Cold Causing Shorts?

[canyonero]

During the sub-20 degree snap we had, I tried to start my Series, and it turned over, sputtered, and died. Now it is having the same dead clicking sound it had before I cleaned up several grounds and got it running well. I wasn't sure if now that it's warmer there could be condensation on contact points, or if something just got wet. The starter solenoid seems damp, but the battery is good, and the day before the cold, it was running great. Any thoughts?
Thank you

[mearstrae]

Could be condensation in the distributor cap, if so, a little blast of WD-40 should solve the problem.

'95 R.R. Classic LWB
'76 Series III Hybrid 109

[TeriAnn]

How is the battery? Cold weather decreases their carnking power.
Could be it is either tired or not getting a proper charge for whatever reason.

Try putting a charger on the battery.

[canyonero]

I checked the battery and it was reading a little above 12V, but just for kicks I hooked up to the Subaru and let it "charge" for about 5 minutes, while still hooked up, it finally started. I drove it around a bit, turned it off, tried to start it again, nothing, no lights, no signs of life. Jumped it again, started up, strong lights, everything, but won't start on its own. Do I JUST need a new battery? I can't vouch for the age of the current one, but hope that's it.

[bkreutz]

I checked the battery and it was reading a little above 12V, but just for kicks I hooked up to the Subaru and let it "charge" for about 5 minutes, while still hooked up, it finally started. I drove it around a bit, turned it off, tried to start it again, nothing, no lights, no signs of life. Jumped it again, started up, strong lights, everything, but won't start on its own. Do I JUST need a new battery? I can't vouch for the age of the current one, but hope that's it.

No way to tell for sure without testing. It does sound like it though. If your system wasn't charging it probably wouldn't stay running after unhooking the jumper battery. A lot of auto parts stores will test your battery for you (and maybe the charging system too wouldn't hurt to call) anyway, parts stores used to (back in the stone age) I have all the test equipment at home so I haven't tried a parts store test in quite some time.

[artpeck]

Had the same thing happen on a 4runner and it was a new battery. The voltage will show correctly but you probably have no amperage and hence no crank and it sounds like it won't hold a charge. Check and see if the date is punched in the sticker on the top. Also cold will make everything worse and the degradation of amperage isn't linear. At a certain temp it may effectively cease to function.

[artpeck]

Had the same thing happen on a 4runner and it was a new battery required. The voltage will show correctly but you probably have no amperage and hence no crank and it sounds like it won't hold a charge. Check and see if the date is punched in the sticker on the top. Also cold will make everything worse and the degradation of amperage isn't linear. At a certain temp it may effectively cease to function. You could run the truck longer and let it charge more and also warm but the same thing will probably happen again when it gets cold.

[greenmeanie]

When you check the battery you need to run the lights for about 1 minute before measuring voltage to remove any surface charge which will give a false reading. It most likely will not start if you get below 11V.

If you have a poor/corroded connection then the higher 14.5V potential from the running car will permit enough current to flow where a 12V battery will not.

You can eliminate everything down to the starter motor by running a jump lead from the battery to the starter terminal. If it cranks you have a problem with a connectio or a duff solenoid. Make sure its out of gear and chocked to prevent suprises.

Make sure you clean the earth strap from the starter to the chassis as it hangs down in the crud underneath and is prone to corrosion. For a little insurance I always install more than one engine to earth strap which does wonders for reliability.

In all likely hood cold + poor starting = battery.

[canyonero]

I took the battery to Auto Zone and they said it was good to go, I cleaned up the terminals, and surprisingly, the hazard lights worked on both sides as they should (which they usually don't) there was a "shorting" sound from behind the 6-way, and there are some wires that have been gnawed through coming off the IR Light switch, but it still won't start. No green light, no gauge movement, nothing. So, with the Low-beam thread in mind, I followed the wiring all the way up to the left wing where it grounds, could all of this just be from one dirty ground near the headlights?

[mongoswede]

I took the battery to Auto Zone and they said it was good to go, I cleaned up the terminals, and surprisingly, the hazard lights worked on both sides as they should (which they usually don't) there was a "shorting" sound from behind the 6-way, and there are some wires that have been gnawed through coming off the IR Light switch, but it still won't start. No green light, no gauge movement, nothing. So, with the Low-beam thread in mind, I followed the wiring all the way up to the left wing where it grounds, could all of this just be from one dirty ground near the headlights?

in a system with less than 4 fuses it is very possible that a bad ground has caused all your problems. Actually bad grounds are one of the most common causes for all vehicle electrical problems.