Minimum volts to start

So I installed a volt meter to keep track of battery status after using aux lights. Led me to wonder, what is the minimum volts needed to start my 2017 Tacoma? Anyone know? Thanks.

 

It’s all about cold cranking amps.
Edit :
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)
CCA is a rating used in the battery industry to define a battery's ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. The rating refers to the number of amps a 12-volt battery can deliver at 0°F for 30 seconds while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts.

 

this

 

Is the question, How many bolts, as in lightening bolts? I would say 1 would be enough start just about any if that's the case.

 

Many factors but voltage does tell a lot.

In good weather, near room temp, a battery with 8-9v can start a truck.

In hot weather, the cranking power is reduced and you need more voltage, usually 10v is minimum. Same for cold, due to resistance from the motor.

I would never let my vehicles run lower than 11.5v intentionally.

 

Battery temperature makes a huge difference. In my testing a battery out all night below 0°F would drop down to less than 11.6v even if it was fully charged. Warming the battery up with a battery heater for a a couple hours would cause the voltage to increase back to around 12.2v generally.

 

You can have a 12.7v (fully charged) battery but only have 20cca(bad batt). But if you only have 9.2v, your not gonna have the amps to start...

You can get a batt that has 1000cca, but your motor is only gonna take what it needs. In theory if you get a higher amp batt, it should last longer.

Anything below 12.0v is considered a zero charge battery.

Some batteries are not maintenance free. You will have to check the fluid levels every few months to make sure they are above the lead fins that you can see when you pop the top.

Our batteries are stickered at 80%. So if a new battery says it has 600cca, it's most likely higher (700-800cca) if tested as new.

If you are experiencing any difficulty in starting, take it into a car/battery shop and have them run a test on it (usually for free, takes less then a min). They will take a look at what your battery is rated at, and what your getting. If its below a certain threshold, they will advise you if it needs replacement. Also, dont be afraid to take it to other shops and have the batt tested. You might not need a new batt, could be an alternator issue or power leak somewhere.

Actually at work right now typing this

 

The starter doesn't deliver amps, it uses them...

 

Great answer!

You to @Bishop84 .

 

You're no fun

 

Everyone keeps talking cca. That is what the battery is rated at 0f and Ca rating is 32f. you can have a battery with a dead cell that can read 12.3 volts. And you can have a battery with good cells read 11.8 volts or lower. There are many variables. However as already stated it’s not about the voltage, it’s about the amperage.

 

One other note here. If your VM is not attached directly to the battery, the displayed voltage is most likely lower than the actual battery voltage. Do a comparison with a multimeter right on the terminals. You may see a difference that you will have to compensate for.

This was from a similar question when we were discussing the volts reported through the OBD II port:

 

Each cell is about 2.2v. So if you have a dead cell it would read 10.4v.

Some places might not test a 10.4v batt thinking its discharged. Test it anyways. Might come back as a bad cell

Usually bad cells smell. Sulfuric acid smells like rotten eggs. It's a smell you can't forget.

 

I've got a PMP running parking mode on my dash cam, it switches off at 12.0v. Most of the year it will switch off around 6am, and truck starts and runs with no issue around an hour later.
Once the weather dips below freezing I turn off parking mode because although it has never non-started, I've lost trip distances before - which is a symptom of bad batt/low amp start..

 

you don’t test a low battery when it’s discharged. You charge it first then test. A have worked on vehicles with a bad cell and they won’t read 10.5 volts just because one cell is bad.

 

Interstate was already my favorite brand haha, this thread makes it so much better.