Every year some of us have battery related problems during the winter.

To understand the battery and related problems I have collected some knowledge, interesting to know and to avoid trouble when you depend on your truck.

 

Good stuff.



Its -30C here right now and Im having some trouble.

 

Minus 30°C???
Thats really cold!!!

 

Ouch. Evil, it's -10 here this morning on right at sea level too boot! That's cold with the breeze off the water and my VW didn't even miss a beat starting up.

 

-40 with the windchill - yeah its getting cold. Might have to dig out my winter coat eh?

 

Yeah, ok, now your just gloating!

With the bite in the wind, it feels about the equal to -25 from Alberta. I didn't wear a toque this morning - what a mistake that was - I'm glad I have an office to hide in.

 

what kind of trouble do you have Dr.?

 

Oh newer batteries (year and a half old), 15W40 oil and no start. Its my own fault because I didnt buy the best batteries.

I managed to get it going - plugged in for 4 hours, charged up the battery combined also hit it with a 70 amp boost. I alos put in some emergency fuel conditioner in case it was gelling.

Im going to invest in some magnetic heaters for the oilpan.

 

Did you insulate your battery? I forgot to mention it.
We have a winterization( spelling?) kit for our military trucks. The batteries (4x 100Ah) are wrapped into foam boxes. They prevent that deep cold starting. It is military tested that these foam boxes deliver up to 20% more staring power,
You can prove that with the temperature chart you have seen.
Maybe it is a cheap solution to avoid your staring probs. I would give it a try. Just make sure to insulate the base of the battery to prevent a cold bridge to the metal.

I hope this helps along with thinner oil to lower cranking resistance.

Don't waste your money on mag heaters. Heat amount is limited due to the danger to burn the oil.
Did you ever thought about an real engine heater? I have one since a couple of years. I never would go without one again. Cars have changed- I always have taken the heater with me. 5200W (17200BTU's) are a blast.
Is there any chance of adding a second engine block heater? 500W to 600W isn't that much for your big engine.

I hope you get this problem under control!
Maybe I should move to Canada and sell and install those heaters.

 

Batteries arent insulated. No ral room to do that anyway. They sell battery blankets here that plug in - they are supposed to work well but if you plug them in when its above -30C they will boil your batteries dry.

Tried the magnetic heater last night. I did not notice much of a diffenerce - although Im sure it helped. Im not very worried about it burning my oil when its -30C - just think it will provide a little warmth to the oilpan.

I have an Espar in one truck - still have to make the connection to the fuel system. I might just put a tank of diesel under the hood for the time being.

The block heater is 750 W I believe and it makes a big difference over not plugging in at all. I would imagine a second one would help a lot. Again, plugging in is a must.