slow cranking

[jcmer22]

hey guys, if my truck has been sitting all night and is cold, the starter cranks over very slow. always starts but cranks slow and takes a while to start. im comparing this to my buddies 05 psd. his starter sounds like it spins much faster and more effiently. once the truck is warm or even if it ran earlier that day, it sounds better which makes me believe it might be weak batteries so i took it to the shop and they tested the batteries and according to them, the cranking amps were actually a little higher than rated so there still strong. what else could this be? my remote starter wont start the truck sometimes cause it takes a lot more cranks to get it started when its really cold. what size batteris do most of you run it colder climates?

[screamin7.3]

Batteries would be my first thought, are all your connections good?

[troid123]

Those tests arent always accurate, my batteries tested out fine and then later that night the truck would not start, batteries were bad...

[97powerstroker]

im sayin starter,thats what mine did,cranked slow.starter fixed it.

[Tree Killer]

I run the Best Batterys that Auto Zone has. Even with Snow plowing they crank good. May also want to check the Alt. to make sure it charging good.

[screamin7.3]

Bad ground, bad connection, weak batteries, wouldn't think it's a worn starter, but I guess it could be.

[ensiv]

All good suggestions that you can rule out rather quickly but here is another suggestion.

If it is only happening when the engine is cold and I am assuming cold tempatures then it may be an oil issue. Are you running the factory recommended oil? I have heard of this with the big diesels like in tugs that run straight 30 and 40 weight oils. Once you start getting the cold tempatures they crank slow until the oil is changed to the lighter oil.

Just my $.02

[CoalRollinRoosterCruiser]

What size battery's do you have in your truck, relating to amps that is.


How many cold cranking amps?

[jcmer22]

Originally Posted by ensiv

All good suggestions that you can rule out rather quickly but here is another suggestion.

If it is only happening when the engine is cold and I am assuming cold tempatures then it may be an oil issue. Are you running the factory recommended oil? I have heard of this with the big diesels like in tugs that run straight 30 and 40 weight oils. Once you start getting the cold tempatures they crank slow until the oil is changed to the lighter oil.

Just my $.02

good question, the only real answer i have is that ford does my oil changes so i have no idea what weight they use. must be to factory spec tho.

Originally Posted by CoalRollinRoosterCruiser

What size battery's do you have in your truck, relating to amps that is.


How many cold cranking amps?

one battery was a 675 and the other was 800 i think.