Larger Battery = Easier Starting?

Won't make any difference if cranking speed is up to standard with the existing battery. Check cranking voltage to be sure.

The Vibe uses a Toyota powertrain. You might want to ask about it on a Toyota list. I doubt that a modern vehicle will see improved starting performance from a larger battery. You could test it out by hooking a second battery up to your vehicle using jumper cables and comparing the start time with the extra battery to the normal configuration. I suspect that you will find no difference.

My guess is that your 4-5 second start up time is a characteristic of the engine management system, perhaps allowing for some oil circulation or some such before firing off the fuel injectors and spark. Note that this is pure speculation on my part.

John

Try this:

Turn the key to the "ON" position, wait a few seconds, then crank the engine. See what happens.

Steve,

What you describe is our standard starting procedure, not so much for anything except habit. Both my wife and I are used to driving diesels and waiting for the glow plugs to heat up before starting, hence the delay. This was the very first thing I suggested to my wife but it doesn't seem to help.

The stock battery on the 2003-2004 Vibes was an anemic 330 CCA, but our battery is 550 CCA, so I guess I'm answering my own question in that a higher capacity battery won't help us all that much. After reading many posts on other forums, there are folks out there who have much worse starting problems with the 330 CCA battery than we do where a new battery helped them greatly, but I'm not inclined to spend the cash right now unless I know for sure that moving up to a battery with 800 CCA or more will definitely improve things for us.

It's not really a "problem" for us so to speak, just more of an annoyance.

Cheers - Jonathan

I was just thinking, my '95 Monte starts in a split second. Can't even hear the starter cranking because the engine starts so fast. But my wife's Honda cranks for quite a while before it runs. Must just be a function of the make/model vehicle.

Steve

I thought the same thing. It sounds like a feature to me. It's probably a good idea, too.

What big batteries help is SLOW cranking, not lengthy cranking.

Something else that no one mentioned is to check your basic tune up stuff, if you haven't already. My car starts slowly when it needs a tune up, after a tune up all I have to do is bump the engine and it cranks right up. Even at 9,000 ft. and 10 degrees outside.

How about slow build up of fuel pressure, (weak pump, regulator, clog filter, leaking injector) If you have fuel pressure guage, check pressure before, during and after starting.

Or better yet, turn on key for 3-5 seconds, then turn off and back on

- attempt to start. If it starts quicker now, you know your fuel pump is loosing pressure sitting.

Clarence, I just checked out your website and that "Corvair" project is fascinating! It sounded a lot better than most Corvair engines that I've heard.

Clarence, are you by any chance one of the Kitchener area Snyders? If so, do you have a relative, Russ Snyder, over in the Burlington area? Just curious.

Johnathan,

I currently run a Sears Rangehandler in my Bonneville. Its a 1000 CA /

I didn't notice any additional starting time from the previous battery which was about a 800 CA battery.

On my car, If you count one, two, three on start up, the car is running before you complete saying the word two.

Good Luck

Harryface

That is one thing I always loved about my '91 Bonnie. Even on the coldest days, one crank and 2 seconds would get her running. Several times I would even leave interior lights or what not on for quite some time. Come out, and she would still fire right up.