WhtMke Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 I have a 99 Legacy Wagon with a 2.2L. Due to the really cold weather, (-10) my Ruby has been having a hard time starting in the morning. Did find out it’s a group 35. But a couple different cca options. Could someone enlighten me as to what the cca should be for cold weather conditions. Thanks in advance lady’s and gentlemen. You all make this the best forum on the web. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreb10 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 CCA is Cold Cranking Amps, and if you are trying to start a car in very cold weather then the higher the cca the more amps will be going to the starter. But you may want to consider that there are other things that can make starting a problem, such as a balky starter solenoid, worn starter contacts, or internal corrosion on the starter power cable that is not visible from the outside. Can you elaborate a bit on what you mean by "hard time starting". Is the starter turning the engine over very slowly, or is the starter just clicking a few times and then turning the engine over? Does it take multiple attempts to get the engine to start? A few more bits of information that could be useful is the mileage on the car, the age of the battery, and if the starter has ever been replaced or overhauled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhtMke Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 She has 117,000 miles. She wouldn't start when I went to buy her in September, so I went and got a Bosch starter (part # SR176X) to make sure the motor turned over. And to check if there was any other problems I might need to fix right off, cause she was only a $300 car. She has always started real easy till it became really cold out. Doesn't do the clicking sound your talking about. Just sluggish to turn over to start on the fist start of the day. After she starts and warms up, she will turn over real easy for the rest of the day. I have noticed since this started that when I hit the brakes as night, that the lights will dim for a second. So I did have the alternator tested and they said it was fine,but my battery was low on juice. Apon looking around, I've found two different cold cranking amps for the car. Either 490 or 430. That was through the Bosch website. But at Advanced Auto, they say that OEM, it has a group 35, 500 cca battery. But also said I could use a group 26R, 540 cca battery. This is were my confusion comes in. I really just need a good battery to last me till mid February, beginning of March, till taxes come in and my son and I can start rebuilding the other motor I have for her in the shed. The body on her is in mint shape and my plan is to rebuild the other motor and give the car to my son for his first car after we do the little bit of work that needs to be done. And I get the body work done on my 2005 Baja. I hit a dear in August with the Baja and bought Ruby to drive till I have my other Subbie back on the road. Hope this info helps. If you need anymore information, let me know. And thanks for the reply. This site as helped me in a major way. CCA is Cold Cranking Amps, and if you are trying to start a car in very cold weather then the higher the cca the more amps will be going to the starter. But you may want to consider that there are other things that can make starting a problem, such as a balky starter solenoid, worn starter contacts, or internal corrosion on the starter power cable that is not visible from the outside. Can you elaborate a bit on what you mean by "hard time starting". Is the starter turning the engine over very slowly, or is the starter just clicking a few times and then turning the engine over? Does it take multiple attempts to get the engine to start? A few more bits of information that could be useful is the mileage on the car, the age of the battery, and if the starter has ever been replaced or overhauled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhtMke Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 As far as the age of the battery. I have no clue. It looks like it was around when dinosaurs walked on earth. CCA is Cold Cranking Amps, and if you are trying to start a car in very cold weather then the higher the cca the more amps will be going to the starter. But you may want to consider that there are other things that can make starting a problem, such as a balky starter solenoid, worn starter contacts, or internal corrosion on the starter power cable that is not visible from the outside. Can you elaborate a bit on what you mean by "hard time starting". Is the starter turning the engine over very slowly, or is the starter just clicking a few times and then turning the engine over? Does it take multiple attempts to get the engine to start? A few more bits of information that could be useful is the mileage on the car, the age of the battery, and if the starter has ever been replaced or overhauled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhtMke Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) https://imageshack.com/i/pnbYKVJaj Picture of the tag on the battery in the car now. Edited December 31, 2017 by WhtMke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 https://www.amazon.com/Kats-22400-Watt-Battery-Heater/dp/B000I8XDAS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp213 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 I can't tell how old the battery is, but it looks like an interstate from Costco. That's where I get mine. $75.00 with a core. Get the group 35 and look at the cca. The higher the better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhtMke Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 If the CCA is to low, will it make my lights go dim when I hit the brake pedal? Or when I turn the heat on? I can't tell how old the battery is, but it looks like an interstate from Costco. That's where I get mine. $75.00 with a core. Get the group 35 and look at the cca. The higher the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp213 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 No. That's not cca. If the battery is old and week, or low on water, your volts might be low. Have you had the battery and alternator tested? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhtMke Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 I had the alternator tested and they said it was good but the battery was weak. The starter is new as of September of this year. I can get a new battery for $50 bucks, but it’s a group 35 and CCA is 430. I just need something to last till March, that will start the car when it’s cold out. I live in the northeast and it’s been -10 the past 3 days. In March I have plans for my son and I to rebuild the 2.2L I have in the shed so I can give him this car and I can start driving my Baja again once the body work is done from hitting a deer. No. That's not cca. If the battery is old and week, or low on water, your volts might be low. Have you had the battery and alternator tested? