Heat is the number one culprit behind car battery failure because high temperatures can evaporate your battery's vital fluids and weaken its charge.
Warming up your vehicle can actually shorten the life of your engine, by letting your vehicle idle in the cold you are actually stripping away oil from the engine's pistons and cylinders each time you do this.
Hot weather can actually increase your fuel economy. Your engine warms up to an efficient temperature faster; summer grades of gasoline can have slightly more energy; and warm air causes less aerodynamic drag than cold air.
Contrary to popular belief, high summertime temperatures pose a greater threat to battery longevity than wintertime lows. That's because, while battery capacity is higher in the heat, high temperatures shorten overall battery life.
Extreme heat can hinder the chemical processes inside car batteries, making it hard for them to hold a charge and produce enough power. Hot temperatures may even cause your battery fluid to evaporate faster than normal. When this occurs, heat degrades a battery's interior components, making it more likely to corrode.
By letting your car sit to warm up, it's actually putting extra fuel into the combustion chamber, which can get onto your cylinder walls. Because gasoline is an excellent solvent, too much on your cylinder walls can dissolve the oil that lubricates your cylinders, leading to shorter life on crucial components.
Turn on the heat to cool the engine
Turning on the heat may be the last thing you want to do on a hot summer day, but it can pull hot air from the engine compartment and cool the engine. It won't fix the underlying problem, but it's a good measure for long drives.
Extreme temperatures, frequent short trips, and general everyday use could shorten the life of your battery to as little as two to three years if you don't look after your battery.
While the car is running, the alternator recharges the battery so it can start your car the next time. But car batteries lose power when temperatures drop below 32°F (0°C), and some can even lose half their power when the temperature drops below 0°F (-18°C).
The simple answer is, yes. Hot weather can drain the life out of your car's battery, When the temperature gets particularly high, the battery fluid can evaporate, meaning that damage can occur to the internal structure. Extreme heat can send your battery toward its dying days.
The colder the air entering your engine, the more efficient it is. This is why cold air intakes increase power somewhat. Cold air is denser, and has more oxygen per volume that warm air.
Now, cold air is denser than warm air, so in cold weather the number oxygen molecules entering the combustion chamber per unit volume of air is significantly greater than when the temperature is high. More oxygen provides better combustion, and hence a noticeable increase in power.
Most experts agree that your engine should run between 195 degrees and 220 degrees. In ideal situations, your needle will maintain a posture right in the middle of your gauge.
Cold temperatures put severe stress on your battery, which is why the winter season is often a catalyst for car battery replacements. The cold weather has your vehicle facing two challenges at once: power loss with slow chemical reactions and oil/engine troubles.
Low temperatures slow the battery chemistry, resulting in less energy for acceleration. It takes more energy to keep the battery at an efficient operating temperature, and a little more energy still to keep the cabin (and you) warm.
Cold weather can do a lot of damage to cars. Metal and steel contracts, or shrinks, in cold temps, and sensitive mechanisms of your car, such as the battery, perform poorly in extreme cold. The winter weather, especially snow and ice, can do damage to your car's body and glass.
Most lithium-ion batteries will be permanently damaged when charging them in below-freezing temperatures.
Should I warm up my car before driving in winter weather? Don't, according to experts at AAA, a federation of motor clubs. They say it's not a good idea to warm your car up to keep it from freezing. Drivers should start their engine and allow it to idle only for the time it takes you to fasten your seat belt.
It's true, car batteries don't like the cold and they aren't big fans of winter. Especially in parts of Canada where the temperature can really drop down into “wear your long johns” territory. It's not just about poor performance either.
What may drain a car battery when it's off are things such as interior lights, door lights, or even bad relays. While your engine runs, the alternator recharges the battery — which is why you typically don't have to worry about the battery dying while you're blasting the radio on your drive to work!
Turning on the AC puts an additional load on the entire system resulting in the deficiency in the charging system further draining the battery.
Factors that can shorten its life include an extended period of partial or full discharge, vibration from not being properly secured, under- or overcharging, extreme temperatures, water loss, electrolyte contamination and corrosion on terminals.
The most prevalent cause of vibration is problems with your wheels or tires. The potential problems include improper wheel and tire balance, uneven tire wear, separated tire tread, out of round tires, damaged wheels and even loose lug nuts.
If you run your engine cold all the time, you'll most likely experience increased fuel consumption across the board. Additionally, you'll find higher amounts of carbon buildup at various parts of the engine. The most damaging effect of feeding a fuel-rich mixture to the engine is excess fuel reaching the exhaust.
According to housegrail.com, it only takes 30-60 seconds of additional heat before damage occurs to the interior. This length is not a long time, so you will need to act fast to protect the interior components.