Question, now that it's getting cold...

Greetings, car geeks! I know next to nothing about cars, so I am hoping you can help me.

It is really, really, cold here now. Where I live, that means lower 20's, and the broadcast says it's going to get colder. For our region that is unusually cold for this time of year, and we also have a lot more snow than usual.

My 1994 Nissan Pathfinder is great in snow, as long as I remember to put it in 4-wheel drive (when I don't it fishtails in a way that makes Bambi look stable and steady on the ice), and besides, I enjoy driving it. So it worried me a little when I got out of work today and went to start it, and the engine made the shallow and high-pitched whirring noise that I know means the battery is dangerously low. To my great relief the car started, and I immediately turned off the radio and any and all non-vital things inside the car so it would not suck battery power the next time I had to start it. I then drove home the long way, to give the engine a chance to warm up and the battery lots of time to recharge. The battery is a little bit over a year old, nearly a year and a half--not old enough in my mind to have problems. Then again, my car does not like the cold.

Last winter, in February, I found myself stranded in the work parking lot with this a car battery drained from the cold, and I don't want that to happen again. That event lead to a thread here where I learned about batteries and fuses, and was talked into having the battery and alternator checked out... they both were fine, as it turned out.

After this long-winded intro, here is my question: What can I do to make this cold easier on my poor car? My house has a nice big garage and though not comfortable by human standards, it is far above freezing temperature. We keep both cars in there every night, but in the day, the poor thing is standing in the work parking lot, in freezing snow and cold. In addition to what that does to the battery, the transmission gets so stiff from the cold that I could literally feel the stick bend slightly in my hand as I very slowly forced it from Reverse and into 1st gear... as if the the lubricants in there were frozen near-solid. Scary.

I have one of those 6 amp stable-something-or-other car battery chargers that the previous owners of the car left in the trunk along with the receipt for the car battery (it had two years left on the warranty--nice of them!), so I connected the charger clips to the battery and plugged it into the outlet in the garage wall when I came home, to make sure the battery is fully charged tomorrow morning. I am a little concerned about being stranded in the cold though, and I worry about the transmission being as stuck as it was tonight.

What is the car equivalent of a heavy winter coat?

 

Sounds much like the OR temp and weather right now, Mims.

So did you winterize your car? Checked the radiator antifreeze and topped up recently?

You are right that the battery should last longer. Was it a heavy duty one or standard? Are your battery connector terminals free of deposits and some high-heat resistance lithium grease blobbed on them to keep them dirt-free? Have you checked the fluid levels in the battery, assuming it is one you can top up. Do you drive far to work? If it is only a short trip then you are asking more of your battery than you are allowing it time to charge - stereo, headlights, internal light, heating fan etc. Have you had the belt tension checked recently to the alternator? Any slight slippage can mean less power generated back to the battery.

As for a "winter coat", some people cut out a piece of cardboard and insert in to the front grill to help retain warmth of engine and keep cold winds from driving wet or snowy elements in to the engine compartment. Transmission fluid should not be able to freeze at those temperatures. However, you might want to have your transmission fluid LEVEL check if the gear shift is getting lumpy on changes.

 

Hi Mimsy!! As crazy as this may sound, they do make and sell electric engine blankets for cars that are left in the extreme cold for any length of time. Here's 2 examples of what I mean http://www.tarboxjeepstuff.com/enblheandbab.html and http://www.powerblanket.com/equipment_warming-a-6.html I guess you could consider either one of them as an 'automotive winter coat!' One of those even keeps the fluids warm, including the transmission fluid. As for your battery, as you noticed, they even have a battery warmer! Just make sure that your battery has fluid in it covering the plates. In this cold weather don't fill it to the top, just cover the plates. I hope this helps and above all else....keep your 'baby' warm!!:-D

 

No, I didn't actually winterize the car... but it's not supposed to be winter yet! I saw your thread in the Lounge and it sounds a lot like our weather here! Cold and nasty!

