack, Auto Battery Starter with USB Quick Charge : Automotive and it’s been great. I let him take it home in case he needs it. I think he’ll buy one this week.

I’m just wondering if this is normal.

Side note: My dozer has a 7L diesel engine and needs two batteries. Both batteries have been long shot and I choose to not spend $1000 for the new batteries. My solution is to use a GOOLOO GP3000 and another running diesel car jumping it in parallel for the first battery spot. Another NOCO Boost X GBX155 hooked up to the second battery spot. With these two jump starters, I can get the dozer started. My comments are to give you some real world idea about how powerful these jump starters are. NOCO GBX155 is a beast but it costs 5 times more than a GOOLOO GP3000. A gas car engine is a piece of cake for GOOLOO GP3000.

 

[pjigar]

I would do a couple things in your case before you figure out which solution to use.
1. Fully charge the battery and measure voltage.
2. Park it for two days and measure voltage. Or hook up to a battery charger with battery level indicator to see how much capacity is lost.

Did you loose too much capacity (e.g. >25%)? If yes then you have an electrical leak so either get that fixed or install a battery cut-off switch. My 2006 Jeep Liberty has some electrical leak and I choose to not fix it. I use this cut-off switch:

Battery Cut-Off Switch

Amazing deals on this Battery Cutoff Switch at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

If there was not much capacity drop then the charging time is not enough or the alternator is weak. Manually charge the battery regularly. Many solutions here: Regular battery charger, trickle charger, solar dash charger, etc. You can hard wire the charger to the battery terminals so you don't have to put the car in ACC mode. I use solar charger for a lot of our farm vehicles that sit outside in sun without much regular use.

Jump starter is your last resort and not exactly user friendly.

 

[jazz4cash]

The bit about not restarting is the troubling part. I can’t count how many times the weird problem was due to a bad chassis ground.

 

[38Chevy454]

The fact it doesn't start after a short drive is indicating a different problem. Even slightly warm engine spins over much easier than dead cold. Which means a lot less battery current to start when warm. Plus assuming the battery is in engine compartment, it also is slightly warmer and works better when warm. There is either a charging problem or other electrical issue like a bad starter or poor electrical connection. A shop should be able to test the alternator output, and also check for other problems. Good point to clean the ground, alternator, starter and battery terminal connections.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned putting a solar charger in the windshield if he can park with the front facing the sun.

Short runs and cold temperatures drain batteries all the time where I live. When I w*rked 2 miles from home, I would have to put my truck battery on a 10-amp charger every other week or so during the winters. DMIL's car needed a full-day charge last week due to her short 3-mile commute 2-3 days a week.

We put solar chargers on some of the outdoor diesel equipment where I used to w*rk to keep the batteries up to where they would start the engines after a month of sitting. (if it wasn't -20ºF)

I don't know if Toyota still has a 12V lighter socket inside, or if it's hot with the key off, but even so, you could run the cord up to the battery under the hood if needed.

Here's a link to a solar charger.

Hope this helps.

 

[GBcycling]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned putting a solar charger in the windshield if he can park with the front facing the sun.

Short runs and cold temperatures drain batteries all the time where I live. When I w*rked 2 miles from home, I would have to put my truck battery on a 10-amp charger every other week or so during the winters. DMIL's car needed a full-day charge last week due to her short 3-mile commute 2-3 days a week.

We put solar chargers on some of the outdoor diesel equipment where I used to w*rk to keep the batteries up to where they would start the engines after a month of sitting. (if it wasn't -20ºF)

I don't know if Toyota still has a 12V lighter socket inside, or if it's hot with the key off, but even so, you could run the cord up to the battery under the hood if needed.

Here's a link to a solar charger.

Hope this helps.

I thought about it, but if they truly live in the north, i didnt think there is much sun this time of year. We had a sunny day yesterday, but today is overcast again.

 

[GBcycling]

Thanks for the comments. He has a garage space in a separate building. There is not an easily accessible outlet for the trickle charger in the garage. He says there is a lightbulb above and that's it. Also, leaving a charger on unattended may not be allowed. And his car has to be in ACC mode on the ignition to use the trickle charger. That might be ok in your own private garage but not a shared garage space.

