02 CRV EX and battery ?

Discussion in 'CR-V' started by pa, Nov 11, 2008.

  1. pa

    pa Guest

    I've got a 2002 Honda CRV. Ever since the first year in the winter
    that i had this car I noticed that duringf winter and cold the start
    time / turn over was very delayed. It would turn over slowly when i
    crancked the key.

    Anyway, is this because the battery is weak? -- I have no trouble in
    the summer.

    Also I have had the same battery since 2002, I think its time for a
    new one. I would like a stronger one. Is it OK to get one that has
    more kick? Is there a max I can go to? If I get a new harder working
    battery will the starting issue get better?
     
    pa, Nov 11, 2008
    #1
  2. pa

    James Sweet Guest


    Probably a tired battery, 6 years is doing pretty well. Cold weather
    slows chemical reactions, an effect is that the cranking amps a battery
    can supply drop with temperature. Additionally, engine oil thickens at
    cold temps and increases the load on the starter cranking the engine.
    Any autoparts store can test your battery for you, usually for free. As
    far as new batteries go, the limit is dictated by what will physically
    fit, increasing the Amp-hour capacity will not cause a problem but
    should not be necessary unless you have specific needs. You may also try
    some of the more modern multiviscosity oil, 0W30 will thicken less at
    low temperature than 10W30 and offer you a slight improvement in fuel
    economy in the bargain. It's also worth checking the battery cables,
    particularly where they connect at each end. The starter motor can pull
    upwards of several hundred amps, so it doesn't take much resistance in a
    loose or corroded connection to burn up a lot of power as waste heat
    instead of useful mechanical work.
     
    James Sweet, Nov 11, 2008
    #2
  3. pa

    jim beam Guest

    what motor oil are you using? [generally, oil viscosity increases as
    temperature decreases, thus starter motors turn slower.] synthetics
    aren't generally subject to winter problems like standard oils.
     
    jim beam, Nov 11, 2008
    #3
  4. pa

    jim beam Guest


    where did you get that information? do you know how the oil grading
    system works?
     
    jim beam, Nov 11, 2008
    #4
  5. pa

    Leftie Guest


    I agree with most of the above, but I think that 5W-30 oil is a
    safer bet for an older vehicle than 0W-30. Really light oils can cause
    oil burning in vehicles that aren't currently using any. Even 5W-30 can
    be a problem for worn engines, so I use 10W-30 in Summer at least.
     
    Leftie, Nov 11, 2008
    #5
  6. pa

    Leftie Guest


    Firsthand experience, and yes I realize that there *should* be no
    difference between a hot engine running 0W-30 and one running 10W-30.
    Nonetheless, the only time my '86 Civic burned oil was when I switched
    from 10W-30 full synthetic to 5W-30 full synthetic. And it stopped once
    I switched back. Others have had the same experience with slightly worn
    engines. It may simply be that they burn quite a bit on startup if it's
    too 'thin.'
     
    Leftie, Nov 11, 2008
    #6
  7. pa

    jim beam Guest

    with synthetics??? that's not my experience. and my experience is that
    my car has nearly stopped using oil now that i've been running synthetics
    for a while. you probably ran into the same cleaning effect as me, but
    misattributed it to grade.
     
    jim beam, Nov 11, 2008
    #7
  8. pa

    Leftie Guest


    No, the car was run on full synthetic from right after break-in. The
    problem occurred at about 90k miles. I had to replace the plugs and
    oxygen sensor because of the oil burning caused by the lighter oil. It
    still wasn't burning oil on 10W-30 when I sold it last year with 146k
    miles on it.
     
    Leftie, Nov 11, 2008
    #8
  9. pa

    jim beam Guest

    i still have a hard time believing that - what you describe is a
    mechanical problem, not an oil problem. and just so you know, the flash
    point of lighter oils is higher than heavier oils - it doesn't burn as
    readily.
     
    jim beam, Nov 12, 2008
    #9
  10. pa

    Leftie Guest


    No, the car was run on full synthetic from right after break-in. The
    problem occurred at about 90k miles. I had to replace the plugs and
    oxygen sensor because of the oil burning caused by the lighter oil. It
    still wasn't burning oil (except a puff on startup from seal leakdown)
    on 10W-30 when I sold it last year with 146k miles on it.
     
    Leftie, Nov 12, 2008
    #10
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