2014~2018 Car doesn't seem to want to start immediately?

[ZDA3]

Upon ignition or powering on the car, it takes a moment for it to start (compared to what it was when the car was newer). The car has 250k miles now. The battery is actually new so are the spark plugs. Could this just be because it's hot outside or something else?

It does power on eventually and the car seems to run fine, but is it telling me to replace or service something?

 

[wlong01]

Have you ever replaced the starter or alternator? Even though the battery is new doesn't mean it can't have a weak cell. I had to replace a battery couple months in due to a bad cell. If it continues you might want to get it diagnosed. Could be a warning of things to come.
It's been in the mid 90's here and I haven't noticed any difference in starting.

 

[ZDA3]

I've never had to replace a starter before but on this car I believe the alternator had been replaced once before along with the battery, but not sure how long ago or at what mileage the car was. I'll visit Auto Zone since they do free testing for the battery, alternator and starter.

My battery is not even 500 miles old yet. If the alternator is the issue, must I replace the battery as well when the alternator is replaced (or only when the alternator stops working THEN the battery must be replaced as well regardless if it's new)?

I'll probably just go ahead and have the starter motor replaced since it hasn't been done and the car is already 250k miles.

 

[wlong01]

If the alternator was bad your battery wouldn't charge and eventually run down. I guess it's possible the alternator could be going bad but that would be one of the last things to check. I'd zero in on the battery, maybe get it load tested. That takes longer than one of the test you would do with a battery tester or what they do at Autozone, Advanced Auto, etc. I don't know how to test the alternator but you can use a multimeter on the battery. Engine off it should read around 12.6, running should be up in the 13's. If it doesn't change while running that would signal a problem with the alternator. Turn off all accessories when the engine is running.

Another thing - what are your driving habits? Do you do a lot of short trips? lots of stopping, running errands, shutting car off and then restarting? Things like that don't give the battery time to recharge. I drive like that and every couple weeks I use a battery tender to bring the battery up to full charge.

 

[ZDA3]

Yup that's pretty much how my driving is like but my battery is not even 500 miles old yet. Just bought it.

If I were to replace the starter motor, what other component(s) should I also consider replacing? I'm assuming the solenoid comes with the starter motor.

The starter motor is considered as an "electrical" component per Rockauto category. The type of solenoid Rockauto sells though is considered as an "engine" component (see pic below). Is this the solenoid that is for the starter motor or not?

 

[wlong01]

Yup that's pretty much how my driving is like but my battery is not even 500 miles old yet. Just bought it.

If I were to replace the starter motor, what other component(s) should I also consider replacing? I'm assuming the solenoid comes with the starter motor.

The starter motor is considered as an "electrical" component per Rockauto category. The type of solenoid Rockauto sells though is considered as an "engine" component (see pic below). Is this the solenoid that is for the starter motor or not?

Have a competent shop check the starting/charging system. They can do a deep dive on the components. They should be able to tell you if there's a problem and where it is. I wouldn't start replacing parts until I'm sure what the problem is. May turn out you just need to take it for a longer drive every so often.

See if anything changes when the weather cools down.

There's a solenoid in the starter, it's not separate.

 

[ZDA3]

The car sat for about 2 weeks prior to driving it again. Could that be the reason for the slow crank? In general though, I do drive the car how you described it.

 

[wlong01]

The car sat for about 2 weeks prior to driving it again. Could that be the reason for the slow crank? In general though, I do drive the car how you described it.

Doubtful. Another thing to check is the battery cables. Make sure they're tight and corrosive free. If there's white material on the cables where they connect to the battery terminals clean them off and apply some grease or vasoline.

 

[ZDA3]

The battery cables appears clean when I installed the new battery but I didnt grease it up with dielectric grease.

 

[TheMAN]

The car sat for about 2 weeks prior to driving it again. Could that be the reason for the slow crank? In general though, I do drive the car how you described it.

if you haven't driven the car in 2 weeks and/or drove it short distances each time, then you can definitely run the battery down and it will "crank slow" as you had described

the alternator never recharges the battery 100%, only close to it for most people who drive the car at least 20 miles at a time... only a road trip gives a possibility of fully charging it

batteries also lose charge from just sitting, plus parasitic draw from the car's electronics also brings down the battery charge... with enough time, you lose voltage/cranking amps

the only good way to combat this if you don't drive your car a lot, is to hook up a float charger to it... otherwise, if you do nothing, it's a quick way to kill a perfectly good battery over time

 

[wlong01]

Probably would be a good idea to invest in a battery charger if you have a garage or a carport or can park close to your house. I have a small one that will charge quick or just at a trickle. I usually leave it on trickle during the weekend since I can always take our other car. You can get them at Amazon, Harbor Freight, Walmart, etc. A decent one is around $40 - $50. It will extend the life of the battery.

 

[TheMAN]

trickle chargers kills batteries, smart float chargers don't... they stop charging when it's fully charged and periodically only juice up when needed... trickle chargers don't stop and keep going, and overcharging a battery kills it as much as leaving it under charged does

if you have no where to plug it in, then go ebay a VW solar panel... they're cheap and works pretty good... plug it into the always on power port in the center console and it'll work pretty good... direct sun will always make it work well but even a couple of hours of sun is better than nothing