He will pursue getting the battery checked at another shop. He's going for an oil change this week and will ask there about the battery and charging system in his car.

I think the problem is the infrequent short trips and this bitter cold. He goes to his work office once a week, it's 2 miles. He shops 1 mile from home and when he comes over here it's just 3 miles. His life is just too convenient!

I bet he gets the portable charger today or tomorrow with his Amazon Prime. I'm glad I already had mine for him to use. If it was me I'd return the trickle charger, but he likes gadgets so he may keep that.

If that really is his driving scenario, I doubt his battery state of charge is being maintained.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Agree with the jump pack solution except I will add that it can be hell on the alternator and battery over time and cycles.

+1

After each jump start, the alternator is going to be working extra hard to recharge a pretty discharged battery, and standard lead acid car batteries are not designed to be repeatedly discharged that low. So, that's going to lead to earlier failure of both the alternator and battery.

Some cars have the alternator buried in the engine compartment, so the labor to replace it can be expensive.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

The bit about not restarting is the troubling part. I can’t count how many times the weird problem was due to a bad chassis ground.

+1

Except that typically occurs on older cars, not a 2021. I guess if the car lives a hard life in a rustbelt state it could happen earlier.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

I thought about it, but if they truly live in the north, i didnt think there is much sun this time of year. We had a sunny day yesterday, but today is overcast again.

We (at w*rk) found the 25-30 watt solar chargers to work quite well even during the winters as long as we faced them to the south and brushed the snow off of them early in the mornings before it got light outside.

We also had a 25-watt solar charger just hooked up to a 1000 CCA battery to power some external 12V lighting where there was no power available. It would keep up for the most part unless it snowed in the mornings and nobody went out there to clear off the snow until 4:00 p.m. Then it would be dead the next morning since it had less than an hour of sunlight to charge it back up..

During the shortest days of winter, here in far-northern Wisconsin, we have over 16 hours of darkness and less than 8 hours of daylight. Most mornings when I came in at 5:00 a.m. those lights would be shining brightly. From March through November, it stayed charged up and stopped charging around noon.

If the OP's son's car battery tested good at Advance Auto, then it's probably not the battery's fault. Especially if it's only a year old. I would double-check the terminal connections, though, just in case something got screwed up while swapping the battery in 2025.

For us, even in the brutal northern Wisconsin winters, we usually get around 9 years out of the Delco Freedom batteries in our vehicles.

 

[jazz4cash]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned putting a solar charger in the windshield if he can park with the front facing the sun.

It was mentioned a couple of times. It’s worth a shot but does not address an underlying problem. As far as not getting much sun, I still think I’d try it. It could help on that restart too.

 

[freedomatlast]

Solar chargers, trickle charges and other band aids aren't going to fix the root of the problem.

In the scenario described in post #26, the act of only driving a few miles in severely cold weather, combined with OP's son probably using the blower motor on high, the rear defroster on high and many other high current accessories on that draw lots of power, isn't allowing the alternator to sufficiently recharge the battery after the first start of the day. That type of driving not only makes it difficult for the alternator to recharge the battery, it's also bad for the engine because he's never burning off all the contaminates and condensation in the oil. I'd keep it simple at this point and start making sure all trips were at least 10 miles each way and see if the "problem" takes care of itself by giving the alternator a fair chance to charge up the battery.

I'd still get the battery load tested by someone other than Advance Auto, not just measure voltage across the terminals which tells nothing about the amount of current available.

 

[bada bing]

One cheap item I have in my Alaska cars is a voltage meter. Lots of cheap ones on Amazon, they are almost a throw away item. Here's one I've used that doubles as a phone charger.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N4WKJMT?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1

It won't fix your problem, but it will tell you how likely it is your car will restart after a short run. You should see > 14 volts after the car's been running for 5 minutes or you have a battery/charging problem. You can see how much voltage sag you're getting from using various accessories like heat blower or electric window defrost. And tell if your alternator is keeping up at idle. And you can charge your phone.

 

[JoeWras]

One cheap item I have in my Alaska cars is a voltage meter. Lots of cheap ones on Amazon, they are almost a throw away item.

