06 m3 gt starter issues
 

hey guys, i have an 2006 mazda 3 gt 5speed and have had some issues with the starter. It first happend in the winter when it was extremely cold (-35c). When i turned the key all electrical would come on but all i would get is a hissing sorta noise and no turn over. Eventualy after plugging the car in for half a day it turned over. Now that it has warmed up out i thought i was free and clear however today the same thing happend. I continualy tried until i got a grinding sorta noise and then it turned over and started fine. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas of what this might be. Im actualy looking to trade in on an rx8 and want to make sure the car will run properly before i trade. Thanks

It's quite possible it's the battery. The OEM battery is not a maintenance free battery and could possibly have burned off some of the water, which if it were never refilled would make the battery hold less of a charge and not work as well as when new. That also makes sense given that it wasn't working well when it was cold outside.

I recommend having the battery tested (should be free at an auto parts store) and they should be able to tell you if it's good or bad, plus what kind of power and CCA it can put out. Likely you'll be getting a new one.