2012 SS cranking slow in the mornings - Battery? Oil? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Lee123 · 12-21-2012, 09:00 AM

Last week the temperature dropped a bit here in Phoenix and my 2012 LS3 has not been starting well. It cranks slowly. This morning it didn't start the first try and when it did start the DIC was on the "select units" screen. I drove to the store and when I came out it started fine.

The car is 13 months old and I drive it every day or two. It was in an attached garage that was about 50 degrees this morning. Could the battery be bad that quickly? Or is it the 15-50 Mobil 1 that they put in it last summer when it was 110 here. I have no idea how much thicker that oil would be at 50 degrees compared to the 5W-30.

v6sonoma · 12-21-2012, 09:10 AM

Could be a bad battery. Not sure how the 15-50 would affect things. You could always do an oil change and if it comes out like molasses then you could have a problem in those temps. Why the change from 5-w30?

Hannibal · 12-21-2012, 09:28 AM

Normal. You have a 6.2 liter engine that has to be cold cranked when the oil has thickened because of the temperature change.

Mine does this in the cold months too.

67motorcat · 12-21-2012, 09:32 AM

Who put 15/50 Oil in your car?

VR Code R6P · 12-21-2012, 09:50 AM

My guess is the battery is below standard on amp capacity, if it cranks slowly at 50 degrees F.

It could be the state of charge from driving very short trips, or it could simply be it is not a great battery.

Charge it first, then have it checked for cranking amps. If battery checks OK, you have other problems, like starter, wiring troubles, bad ground, etc.

I can say that all my vehicles (from large to small), crank pretty much normal speed until you get below 15 degrees F. Unless you are using very heavy straight weight oil, it should not matter that much.

Just my 2 cents.

gramps_green_rs · 12-21-2012, 09:52 AM

change it back to 5w 30.

gramps

mat300z · 12-21-2012, 10:18 AM

sounds like a battery going south...I thought oil viscosity wasn't supposed to change much with synthetic oil?

Lee123 · 12-21-2012, 10:52 AM

Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking it's the battery. I had one in a new Wrangler go bad in about 2 years. I took that to a Jeep dealer and they checked it and replaced the battery under warranty while I waited. I'm going to take it over to the dealer and have them check it if they can do that while I wait with no appointment.

The dealer put the 15W-50 in it last August. They had installed the cam and headers a few months earlier and in August when I took it in for an oil change they said they were putting 15-W50 in all the modified cars. I wondered if it was necessary, but figured it couldn't hurt with the lows in the 80s and the highs over 100.

Mouse6.2 · 12-21-2012, 11:04 AM

Possible that you got a bad cell in your battery. I know if it was me that would be my luck. Don't forget it is in the trunk and so you loose some power with the longer run of the battery leads going to the starter.

15w-50 to me is way to thick of an oil. Now if you were taking it to the track every day and it was all modified to the gill then maybe it would be better running that weight. I'd switch back to 5w-30.

Midway Chevrolet Performance Center · 12-21-2012, 02:08 PM

On the modified builds that are making real horsepower we offer Mobil 1 15w50 and strongly recomend it on all the boosted cars out here in our climate. During the summer we see temps in excess of 115. On nice winter days we will still see 80's as well. Oil temps run in the 220 to 240 range under normal driving on a hot day, and if you are getting after it were seeing them hitting 260-270. In the cooler climates we would recomend 5w40 Mobil 1, but not out here.

Lee123 · 12-21-2012, 03:22 PM

They tested the battery every way possible and found nothing wrong with it. That's all they can do. We only get about 2 months when it is even this cold so as long as it continues to start I'll just ignore it, or possibly try changing the oil back just to see if that helps. Thanks for all the suggestions and Merry Christmas to you all.

By the way, for those of you in the Phoenix area, I'll put in a plug for Midway. They squeezed me in quickly and got it checked out. They also did a great job on the cam and header install last spring. They are good people to work with.

LimaCharlie · 12-21-2012, 03:35 PM

My 2011 SS cranks a bit slower here in Tucson (but never had problems). It's even inside a garage. The battery is original, car is stock, and I use 5W-30 Mobil 1. I would check battery connections to make sure everything is clean and tight. This includes the connections under the hood too.

blackswan · 12-21-2012, 03:41 PM

Bad ground?

Scott@Bjorn3D · 12-21-2012, 05:55 PM

It is under warranty, take it to the dealer and have them check it. If it is bad they will replace it for free.

12-21-2012, 09:00 AM	#1
Lee123 Drives: 2012 2SS M6 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 768	2012 SS cranking slow in the mornings - Battery? Oil? Last week the temperature dropped a bit here in Phoenix and my 2012 LS3 has not been starting well. It cranks slowly. This morning it didn't start the first try and when it did start the DIC was on the "select units" screen. I drove to the store and when I came out it started fine. The car is 13 months old and I drive it every day or two. It was in an attached garage that was about 50 degrees this morning. Could the battery be bad that quickly? Or is it the 15-50 Mobil 1 that they put in it last summer when it was 110 here. I have no idea how much thicker that oil would be at 50 degrees compared to the 5W-30. __________________ 2012 2SS Convertible Magnuson, Headers, Cam, JRE Tune. 563 HP.

12-21-2012, 09:10 AM	#2
v6sonoma Drives: 2010 SS RS Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 8,108 View My Garage	Could be a bad battery. Not sure how the 15-50 would affect things. You could always do an oil change and if it comes out like molasses then you could have a problem in those temps. Why the change from 5-w30? __________________ Mods: BBK Intake, BBK LT's and High Flow Cats, Corsa Cat-back exhaust, Hurst short throw shifter, SLP skip-shift eliminator. 7/1/09 Placed order for IOM/IO int/ SS/RS 6M 9/26/09 Took delivery!