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 How old is the engine oil? Now might be a good time for an oil+filter change. A thinner grade of oil might help with cold-weather starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt167 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Walmart value line is 500cca for $50. They work fine, and as for your battery it likely has a weak cell. These engines only need about 400 amps or so to spin them over reliably. The factory supplied Panasonic batteries are around that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Also look at your ground for the neutral cable, battery terminals, condition of your battery cables and such. Interstate makes very good batteries though yours could be close to end of life. Do you have a small battery charger? If so top the battery off and see how it does. Do you have a jumpstart battery. Very handy item to have. If you do top it off and sit inside by the door. Hook it up before you turn the key on these minus 0 mornings. Also check the water in the cells as stated above.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golucky66 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Just as a comparison. The newer Subaru's all come from factory with a 390 CCA battery. Which turns the car over fine in the winter. I'm talking 2.0 and 2.5 NA's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 My cheapo MAXX Battery from Walmart (Canada) has 800CCA. Maybe the Canadian market has different batteries than in the US. Regardless of the price/CCA/warrantee figures, my experience is that all batteries seem to have a life of only 4 to 5 years, before they'll let you down on a cold morning! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Switch to thinner oil. 5w-20 should help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith3267 Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) Don't be fooled by high CCA numbers, there are a lot of factors that go into selecting the proper battery for your vehicle. The group number is the physical size of the battery. Some times it will have a letter at the end to indicate which side the positive terminal is on. Group 26 is one of those and the R means that the positive post is on the right. There is a Group 26L also.Storage batteries in general are designated as high energy or deep cycle. Deep discharge batteries provide a low current over a long time for things like battery back-ups (UPS), trolling motors on fishing boats etc. High energy batteries provide a high current for short periods of time for things like the starter motor in your car. This is where you see the CCA numbers. Deep discharge batteries have fewer but thicker plates in them. This is why they don't provide a high CCA but they can run for a long time and discharge to very low levels without damage. The plates are very rugged and don't warp easily. High energy batteries have many more, but thinner plates. This greatly increases the plate surface area to the acid and increases the instantaneous current available. But because the plates are thinner, they cannot discharge deeply or they will get damaged. As batteries age, the plates erode and sometimes warp. Over time they loose some of that CCA capacity. A high CCA battery can degrade much quicker that a lower CCA battery although the high CCA batteries often come with longer warranties. Part of the reasoning is that they degrade at a faster rate, but they start at a higher capacity to begin with. My experience with them is that they don't last through the warranty period and the prorated refund is not very much, and to get that, you have to buy a new battery from the same store (or chain of stores) to get it. I see it as a trap. Buying a quality battery (Interstate is a quality battery, but there are others) at or slightly above the OEM will yield the longest service. Those little circles on the label of your battery are used to indicate the month and year the battery was sold and determines the warranty. The retailer should have punched out the appropriate circles on your battery and it looks like they didn't. The only way to get any remaining prorated value from the warranty, if the battery isn't out of warranty would be to have the receipt. All indications are that your battery is not long for the world. You should go ahead and replace it. You car will still be harder to start in cold weather, all cars are, but at least it will be less likely to not start and leave you stranded. Edited December 31, 2017 by keith3267 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Get an Odyssey battery and put it in your Baja when you get it back. Give the kid your old one. They use the same battery. Nothing beats an Odyssey. Optima's are junk since they sent production to mexico and Interstate, Costco, etc are all just Johnson Controls garbage that's lucky to last 4 or 5 years. Odyssey design life is 12-15 years, and they handle open circuit storage for up to 2 years without discharge. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 if the battery is weak, then yeah, it needs to be replaced. Extreme cold temps will cause starting issues, regardless - batteries do not like extreme cold... I have a new battery in my 02 Foz, and at sub-zero temps, even it struggles initially to start the engine on the first start of the day... While an Odyssey battery might be a worthwhile investment, the price point is kinda high for those of us struggling to make ends meet ($295 for an Odyssey vs $85 for a regular one to fit our Dodge pickup which is in need of a better battery) One thing that can help a little is to warm the oil/oilpan with a magnetic heater... they can be found all over for about $35 - just reach under, slap it on the oil pan and plug it in.. it heats the oil pan, warms the oil, and depending on conditions, that heat can radiate up into the block itself. makes first startups on very cold mornings a bit easier. We have a couple of these around - have had them for years. Just don't forget to unplug & remove it before driving away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 It's true they aren't cheap. But.... "fast, reliable, or cheap - pick two". I would say the best way to go if budget is a concern is hit up the local junk yards - they usually sell good batteries for $20 or so. Then go on Amazon and get yourself a battery blanket, oil pan heater, and a trickle charger. GD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backout Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Minor correction to one of the earlier postings: walking around the Subaru new car showroom today, all the hoods were open and the lowest CCA I saw was 490. I was in for battery issue, mine checked out as BAD and was replaced under warranty. the new battery they installed has 550 CCA. I was so glad to hear the old one was bad cuz it was only 356 CCA. That's all Folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Seems for Interstate batteries it depends on where you live. GD shocked me with that statement as I have bought and used many Interstate batteries with no issues ever. My 87 Brat's Interstate was purchased July of 2010 and started my little Brat yesterday. Though I did top it off with a 1.5 amp charger a few days ago. We are seeing low teens to 12 degrees last night. Anyways to my point, seems many states get a made in Mexico Interstate while others such as us in eastern NC get a US made Interstate. If it is a made in Mexico it has to state so. The Optima in my 2006 Ford Ranger was made in 09 and it still works great too. Maybe I have been lucky! At nearly 8 and 9 years old each I have no complaints but for the price the Interstate takes top honors at my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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