OEM battery life in cold weather

I use 0W-20 Mobil One.

 

The weekend after I changed my battery, we had even colder weather. I tested a cold start after being parked for about 18 hours in below -30C/-22F weather.

The truck started right up! Although it sounded pretty rough.

I have a battery pad and block heater that I try to use when it's that cold, but it's not always possible.

Also, thanks to all for the feedback so far!

As some have pointed out, it's not really possible to predict battery life since the usage varies so much from one truck to another. In my case, the battery was really still doing well in warmer weather. It just couldn't provide the required power in really cold weather I guess.

 

Just replaced my factory 08' last month, still was working, but started to sound weak on cooler mornings. No really cold weather here though. As others have stated, heat (and heavy drains) is what kills batteries, cold is what makes the damage show up.

 

Heat actually speeds up the electrochemical reaction in a healthy battery and cold slows it down. As a battery ages, the active surface area on the plates is reduced or the grids corrode; thus, resulting in decreased CCA performance and amp hour capacity. Starting batteries are optimized with a lot of surface area using thinner plates to produce very high current for very short periods of time. Deep discharges, high underhood temperatures, undercharging, undersizing, or excessive vibration can significantly shorten the life of a starting battery.

 

This is very well explained. Thanks!

 

5 Years on my OEM.

Bush roads, -40 *c a few times

9500 lb winch use

Sounds not too happy in VERY cold weather, but always starts. I am pleasantly surprised.

 

mine lasted 4.5 years.... replaced with a diehard gold....

 

this summer will be 3 yrs. have had some -25F (ambient) winters. still on oem battery with no issues.

it is garaged during the night, but sits outside during the day from 7am to 5pm. do not have a block heater installed.

 

still running the factory battery on my '06. in service data of 11/05. so 9 plus years.

ran it pretty much flat once in 2012...after sitting for a few hours it had just enough to start.

i've had an amp hooked up to it since 08ish.

it's defiantly getting close, but i am seem to say that every winter.

haven't done any maintenance on it.

 

The average expected battery life for Montana based on the Interstate study is between 56 and 61 months, so 108 is very good. If the OEM was a Panosonic from Japan, it has thicker plates. If properly maintained, 10 to 12 years of life is not all that uncommon for them in the extreme cold weather areas. IMHO, keeping it fully charged, removing the terminal corrosion, minimizing vibration, or adding distilled water (if required) is about all that is required for a longer service life for any starting battery.

 

Just replaced my OEM battery last week. 2.5 years old...totally dead on one of those below 0 mornings...wouldn't even click. I'm just over 73K miles, mostly highway. I was surprised that it didn't last longer.

Paul

 

Paul, I am surprised as well. The four most common premature battery failures are:

1. Low Electrolyte.

2. Sulfation caused by undercharging due to driving habits, terminal corrosion or improper charging.

3. Deep Discharges/Freezing.

4. Excessive Parasitic Load.

Manufacturing defects are typically less than 1%.