Recently, since its been close to 0 degrees for the past 2 weeks, my car has been a little finicky about starting. In the warmer months, it would start right up with the flick of the key, but now I have to hold the key in the start position for a second or two until it fires up. Is this the fault of the battery, or some things that need to be replaced? My gut has been telling me that the battery needs to be replaced, but I'm not for certain.


Also, I've been looking at this little gadget and thinking its quite the deal, since its only about 20 bucks. It basically just plugs right in and you get about another half an amp out of the alternator. The page claims that I could have brighter headlights, faster heated seats and rear defrost, as well as more power from my stereo. I'm thinking about purchasing it just to see if its really worth it.

Here's the link:
http://shop.zzperformance.com/store/p/2 ... oster.aspx


--Thanks

_________________
Kelvin VanderVeen

PERFORMANCE MODS
180 DEGREE THERMOSTAT, AUTOLITE 104'S, ZZP VOLTAGE BOOSTER
APPEARANCE MODS
LED INTERIOR LIGHTS, TAN INTERIOR TRIM, CLEARED CORNERS

My battery is good. Instant start in warm weather. But as it has gotten colder, I've had to hold the key a little longer. With these obscene temperatures, I think it's normal for a car to take a little longer to crank. Me LeSabre has always been the same way, even after it got a new starter and battery.

_________________
- Greg | -- Project Prasinos -- |

1995 LeSabre Custom: 312K Miles | Custom K&N CAI | Edelbrock SDT Muffler | Camaro Tips | 180 T-stat | LED Interior
& Exterior | 20% Tint | PA Grill & Portholes | Limited Trim | GTP Rims | Ported LIM | Plus Many More Mods | Restoration Thread
2001 Bonneville SSEi: 225K Miles | Instense FWI | Intense MPS (3.4") | 180 T-stat | ZZP Plog | Ported Rear Manifold |
ZZP 3" Downpipe | Magnaflow Cat | Retrofitted HIDs | GenV M90 | GXP Brake Upgrade | 35% Tint | Plus Many More Mods |
2005 Bonneville GXP: 101K Miles | Custom FWI
2009 G8 GT: 89K Miles | 35% Tint | Roto-Fab CAI | SOLO Mach Exhaust | BMR Tunnel Brace | BMR Sub Frames | BMR STB |
Kooks Headers | QTP Electric Cutouts | BMR Sway Bars | Elite Engineering Catch Can | Innovative Dual Wideband Kit
1984 Caprice Classic Wagon: 86K Miles | Restoration Project

It would be worth a shot for that money. Seems to have decent reviews. I don’t know about the heated seat claim though, its technology more than anything. The ones on my mom’s ’07 Grand Prix heat up quite a bit faster than mine. Most places will test your battery for free. I usually just let them go until they are completely dead though. Don’t like to spend the money sooner than I have to. I thought my battery was getting weak last year already and its still going. Cars definitely take longer to crank over in the cold. Started mine when it was -16 one morning and it took a solid 3 seconds to fire I bet. Its normal. I think part of it may be the long run of wire from the battery to starter, longer the wire the more voltage loss. I’d say you have nothing to worry about. When it is cold like this an occasional bottle of alcohol in the tank never hurts either. Monday morning will be the real test for me, forecasted low of -32 degrees! The governor just shut down k-12 schools statewide on Monday because of it. I’m ok with cold, but 64 degrees below freezing is a little excessive lol.

_________________

-Nick
'95 Grand Prix SE coupe 'Black Betty' gone but not forgotten- my 1st love
'99 Olds Alero GX Coupe the get me by beater- sold
'03 Bonneville SSEi 'Gina' Feb. '16 COTM | 35% tint | smoked tail lights | boat roller mount | carbon fiber accents | Silverline exhaust tips
Ziebart rust protection & undercoating | CompuStar Accustart | LED interior lighting
Intense shift kit | Intense FWI | 3" ZZP downpipe | RDI headers | 3.4 MPS | Autolite 104s | 180 deg t-stat | custom tune | ZZP high flow fuel filter | alum coolant elbows and LIM gaskets | much more to come…hopefully
'15 Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo AWD 259 HP | 10k miles | 2-way remote start | undercoating and window tint to come
'98 GMC Sierra SLE Z71 4x4 | 112k miles | S&B intake | garage ornament | more to come

I did go ahead and buy the Voltage Booster, and when it gets delivered, I'll let you guys know if its worth the money! Sure hope it is, I could definitely use the faster heated windows and such in this type of weather!

