alternative power source

[02_Elantra]

hey guys, lately it's been really cold out here and again this morning my car would not start so I was thinking about getting a solar pannel to trickle charge the battery (http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444328 1870&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672503&bmUID=1170695041094), the problem is that I would be installing it facing the rear window between the rear speakers and I do not want to plug it all the way to the front in the cigarette lighter.

Would it feed the whole electrical system if I was to plug the positive and negative to the positive and negative of my capacitor?? Would it just charge the cap and nothing would go through to the battery?

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but if you can charge the battery through the cigarette lighter I just assumed that you could through any power source connected to that battery, the capacitor being, in my opinion, the main power source in the rear of the car.


Thank you
02_Elantra

[ricerrx7]

As long as the wiring connects to the battery, and isn't switched, then it should work.

[Ugzz]

hmm, i would assume it would work.. but the cap would most likely steal some of the energy and waste it.

also your battery should still start in the cold, if its having that big of a prob. i would invest in a beefy battery like an optima..

my car fired up after only one or two chugs and it was 3 degrees this morning, there calling for 0 tp -3 where ill be tomorrow, so well see if the optima still holds up well.

[02_Elantra]

ok well I'm bringing back the pannel because I don't like it, and it doesn't work to my liking.

Yesterday it was around -18 degrees C. and earlier today it was -33 deg.C. and now according to the weather channel it is -24 deg.C. so I would imagine that any batteries would have a problem holding it's charge or any car would have a problem starting up.

On another note my battery doesn't drain all the way, just enough for an attempt at starting up, the engine revs up to 500rpm and dies. I know the cold puts a lot of stress on cars so I guess in the following days I'll see if the problem continues and I'll go from there.

[ghrpdx]

Sounds to me like it may be time for a new battery. Considering how cold it gets there, have you thought about getting a block heater? (http://www.hyundaipartspeople.com/SearchProduct.asp?Model=Elantra&catid=324445598759898&year=02&productdesc=Engine+Block+Heater)

http://www.hyundaipartspeople.com/images/Hyundai/engine%20block%20heater.jpg

[02_Elantra]

My battery is 1 year old and it carries a 6 year warrenty, I'll be going back to the store tomorrow and maybe get another one under warrenty. I've thought about the block heater, never bothered to search for it, I'll talk to my friend that works at the Kia dealership. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Ugzz]

block heater is a good idea.. as for the cold one of my hs friends went to school up in canada and he is there on an internship at some record place .. hes cruisin around with no probs.. i dont remember where exactly he is, but i know the border is a 4hr drive from me and hes like 10-12 north from me.. so im sure its colder there then here lol

[ghrpdx]

Honestly though ... the cold you guys are experiencing is going to tax the best of batteries.

[2loud2k2xd]

i can get as many solar panels as you guys want. they either plug into the cig lighter or directly into the obd2 port. one perk of working at a dealership. :)

[Ugzz]

Honestly though ... the cold you guys are experiencing is going to tax the best of batteries.

true that.. but it shouldnt tax it so that you cant start you car on a daily basis. i mean there are people in some damn frigid climates that still have cars and drive daily.. im sure they dont all have solar panels or trickle chargers..

[02_Elantra]

Come to think of it, my alarm system has a better function than a block heater. It has the cold weather mode which starts the car every 3 hours for 5 minutes, which moves the fluids around and actually charges the battery, perhaps maintaining an adequate charge.

[02_Elantra]

Well little update, I took the battery back to WalMart and they tested it and found it to be defective. They replaced it with a new one under warrenty.

I was told that the engine start up issue may be caused by the fact that it's too much cold air at once and the engine cant compensate with enough gas so it "chokes" the engine, a solution to that problem may be a block heater.

On another note, I need some more help as now the weather is way milder and my new battery still doen't seem to be keeping it's charge. The 4 most recent electrical things I have done are:

1-new head unit (I have witnessed some sparking of wires when the guy installed the cd player = maybe a short??)

2-intelligent battery guard (installed and returned to the store)

3-voltage stabiliser

4-new battery

any help is appreciated ...

thank you,
02_Elantra

[mlumz]

u may also try putting a little bit larger better (more cold cranking amps), helped me out in my old car when I lived in Michigan.

if the battery isn't holding a charge, u could be having bad luck with another bad battery (a new battery shouldn't be losing charge); also something electrical could be on that is draining your battery

also check your wires, plugs, starter, etc

[mtlelantra]

Don't forget that our cig and 12V power is switched, so if the car is off, there's no connection to the battery.

[punkrocker3_00]

Wow, I haven't heard of anyone really having this problem. What brand of battery are you using? Make sure you are getting a battery with high cold cranking amps and for those temps, you really need to get a engine block heater. You are really hurting your engine in those temps without one. My suggestion is to start disconnecting your battery at nights. If it is the cold causing the problems, you battery will lose its charge no matter what. If it does start, then something else is draining the battery.