starter solenoid not engaging on cold mornings

[650savag]

Help! My truck don't want to start on cold mornings but does fine when it is warm. When I turn the key to start, I don't hear the solenoid clicking and the bendix wont engage. I can click the ignition key several times to the start position and finally it will engage the starter. When the weather is warm, I don't have any problems at all and it starts right up on the first try. I'm getting 12v to the small wire to the solenoid in the start position. I'm thinking that the solenoid is probably going bad. does this sound like a solenoid problem or a wiring or ground problem? Why would the solenoid work fine when it's warm but is slow to work when the weather is cold? Thanks to all that will give advice and tips on what to try. Dan

[datzenmike]

One thing to consider is that a cold battery has less available charge.

•When the outside temperature is 80 degrees, a fully-charged battery has 100 percent of its power available to start the car.

• When the temperature drops to 32 degrees, a fully-charged battery has two-thirds of its power available.

• At zero degrees, that same fully-charged battery has only 40 percent of its power available to start the vehicle.

 

If your battery is getting old have it load tested to see if it's up to the job. Have the starter checked too.