_________________
Kelvin VanderVeen

PERFORMANCE MODS
180 DEGREE THERMOSTAT, AUTOLITE 104'S, ZZP VOLTAGE BOOSTER
APPEARANCE MODS
LED INTERIOR LIGHTS, TAN INTERIOR TRIM, CLEARED CORNERS

Sorry for being the skeptic but I am not sure why anyone would want to install this or what purpose it serves. Your electrical devices run fine on 12V (battery voltage with the engine off) and the factory alternator puts out 14.6 volts. and when you start your car cold, it will not help it start faster nor boost the voltage until the car has already started and is running (the alternator is turning too slow to boost voltage until you are at idle). Making the voltage 15.2 volts will make your lights brighter and they will also burn out faster. I don't think it will harm the electronic components of your car (entertainment, modules, etc) because most of them are regulated down to 12 volts. And I don't think it will create a significant increase in the amp hour rating of your alternator or charge your battery faster. It may also create radio frequency interference and cause static on a radio. If there was and advantage to doing this the car manufacturers would set the alternator output at 15.2 volts from the factory. But heh, I bet there are a lot more magnets sold that go around the fuel line to increase your gas mileage by 20%. And it definitely will help the seller make money.

To help cold starts, in really cold weather you should keep you gas tank full or close to it so there is less condensation and making sure you use E-10 gas to absorb the water. And if you use synthetic oil, it may not thicken up as much as conventional 5W-30 so it will make the engine easier to turn. Finally for real frigid weather if your car is parked outside, an engine block heater is available.

_________________
bobgto65

2004 Bonneville GXP 62,000 miles purchased 04/13
2009 G8 GXP PBM, M6 9580 miles, no mods, sold 08/15
2009 G8 GT SBM 36,000 miles, modded 430 whp
2002 Bonneville SSEi 203,200 miles (sold 3/2014)

It's normal for a car to need a little bit more time to start in the cold. My car cranks a little bit slower in the winter but still starts right up.



I have the ZZP voltage booster installed. I can confirm that the seats both warm up faster and get warmer overall. Windows speed up a bit too. Nothing crazy, but still noticeable. Maybe the lights are incrementally brighter but I haven't really noticed. Rear defrost seems to work quicker as well. I agree, it does not help with starting the car because it isn't operating at the time. I have no extra radio static either.

It's a cool little gadget, but I don't think I'd pay for one. I found mine on a Grand Prix in a junkyard and got it for free, no harm done. Make you sure you get the stage 1 only! Stage 2 will mess with things.

_________________
-Car Guy Carl
"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles

Yeah I ordered the Stage 1.

I dont really think it will be some almighty super device, but for only 17 odd dollars, I didnt think it could hurt much. And if it really screws with things, I could just send it back for a refund or some sort of store credit.

_________________
Kelvin VanderVeen

PERFORMANCE MODS
180 DEGREE THERMOSTAT, AUTOLITE 104'S, ZZP VOLTAGE BOOSTER
APPEARANCE MODS
LED INTERIOR LIGHTS, TAN INTERIOR TRIM, CLEARED CORNERS

What Bob says. Also don't forget if you're sending more power to components they are going to be making more heat. Good &/or bad in winter but with out a doubt not good in warm weather. May shorten the life of components. Don't forget you're sending more power to the failure prone IP lights too.

I think you'll like it. The seats are warm before the heat even comes on. Many of the GP guys use them without problems.

_________________
-Car Guy Carl
"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles

Just got it this morning. It installed crazy easy, only took about 5 seconds and it was in. I havnt had the chance to drive around with it yet, but while scrolling through the DIC, I did notice that it was up already and everything was working fine. I'll give a better review when I get the chance to test it out a little better.

_________________
Kelvin VanderVeen

PERFORMANCE MODS
180 DEGREE THERMOSTAT, AUTOLITE 104'S, ZZP VOLTAGE BOOSTER
APPEARANCE MODS
LED INTERIOR LIGHTS, TAN INTERIOR TRIM, CLEARED CORNERS

What are your final thoughts on this? Worth the money? What kind of voltage are you showing on the DIC?

_________________

-Nick
'95 Grand Prix SE coupe 'Black Betty' gone but not forgotten- my 1st love
'99 Olds Alero GX Coupe the get me by beater- sold
'03 Bonneville SSEi 'Gina' Feb. '16 COTM | 35% tint | smoked tail lights | boat roller mount | carbon fiber accents | Silverline exhaust tips
Ziebart rust protection & undercoating | CompuStar Accustart | LED interior lighting
Intense shift kit | Intense FWI | 3" ZZP downpipe | RDI headers | 3.4 MPS | Autolite 104s | 180 deg t-stat | custom tune | ZZP high flow fuel filter | alum coolant elbows and LIM gaskets | much more to come…hopefully
'15 Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo AWD 259 HP | 10k miles | 2-way remote start | undercoating and window tint to come
'98 GMC Sierra SLE Z71 4x4 | 112k miles | S&B intake | garage ornament | more to come

I guess for $17 dollars, it would be worth the money, but just barely. I'd feel more comfortable paying $15 for it. It does help the seats warm up a little faster, and the lights are a tiny bit brighter, but you would have to point it out to notice it. Definitely a decent cheap little mod.

_________________
Kelvin VanderVeen

PERFORMANCE MODS
180 DEGREE THERMOSTAT, AUTOLITE 104'S, ZZP VOLTAGE BOOSTER
APPEARANCE MODS
LED INTERIOR LIGHTS, TAN INTERIOR TRIM, CLEARED CORNERS