The car is due in to get service and all fluids checked just about now, so I will have them go over and top everything off. I leave for Sweden on Sunday, for a 2-week visit, so I will probably not be able to take the car in for that service until after New Years, but I will make sure to ask them to look at the transmission fluid levels.

You're probably right that the fact that I now have a short drive to work is probably a large factor, especially in the cold. Also, there are no grease blobs on the battery terminals, and they are exposed, meaning that they have disgusting dirt on them. What is a good way to clean them? I have lots of 90% alcohol for computer cleaning, if that works. No lithium grease, but I have an auto-supply store near my house, and they probably have some that they'd be happy to sell me.

I don't think I can top off the battery fluids, I don't see a way to do it. My old battery had a screw top in one corner that I could open, and I used a funnel to top off the fluids in that battery. The current battery doesn't have any screw tops, at least none that I can see and there are lots of warnings about acid on the battery labels, so I'm not really eager to force my way in.

 

Ah, yes definitely if you have a short drive this is part of the problem. I was just guessing but now you confirm that. To clean the battery terminals just use a wire brush. That will also shine up the connectors a little so the metal is making good electrical contact. This will also improve your car's starting performance. Lithium grease is cheap and available at any car store, Walmart etc.

Some batteries have rectangular small caps on top you can flip up with a flat blade screwdriver and then top off each cell with distilled water (also available cheaply from car stores). However, some batteries are sealed and do not require top-off. Quite possible you have one of these.

 

I don't see any caps on the battery top, but then I didn't know I was supposed to look for them. If I find them, I'll pry them open and top off the battery. If not, I'll settle for scrubbing the connectors with a wire brush.

It'll make The Guy laugh... I'm not a very domestic person in any way at all. Seeing me scrubbing away at my car battery will be high entertainment for him LOL

 

LOL....just tell him you are rubbing it to release the Battery Genie out so your car will start properly

 

UPDATE: went to the garage and peeked at the battery--no little caps that can be removed with a screwdriver. I am going to assume that means I have a low-maintenance battery that needs no topping off.

Another question, if you don't mind:
Will this battery thing be a recurring problem during the winter, due to the short drive to work? If yes, should I keep my wall charger out and hook it up in the evenings, to make sure I have lots of battery left for the drive home?

 

roflmao That would really crack him up!

(He's the main reason I have my new car battery. The old battery was really old and crappy, and after it had left me stranded a couple of times he made me take his car in to work one day, took the day off work himself, and went and got a new battery for my car. I thought that was very sweet of him.)

 

That wouldn't be a bad idea. Couple of things to bear in mind thought. If you have to do that for long periods of time your battery will not last as long, so you might want to get an ultra heavy duty one next time. Other thing to bear in mind if you have to do this outside of the cold weather is that something else could be failing, such as the alternator. I know you had it tested last year, but that was a long time ago. Definitely have the belt check for correct tension though. Carry jump leads in your rig - it is much easier to get a jump start off someone then if you already have the leads, so you won't get stranded. You can get a cheap set at Walmart.

 

I have jumper cables in my car already. My dad said to always have them with you, so when he taught me to drive I paid attention to that part too ;-)

I will definitely check the battery and see if I need to get a beefier one next time... I still have the receipt for this battery, I think... and if not, I have a good auto supply store nearby

 

another car update:

The car has started without complaint the past couple of days--but then the temperature has stayed over 20, and I have had the battery charger connected and plugged in. I will continue to do that for the rest of the week, and when I come back from the Sweden trip I will take the car in for service and alternator check.

More update to follow

(Yes, I will keep spamming about my car here, as I learn more about it. I'm ignorant about cars and how they work, so therefor everything about them is immensely fascinating. Nothing like learning new stuff!)

 

I know the previous owners, and they would not knowingly have sold me something with a known problem. However, that doesn't mean the problem isn't there. I suspect it is very much there, and that they simply didn't know what it was or how serious it might potentially be. We're very close (matter of fact I am married to their son), I trust that if there is a serious issue here they were unaware of it.