12-21-2012, 09:32 AM	#4
67motorcat Blown Cool Breeze Drives: 2011 Black on Black 2SS M6 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Pinehurst NC Posts: 1,027 View My Garage	Who put 15/50 Oil in your car? __________________ 2011 Black on Black 2SS M6 Had a 2010 IBM 2SS M6 Enjoy life.Think of all the women on the Titanic who passed up dessert.

12-21-2012, 09:52 AM	#6
gramps_green_rs ex-RCAF Drives: 11 SGM1LTRS SV1000S Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Hammond, ont, canada Posts: 1,118 View My Garage	change it back to 5w 30. gramps __________________

12-21-2012, 10:52 AM	#8
Lee123 Drives: 2012 2SS M6 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 768	Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking it's the battery. I had one in a new Wrangler go bad in about 2 years. I took that to a Jeep dealer and they checked it and replaced the battery under warranty while I waited. I'm going to take it over to the dealer and have them check it if they can do that while I wait with no appointment. The dealer put the 15W-50 in it last August. They had installed the cam and headers a few months earlier and in August when I took it in for an oil change they said they were putting 15-W50 in all the modified cars. I wondered if it was necessary, but figured it couldn't hurt with the lows in the 80s and the highs over 100. __________________ 2012 2SS Convertible Magnuson, Headers, Cam, JRE Tune. 563 HP.

12-21-2012, 09:28 AM	#3
Hannibal Drives: Camaro SS & ZL1 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Southeast USA Posts: 527	Normal. You have a 6.2 liter engine that has to be cold cranked when the oil has thickened because of the temperature change. Mine does this in the cold months too.

12-21-2012, 09:50 AM	#5
VR Code R6P Drives: 2011 Race Red GT500 w/ SVT Perf Pkg Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: eastern CO Posts: 578	My guess is the battery is below standard on amp capacity, if it cranks slowly at 50 degrees F. It could be the state of charge from driving very short trips, or it could simply be it is not a great battery. Charge it first, then have it checked for cranking amps. If battery checks OK, you have other problems, like starter, wiring troubles, bad ground, etc. I can say that all my vehicles (from large to small), crank pretty much normal speed until you get below 15 degrees F. Unless you are using very heavy straight weight oil, it should not matter that much. Just my 2 cents.

12-21-2012, 10:18 AM	#7
mat300z Emerald Coast Camaro's Drives: 2014 ZL1 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: P.C.B. Florida Posts: 815	sounds like a battery going south...I thought oil viscosity wasn't supposed to change much with synthetic oil?

12-21-2012, 11:04 AM	#9
Mouse6.2 Drives: 2013 2SS/RS M6 NPP Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: North Carolina Posts: 340	Possible that you got a bad cell in your battery. I know if it was me that would be my luck. Don't forget it is in the trunk and so you loose some power with the longer run of the battery leads going to the starter. 15w-50 to me is way to thick of an oil. Now if you were taking it to the track every day and it was all modified to the gill then maybe it would be better running that weight. I'd switch back to 5w-30.

12-21-2012, 02:08 PM	#10
Midway Chevrolet Performance Center Drives: 2010 & 2012The Camaro SS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Phoenix Posts: 46	On the modified builds that are making real horsepower we offer Mobil 1 15w50 and strongly recomend it on all the boosted cars out here in our climate. During the summer we see temps in excess of 115. On nice winter days we will still see 80's as well. Oil temps run in the 220 to 240 range under normal driving on a hot day, and if you are getting after it were seeing them hitting 260-270. In the cooler climates we would recomend 5w40 Mobil 1, but not out here.

12-21-2012, 03:22 PM	#11
Lee123 Drives: 2012 2SS M6 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 768	They tested the battery every way possible and found nothing wrong with it. That's all they can do. We only get about 2 months when it is even this cold so as long as it continues to start I'll just ignore it, or possibly try changing the oil back just to see if that helps. Thanks for all the suggestions and Merry Christmas to you all. By the way, for those of you in the Phoenix area, I'll put in a plug for Midway. They squeezed me in quickly and got it checked out. They also did a great job on the cam and header install last spring. They are good people to work with. __________________ 2012 2SS Convertible Magnuson, Headers, Cam, JRE Tune. 563 HP.

12-21-2012, 03:35 PM	#12
LimaCharlie Drives: 2011 Camaro SS/RS - 2004 Silverado Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 2,989	My 2011 SS cranks a bit slower here in Tucson (but never had problems). It's even inside a garage. The battery is original, car is stock, and I use 5W-30 Mobil 1. I would check battery connections to make sure everything is clean and tight. This includes the connections under the hood too. __________________ 2011 Summit White Camaro 1SS/RS -6.2 LS3, TR6060, 3.45, G80 2004 Black Silverado 1500 2WD Regular Cab, Short Bed -5.3 LM7, 4L60E, 3.42, G80 2014 White Caprice PPV -6.0 L77, 6L80E, 2.92, G80

12-21-2012, 03:41 PM	#13
blackswan Drives: 2012 2LT/RS Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northeast Posts: 1,443	Bad ground?

12-21-2012, 05:55 PM	#14
Scott@Bjorn3D Drives: Kami, 2013 2SS LS3 Luvin Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Eufaula, Alabama Posts: 6,427	It is under warranty, take it to the dealer and have them check it. If it is bad they will replace it for free.