So I went out this morning to start the mini to go scraping and she rolled over slower than molasses in the winter. This is with a 3 month old Interstate SP40 425ca and 350cca. All connection were cleaned when I install the new battery. Read here that a battery with those specs should be fine. Five minutes on the charger and she fired right up ( stroking the heck out of the go pedal to keep her running ). Took the battery back to the Interstate dealer and it checked out fine, but did swap it out for me. Hope this helps. Not a big fan of " no starts ".
Since I live in Alaska a battery with only 350cca is too small but that's my opinion. I have a 525cca die hard that fits in the stock location. It will start without the heaters plugged in down to -20F. I plug it in to make life easier though. I have a battery heater and an oil pan heater. Remember CCA is a rating at 32F so think about what a 350cca has for power at 2F. Oh yeah and I always start it with the clutch pushed in so I am not fight cold gear lube in the transmission.
I wish I had an engine heater. My Ford diesel has one and I love it. akguy09 What is the part # of your Die Hard. Last time I checked at Sears the only one that would fit my Zuki battery box had less CCA than the battery I have now. I'll have to try the clutch thing to. That is a very good point. Thanks, Randy
Engine heater Hi Randy. Temro Zerostart circulating heater part#3200001 is an excellent choice for your truck. It easily installs in the lower rad hose and warms the engine quickly. I am only using a small L&G style battery and it has no problem cranking the engine in severe low temps when using this engine heater.
I would recommend a Canadian Polar Pad. The small 125 watt size has gotten me through 3 Manitoba winters. You simply peel and stick it on to a clean oil pan then seal the edges with the supplied goop. Direct contact similar to radiant floor heat. About $100. I couldn't find their website but Canadiantire has them and I'm sure their on ebay. Jessico Distributors is the company name. Ralph
not sure of the dimensions of your battery box , but I just measured mine and went on Sears website and the list dimensions for each battery group size, then once I found the one with the right dimensions I went to the local Sears and purchased. Marc