I 100% agree with this post. Get a USB charger with a volt meter. It is very useful, especially for older vehicles like mine with sketchy electrical systems. Like bada bing says, you want to see 14v or more to assure your alternator is OK. (Maybe 13.8 or more, depends.) You want over 12v with the car off and unloaded. Below 11.6 means you have a problem. The version I have flashes when this happens and gets your attention.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

One cheap item I have in my Alaska cars is a voltage meter. Lots of cheap ones on Amazon, they are almost a throw away item. Here's one I've used that doubles as a phone charger.
Amazon.com

Oddly enough, I never knew something like this existed. Thanks for the link.

I wouldn't have any use for the USB ports, and I'd have to disconnect it when I wanted to plug in the Garmin GPS, but I could see where having that meter right in the dashboard could come in handy.

 

[JoeWras]

Oddly enough, I never knew something like this existed. Thanks for the link.

I wouldn't have any use for the USB ports, and I'd have to disconnect it when I wanted to plug in the Garmin GPS, but I could see where having that meter right in the dashboard could come in handy.

There's a solution for that. Get one with a pass-through 12v port. Then plug in your Garmin. That's what I do. Easy. I have the one below, the only problem is with my dashcam plugged in, I can't see the numbers so I turned it upside down and have to read upside down. You can find something else on AMZN that fits your style, I'm sure.

 

[Music Lover]

Maybe he needs an AGM battery:

AGM Battery: How It Works, Lifespan, Technology, And Key Differences Explained [Updated On: February 2026]

An AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery works by absorbing battery acid in fiberglass mats instead of using free liquid. This design evenly delivers the

thebatterytips.com

What Is an AGM Battery? Everything You Need to Know

Wondering what is an AGM battery? Discover how it works, how it compares to regular batteries, and why it’s popular in modern vehicles and off-grid systems.

www.ecoflow.com

 

[Al18]

An AGM battery will not help, if he's making 1-2 mile trips. A battery usually needs 10-15 minutes to charge up, in my experience.

 

[Music Lover]

An AGM battery will not help, if he's making 1-2 mile trips. A battery usually needs 10-15 minutes to charge up, in my experience.

But it would greatly reduce the amount of longer trips needed to charge the battery.

Unless he wants ongoing problems he's going to have to change how he drives his vehicle regardless. Having a better battery makes it a lot easier but not foolproof.

 

[Texas Proud]

LOL.. I am throwing out a joke option...

Ride a bike!! Or get a battery scooter... the kind you stand on... I have seen them in Austin all over downtown.. they can easily go that many miles and can charge up inside...

ORRR,... walk!! I used to walk 2 miles sometimes in NYC to get home... it was a nice walk..

 

[JoeWras]

Here in the South, we don't get a lot of extended cold. This has been interesting for my Honda Odyssey. We got a little warmer weather, and everything seems good right now. I think the cold weather (reduces crank amps), along with charging while I have the blower on high, and the heated seats resulting in reduced charging amps makes a difference.

I'm still keeping my booster pack available, but a 15 to 20 degree difference in temperatures seems to have made a world of difference.

I probably still have a problem because if this vehicle was located in Ontario, it would be toast.

 

[Sue J]

Again, thanks for all the comments.

It's almost been a week and after getting his battery fully charged with the trickle charger at our house, he's had no issues at all. So I think all of your knowledge and experience were correct. He ran it down with the short trips and it wasn't getting a chance to fully recharge.

He bought a Gooloo jump starter just like mine and also a voltage meter for the car lighter as suggested here. I liked the idea of the solar charger but he's been parking in the garage so he passed on that one. He's going to see if he can use the trickle charger in his garage. There's no electrical outlet, he'd have to connect to the overhead light.

With the voltmeter he'll be able to see the status and stay on top of this.

I knew I could come here for some real world experience and knowledge!

 

[JoeWras]

Also an NC guy, and sure enough this week has been better. No problems with no-starts. Keep the Gooloo, it is cheap insurance. I really feel that the recent extreme weather has exposed many of us to "edge conditions"
that don't require drastic changes, just a little bit of awareness of our driving and weather conditions.

 

[Texas Proud]

Is this a community garage? Are the lights easy to get too?

There is a piece you can buy that still allows the light but adds a plug...