Hey all, 4 questions:

In -5 degree temps:
1. My brand new WalMart battery barely turned over my engine. Is there a battery with better CCAs that is reasonably priced? I couldn't find one that fit without going all the way up to an Optima.

2. My heater (assuming the blower as the noise was coming from behind the dash) made some awful squealing noises on startup. The noises only lasted a few minutes into warming up, but man did it sound bad. Is there somethine I need to lube? Does this mean my blower is about to go?

3. After 10 minutes of warmup (heater was blowing warm air and temp gauge was reading about half way to normal operating temps) I was having a hard time shifting my AX-15 (pretty typical in manual trans' around here) and I had no power steering and it seemed frozen. I tried each direction as I was backing out and when I realized there was no way to muscle around turns I pulled back in the driveway and next thing I know my steering wheel jerked and I had power steering. Did I just have a frozen section of line? Is this something to worry about?

4. I have an engine block heater. I didn't have it plugged in this morning, but what will it do for me when plugged in? Just faster warmups?

5. I have 10w-30 engine oil in right now yet it is only rated to 0 degrees if I remember correctly. How imperitive is it that I switch to 5w-30? I doubt we'll see many if any 60+ degree days in the near future.

I need to get these questions answered as I'll be driving in this all winter long. I didn't seem to have these troubles last year.

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Can't help with all of those Q's but'

2. My blower motor makes the same noise on start up but goes away pretty quickly - I don't think there's anything you can service in there...I have a spare on standby just in case it quits.

4. Your block heater will warm up your block - It'll make starting a little easier & allow faster warm ups but your oil is still unheated. (There are magnetic sump heaters out there that would help with that).

5. I ran a ZJ through a Canadian winter with 10w 30 - it coped ok but my XJ has 5w 30 in there & seems happier with that.

 

Shell out the extra doe because what you want does not exist. The higher the CCA the higher the price. I know my Gold from AutoZone has been great in the winter and it was a hundred bucks sooooo.

 

Yeah, I bought a Autocraft Gold with 800cca, makes the jeep start way quicker than with the tired old battery, and I accidently left my lights on for an hour and a half one morning, and it still started right up. Its a great battery, i'd recommend something like that. If you are looking for a bit cheaper the Autocraft Silver is a good battery as well, those run like 65 bucks.