crgf1k

I have a brand-new big Walmart battery (H8 I believe) with 900CCA. The old battery went dead on a very cold night with the Battery Tender Junior connected and doors locked. The light on the battery tender was green.

After putting in the new battery, I drove the car for about an hour, then parked the car for a few days (very very cold Ottawa days) without the battery tender junior on. The car cranked slowly, but started up ok.

I was satisfied that the problem was solved by the new battery, so I put the car back on the battery tender, locked it, and left it for a week (still very cold outside, but the car is in the garage). I checked the battery tender jr light from time to time during the week, and the light was green.

Today I went to start it and it barely started. It cranked very slowly and even seemed to stop cranking for an instant before starting up.

Any ideas? It seems like the battery tender is doing more harm than good. Could it be preventing the car from going to sleep?

Igooz

If your battery is good and fully charged and your car still cranks slow that means:
1. Your starter may need to be replaced
2. You are not getting enough voltage to the starter. Cables are good and tight?
You may have a failed "famous" ground strap (this is the strap that grounds the engine to the body)
3. ...

crgf1k

I think you're right...I'll charge the battery up, check and clean all the connections, and I might even add a big fat ground strap near the starter if I can find a good bolt nearby on the body. If it still doesn't crank fast, I'll put a starter in it.

4ocious

It's been cold here in VA (8-15) but I'm sure not as cold as Ottawa. But, my TT still cranks and starts slowly even with a fully charged battery. I also attach a battery tender when it's not in use and garaged and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I just think these are cold starting engines-