ok i know its cold out up here right now -15f but this started about 5 days ago when it was still decent out.... seems that when I'm starting my car it starts on only 3 cylinders, when it fires you have to give it some gas to get it running right... if you just turn the key it will start then die... just seems like its trying to start on 3 cylinders... any ideas???

the only thing I can think of is that I still have a very small vac leak from my AMM intake manifold... but it started just fine for about 4 days after I installed it and the vac leak hasent got any worse...

 

Any codes?

What work have you done to the car since it last started?

How are your spark plugs? Foueld plugs will prevent starting.

 

lol ended up being that damn optima battery again... took it back and got my money back.... after going threw 6 of them in the last 8 months. I'm giving up on them.... the crap battery that came with the car dident have a problem for over a year... hell I even get more voltage out of it...

 

yah ive got some weird battery. i dont even know who produces it but it got a blue cap. it was my dads spare race battery. dry cell, you can even mount it upside down. i dont have any reason to but its still kinda neat.

 

Im thinking that If your going through 6 optima batteries (3 should be a life time supply) that perhaps your spending all your time treating the effect and not the cause.

Have you checked to see if the battery is taking a good charge 12v with car off and 13.5 to 14.5 volts running?

Have you checked for a current drain using a multi meter in line with the battery with the car off and doors shut as it would be when parked? I would be concerned about anything over 300MaH a little is expected due to radio/alarms. But if its like 1Amp then something is drawing more power than it should.

Those are good starting places

happy hunting

Gun

 

I have tested it like 5 times myself and acually broke down and took to a shop up here that specilizes in charging systems and alternators and batterys and such paid them 75 bucks just to tell me exactly what I allready knew the charging system is fine and is pulling only 150mah at rest... Theres nothing wrong with the car its my car dont like them and spit them out... The cheap walmart battery that came with the car when i bought it never had a problem in over a year and is what is in the trunk now...

 

What was the volts during your test?

I dont see why an optima battery would give you problems when the lead acid work fine. It could be that the chemical reaction of the spiral cells in the optima battery are more prone to failure in cold climates. I have an optima in a crown vic it works great but it never gets cold here in CA so I was never able to compare optima VS lead acid in cold weather.

I guess what im saying is cold is your only variable. DC volts and DC Amps are the same thing unless you are running them into some IC and making them AC which I doubt.

Good luck

-Gun