That doesn't change the fact that I find myself with a car I worry will leave me stranded in the cold. At work that is not a problem. My co-workers like me and I have jumper cables in the car, getting a jump is not a problem. Away from work, it's not a good thing.

Are there any other symptoms of an electrical short, that I might be able to find on my own? The signs you listed of a bad alternator, faint lights, car not starting, et cetera, are kind of happening... the car did start, though reluctantly, and the lights seemed okay, but I never switch them on until after the engine has started up.

 

I don't know if the alternator has ever been replaced, but that will be easy to find out. I had it tested last winter, but as Lev pointed out, that is a long time ago for a car this age.

I am trying to remember not to use the stereo or heater, or anything else that isn't strictly needed for driving, until I know what is eating my battery power... and I'll make a point of not mentioning electrical problems to the shop. They have a good reputation, but all the same... I'll let you know what I find out once I've had the thing tested.

Thanks!

 

In other words, I need to know how long ago that was. Noted.

 

Another factor to consider is a battery drain. Sometimes when cars are turned off, an electircal failure or short can drain the battery. That would be more noticable in cold weather. A local shop should be able to test if your electrical system is draining the battery.

In addition, as mentioned above, get the battery, alternater, and all tested. I was plauged for years with cheap battery terminals. If you have a shop you can trust to do this, you should be in good shape. If not, think about what they try to sell you. Many places would just tell you you need a new battery without doing much testing.

I forget exactly how it is done, but you can measure the drain on a battery when the car is off. Certain devices like your clock and all will take a tiny bit, but if it is over that, you may have a problem elsewhere.

Quick Google gave me this link: http://www.myhonestmechanic.com/articles/car-battery-drains-down-over-night.shtml

 

The output of the alternator can be beefed up by any decent auto electrician, a new one could set you back $250 with labour.

A point about your stiff shift,if it gets easier when warmed up it could be the transmission fluid,the early (90 to 95) models did not like to have any fluid other than Nissanmatic "C" and in a vehicle as old as yours and you not being the original owner there is a good chance that it has a mixture of oils in the trans, it would also cost to have it drained and changed but i don't see any point in doing it now.

You also need to understand that there are a variety of metals in an engine (wont bore you with them) they all expand and contract according to temperature but in different ratios, this also can cause a problem if there has been water in the motor oil (condensation) at any time, this is easy to check just take off the filler cap and look at the inside, it should be black and oily if there is any white froth in there it has water in it but don't panic it is normal in a 14 year old.

Next The engine oil becomes very viscous at low temperatures and that can also effect you batteries ability to turn over the motor, it takes about 75 amps to kick the starter motor and if you have a 120 amp battery fully loaded that's almost two thirds of the capacity just in that first kick and prolonged turning of the motor drains it further until it reaches a point where there is not enough power too the capacitor to generate a healthy spark ( gas motors only) in a diesel motor (i don't know what you have) they have a much higher compression ratio in the motor so it needs a heavy duty battery to turn the motor.

The last thing i want you to do is panic Mimsy, these are just some of the problem that CAN occur not necessarily problem that YOU have, just a few things to think about,

 

"@ Fred and Mimsy

It's easy to see if you have a battery drain all you need is a DIGITAL volt meter (DVM).
You will need to disconnect the negative terminal from the battery and then put one terminal from the DVM to the negative lead and the other terminal from the DVM to battery negative terminal.

BEFORE you do this make sure the meter is on the amps setting and on the 10A scale and do not attempt to start the engine or you will destroy your meter.

After you have connected the meter open the drivers door to make the interior light come on,you will see a reading on the meter which should be around 2.00 amps (due to interior lights being on).Shut the drivers door and wait 10 minutes,you should see the reading go down to about 0.03 amps any reading higher than this means the battery is draining and the higher the reading the more the drain.

 

I don't think I need to panic yet... after a couple of nights with the wall charger plugged in the car has been perfectly fine, and it has not shown any signs of battery problems. Any fluid issues it might have will hopefully be not only discovered and fixed when it goes in for service, and once that's done, I'll take it from there.