Boeing747

i wonder if the reason why it takes so long for my cl-s to start up in freezing weather is the weak battery they put in there. i took the battery cover off and it has onl 550 cold cranking amps. this is a weak rating for a car with a lot of electronics and a 120 amp alternator. even my 1989 bmw 318i has a 700 cold cranking amp battery. i think i might get rid of this, putting a load on the alternator.

NYREP1

get rid of it and get an optima red top, or yellow what ever yourchoice, they are lighter and 1000 cranking amps, and you can play your stereo for days and it will not die

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2001 acura cl type-s
comming soon
2000 accord v6 sedan
1997 4runner
1992 camaro
1993 volvo 850
"Tell me kid, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light"

Cee eL eS

can someone explain the "cold cranking amps" measurement? 500 just adequate? 700 better? 1000 good or too much?

DHB_RENAMED

Before you get too hasty... the high cranking amps just mean it will crank longer...usually long enough to burn out a starter motor if one does it continuously...however...

Long cranking with a HEALTHY battery is not typical. Not in my experience, anyway.
You might test or have the battery tested.
You may have a ECU or some other problem.
I've read where low fuel pressure at startup causes longer than expected cranking for many EFI cars.

As a rule, mine starts with just a touch of the key.

I had several days below zero (SE Michigan) this winter where my 'S' (sat overnight outside) cranked a few seconds longer than usual (meaning a total of 2 to 4 seconds tops). The car frequently starts when cold in just a key touch. NO more.

Oddly enough, drive it, shut it off when fully warmed up for say, 10 minutes, then start it again and it someetimes cranks even longer than it did when below zero. I suspect there's a 'hot soak' scenario taking place.
This is fairly common to a mild degree with many cars in my experience.

A similar scenario occurs with carbureted engines; aka 'vapor lock'. Heat rises in engine, 'vaporizes' the liquid in the carb's bowl...bingo no fuel to ignite.

I WAS surprised to see its a Delco battery.

ANYONE replacing the battery should make note of the molded-in 'slot' on the actual end of the battery towards the front of the car. This is where the radiator overflow tank fits. What a feature.

One might be able to cobble up a 'holder' for it but puhleeeeeze, Acura, what were you thinking?

It will be interesting to see how long the battery lasts, regardless. The one I had in my '85 Celica GTS ('Toyo' or something like that) lasted about five years. The one I had in my '92 SHO lasted just over a year. Both cars were purchased new. Any wonder why the Japanese cars have a rep for higher quality?

I don't think Delco has a rep for lasting a long time. My guess is it will be tough getting a duplicate Delco battery (ie. has the bottle holder) let alone one from another manufacturer.

I may find out soon since I left my map light on while I was on vacation for 10 days in Feb. when the temps were running from mid-30s down to the low teens. The battery was VERY dead when I got home. A neighbor, who watched our dogs for us, said the light stayed on (really only visible at night in total darkness)for about five days. Even the remote caused no reaction; ditto for the dome light...

I pulled it, heated it up indoors with a spot light for a day & then charged it for 24 hours with an 'automatic' charger. It seems to crank as well as it has in the past. Since it appears to be 'sealed' I didn't try the specific-gravity test bulb on it so I can't say if all the cells will charge fully.
The jumper cables are now in the trunk.

And I thought the 'curb-feeler' rims and pseudo-road lamps were the worst 'features' of the 'S'.

Universe93B

yeah, i also noticed the underpowered battery in our CL, especially in a vehicle with numerous electronic gadgets. i was planning to buy a new higher amp battery after a year or so. hopefully i can find a replacement easily.......