Back about 2.5 weeks ago I purchased from a dealership as 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander ES with a little over 35,000 miles. After having it for a few days but not driving it as I work from home and we were in the beginning stages of the deep freeze I went out to run some errands and it was a struggle to start the car. I finally got it started but the engine sputtered and even set off the check engine light. So I took it back to the dealership who is not a mitsubishi dealership. They checked the code and it was a misfire code.
They gave me a loaner car and said the would take it over to their mitsubishi dealership to have them look at it since it is still under warrenty. Two days later they called and said it was ready. I got there and they said it was a bad battery and replaced it. I drove it home and the next day without issues. Then the car sat for 9 days as the deep freeze really hit with temps with windchill hit in the -20 range. Yes my car sits outside as I don’t have a garage. Finally I went out to start it and again it struggled and at first would not start, I tried it again after letting it sit for an hour or two and it started but again really struggled. So this time I took it directly to the Mitsubishi dealership and they let it sit outside for a few days and said it started ok, they said they left it outside. So I went and picked it up. Temps over those two days were near zero. Now back home and I looked at the battery and due to it’s location I can only see the second and third number on the battery for CCA which is a 60 so it could be 460 or 560 or 660, but now with all the info…
Would it be wise for me given my car does sit for 4-5 days usually without driving to move up to the top battery I have found which is a 720 CCA and see if that helps with this issue. Ill have to pay out of pocket. Also the battery is in a horrible spot, I have seen you can have installed a mount where if needed you can jump from it as it is connected to the battery. Is this a wise idea and is this something any car place could install.
The only thing is I would want them to check for a parasitic drain. Other than that drive more, put a charger on it, or battery tender but sounds like you may have limited power access.
A friends car stalled due to a low battery. We have the same issue of short trips and lack of use. I have a 600 and a 700 cca. I just replaced the four year old 600 because after charging for two days couldn’t get it over 80%. The 700 is three years old and when I put the charger on it, got it up to nearly 100% so will replace in a year. Agree either one should not make a big difference but seems like four or five days is a little too soon.
Has the dealship done the standard battery/alternator test? i.e before the first start of the day, the battery should measure about 12.6 volts; then immediately after starting the engine, 13.5-15.5 volts? If they’ve done that, what were the measurements?
Other than that, since the battery is 3 1/2 years old or so, likely approaching the end of its life, yes you could replace the battery with a new one, which will probably help w/the situation. However if you drive the car or at least idle the engine for 30 minutes once a day, that will likely do the trick too. Keeping the battery fully charged w/some sort of battery charger would help too, but that depends on running a power cord to the car , which might not be possible or safe, given what you say above.
Suggest to obtain the voltage measurements mentioned above and post them here for more ideas, and otherwise just start the engine and idle it for 30 minutes once a day until the weather warms up. If there’s any doubt above the coolant’s freeze temperature, like if someone might have diluted it at some point in the past, suggest to have that measured. All that seems the most simple solution. I doubt very many cars will withstand 9 days sitting outside at sub-zero temps w/no starting problems.
When you crank the cold engine with an iffy battery, the voltage to the car’s computer system may drop below specs during the cranking period, and that could be the cause of the check engine light.
Well actually it’s a brand new battery. When I had the issue the first time I was told the battery was bad and they replaced it. Unfortunately I was not given the paperwork on that. When I took the car directly to Mitsubishi dealership they said after sitting for two days out in the cold it started just fine and did nothing else since it was a new battery.
Yes I’m not impressed with my closest dealership option and will find another Mitsubishi dealership to go to in the future.
Today I had to move my car after sitting since Saturday and it started fine but we were above freezing. Planning on going to a batteries plus store tomorrow to have battery checked
When the car struggled to start and finally got it started I drove the 5 miles to the dealership and dropped it off. Right now on average I only drive my car once a week to run all my errands around town … otherwise it sits in my driveway.
I haven’t driven my truck a single time since the 1st week of November … lol … … No freezing temps here in San Jose, but the battery still runs down over that length of time, esp in the winter, so I have to put it on a shop battery charger every couple of weeks to keep it topped off. .
I just purchased one of the jumper packs that has the ability to inflate tires. I’m cautious on putting the battery charger device as I’m afraid someone might steal it.
How often should I take it for a trip if I’m going out just in Saturday to run my errands.
I’m concerned a tender might get stolen plus with snow and slush would it be safe with it sitting on the ground. I have an outside outlet and can get a extension cord if needed but since I’ve purchased a battery jump box would it hurt the battery if on occasions I have to use it on the Saturday I go out.
Also the battery location is horrible so how hard is it to have battery posts installed to make jumping easier
I did and he says drive it once a week which unless we get bitter cold or ice or snow I go out every Saturday to run my errands around town which usually comes out to about 30 or so miles and about 3 or so hours. Should I go out another day and drive around my neighborhood if we have freezing temps?
Are you sure convenient to access jump-start posts aren’t already installed as it came new from the factory? Take a look at the owner’s manual, or ask at a dealership before paying to install something you don’t need. There’s some risk of damage to your car btw either giving or getting jump starts from another car. This is something best avoided , esp on newer cars imho.
This must mean you drive a bit, stop, dive to another store, stop, drive to a 3rd store, then go home?
All these short stop and start trips are not enough to keep your battery fully charged. A 30 minute drive without stops each week, or take a roundabout route either to or from the shops would help keep the battery charged.
Did you only move the vehicle from one parking spot to another? Do you often “move” the vehicle without driving it? Operating the engine for short periods in sub-zero weather can foul the spark plugs with moisture and gasoline, this can cause difficulty starting and misfires.
That was far enough to dry out the spark plugs.
A battery tender is small, like a power transformer for a toy or a charger for a cordless drill. The battery tender gets installed under the hood in a location easy to reach with an extension cord, after connecting the cord you can close the hood.
So a tender is installed onto the frame of the car permanently and you just plug it in when at home?
Basically in a normal week my car will sit in my driveway and I only go out on Saturday unless an errand needs to be ran during the week. I work from home so no commute and if I need something more times then not I will order it and have it delivered to my house.
On Saturday I do try to make my drives as far as possible as I have a number of grocery stores I like to visit with all being at least a 15+ mile drive one way. In the winter if weather is questionable I will stay a bit closer. This past month with the stretch of bitter sub zero temps is why I went 9 days without driving.
I purchased one of those jump boxes that I can carry in my car that also has a tire inflator and light on it to jump my car going forward if I need to jump start it.
