# A question on car stalling. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147 "2003-03-13T18:48:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/1 "2003-03-13T18:48:46Z")
My wife’s car stalled about a month ago during one of the snowstorms that hit the mid-Atlantic region. It wouldn’t start back up again until someone jump started it. It still had power, just not enough to turn over the starter it seems. We’ve driven the car since then a number of times and it always starts right up and seems to run well. I’ve since invested in a jump-starter so I can jump start it if need be. My questions for the teeming million are: How common is it for a car to stall out in the cold, the day was about 22 degrees fahrenheit, and not be able to re-start? Why would jump-starting the car make a difference? I should also note that we don’t use this car a lot and we don’t want to put a lot of money into it since it isn’t worth much and we are looking to replace it. Also, the alternator and battery have been replaced within the last 2 years. Thanks in advance ---
**Author:** ![something\_clever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@something\_clever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/something_clever)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/2 "2003-03-13T18:59:57Z")
batteries have a rating on them beside “cranking amps” that says “cold cranking amps” easy answer, in the cold batteries lose some of their ability, it comes back in the warm. maybe your battery wasnt charged very well and had a low cca rating in the first place and couldnt deal with the extreme cold… maybe? ---
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/3 "2003-03-13T19:12:41Z")
Yes, check your battery. It sounds like it isn’t up to snuff for cold weather. You may want to notice if the car has trouble starting after/during very humid weather. If so, you have a wiring problem you’ll need to trace. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/4 "2003-03-13T21:58:53Z")
Possibly bad battery conections too. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/5 "2003-03-13T21:59:15Z")
Thanks, I think I understand why it wouldn’t restart after it stalled. I’m still trying to figure out why the damned things stalled. It has been starting up fine in the weather we get here in the DC metro area which I assume is fairly humid. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/6 "2003-03-13T22:08:51Z")
I remember driving on one winter day. Needed a jumpstart becuase I had left my lights on. So we are clearly dealing with a weak battery, though it recharged a bit while I was driving it home. It started to get dark, so while sitting at a red light, I put the lights on. Car stalled immediately. I learned something new about cars that day: Once a car has started, it might drive fine on the highway, but it won’t idle so nicely. Even after a car has started, it needs just a little bit of juice from the battery in order to keep on going while it idles at the red light. And the drain from the headlights was enough to pull it below that critical level. Brujo, was your wife driving or idling when it stalled? If it was idling, then the story is like mine: The battery was just on the edge of being too weak, and the cold got to it. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/7 "2003-03-13T23:10:27Z")
**keeve** , I was idling with the heat, the lights, and the radio on. Which means that I probably drained the battery since I was idling for a while. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/8 "2003-03-13T23:39:49Z")
brujo, what make & model & year of car is this? ``` Someone gave our thrift shop a portable battery, those things are so cool. HEre is a photo of one like it cause they are great to keep in your trunk: ``` [http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47450](http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47450) ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/9 "2003-03-14T00:13:33Z")
Its a 94 Nissan Sentra. Actually, I have a portable battery that I keep in the trunk of that car. Those things are cool. I almost want to get the opportunity to use the thing. ---
**Author:** ![stypticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@stypticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stypticus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/10 "2003-03-14T00:15:23Z")
The car’s alternator is responsible for providing electrical power to all systems (incuding the battery for recharging purposes) while the car is running. The power available from the alternator depends on how fast the engine is running. If the car is idling and you have all systems go, you may be using more power than the alternator can provide, so you’ll be drawing power from the battery. It sounds like that’s why you stalled, **brujo**. If you want to keep running the car without spending more money, just make sure you keep the revs up while you’re idling in colder weather. In this case, a little throttle goes a long way. Often when the car warms up it’ll run more smoothly, too; you may only have to watch the revs when the car’s cold. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/11 "2003-03-14T00:28:33Z")
Hmm, so this explains the phenomenon with my car (97 Camry) which now stalls out, but only when it’s cold or has idled for a long period. If I pull out of my parking spot quickly, I have no trouble. But if I have to back out slowly, I tend to stall, unless I rev the engine a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-car-stalling/161147/12 "2003-03-14T04:06:25Z")
OK guys, I think I see what the problem was. I guess it wasn’t that serious. Thanks everybody. Brujo