Just a click, no engine turnover in cold weather

raskull · 11-29-2007, 09:35 PM

My jeep doesn't like to start in cold weather.

I have a heated garage so it starts fine in the morning, but when I go to leave work I get a clicking sound like the battery is trying to turn the starter over, but no go.

A little background on the issue before we get into this:

Same problem last winter.. I ended up taking the starter apart and noticed the solenoid was all gummed up with rust. New starter for about $70 and the problem was mainly fixed. Happened once with the new starter then never happened again.

This winter it got cold and the problem came back. I figured my weak battery might be the cause, winching and all that stuff can do no good to it. I bought a really nice Optima red top with 800CCA. Problem still exists..

It only does it when the weather is *cold*. -10 C (14F) it's fine.. but when it drops to -15 (5F) or -20 (-4F), it does it every time.

I've found two temporary solutions.. one is to start the jeep once in a while and plug in the block heater.. this prevents my block from ever dropping to that low of a temperature, and it will start ok.

The other remedy is to sit there and click it over and over for five minutes or so (can't be good for it I know), and it will eventually turn over and start.

Obviously it's not the battery.. I have LOTS of power, and I could sit there and click and try to crank it for 45 minutes and still have plenty of power to start it. The battery is a brand new 800CCA cranking battery. It's not likely that I've wrecked a starter in less than a year, but it's possible..

An other ideas?

safarimike · 11-29-2007, 09:51 PM

Is it a rebuilt starter? I have heard those things are Junk.

hecubus · 11-29-2007, 10:55 PM

sounds like a bad connection somewhere...you can have voltage but too small a contact point and there's no way enought amps will flow to turn your engine; as you know when it gets cold metal shrinks and the amperage you need to start a car is substantial. I'd check/clean/coat with that electro goo/ both battery terminals and the starter connection/s and sacrafice a chiken

raskull · 11-30-2007, 05:18 PM

I have checked the connections to the starter before, but I will do so again tonight. I also put in my brother's starter relay and it did not help..

CrzyWhtBy · 11-30-2007, 06:55 PM

If you get a click it is usually the battery; however if your lights are not dim, probably not the case. Probaby a bad starter or bad connection somewhere.

Waldn · 11-30-2007, 08:01 PM

What oil are you using?
I would suggest 5w-30 for the winter

gdl · 11-30-2007, 08:48 PM

I know it's a long shot but maybe it's the battery cables and/or the locations to which they connect. I could imagine if the ground was marginal it could maybe cause something like this.

Waldn · 11-30-2007, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waldn

What oil are you using?
I would suggest 5w-30 for the winter

ignore my last post, I was thinking it was turning over slow.

I agree with gdl, sounds like a bad connection or possibly a bad starter solenoid.

BradG · 11-30-2007, 08:57 PM

Bad spot on the flywheel? We have a burban out at work that we used to have to turn over by hand with a wrench if the starter was on the bad spot on the flywheel. PITA. Though that wasn't a click... more of a painful nails-on-chalkboard sound of screeching metal.

shtev87 · 11-30-2007, 08:57 PM

If you know the battery is good and using a block heater eliminates the problem i agree with waldn that running a thinner oil could help the problem

shtev87 · 11-30-2007, 09:09 PM

yea i was also wrong about suggesting oil, thinner oil could help but id look at connections first also if u have a volt meter a couple simple voltage drop tests could give u the answer