Battery dies, seemingly due to cold.

[CJLB]

I have a 99 pontiac Grand AM SE coupe.
The issue I have been experiencing works like this:
Any time that it is below zero outside, or below 32 for you American folk, and my car has been sitting for more than 12 hours give or take -
I will take it out for a short 5 minute drive, to get gas for example, so it will have been running for about 10 minutes tops, before I shut it off.
Then once I try to start the car again, the battery will be kaput.
I turn the key and get a single *click* from the starter.
I usually grab a boost off anyone willing, then head off to work, which is a 45 minute drive, and for the rest of the day it will work just fine.

This has happened to me 4 times since the winter began, and it is always the exact same scenario.

I brought it in to Goodyear, they said connections were fine, battery is fairly new and not leaking.

*RECAP*
-Below zero
-Car sits all night
-Starts perfectly
-Runs for 10 minutes before I shut it off
-Will not start again w/o boost
-Not happy.

Got any clue what's going on here?

I'm going to change the battery right now and I will check in after I'm done that. Fricken cold outside - wish me luck.

[GTP Dad]

Welcome to AF!!

Your problem may not be the battery at all. It could be a loose ground or a loose connection at the starter. It also could be an issue with the starter solenoid. If the new battery doesn't have an affect you may want to check these items. Also don't discount an issue with the ignition switch. Any one of these items can cause the problem you describe.

[thephantom1492]

It could also be an alternator issue, and would be the easiest to diagnose.

Take a voltmeter, take voltage mesurement, start the car, check the voltage again.

The interresting bit is mainly the second readout.
The first would help to have an idea of the battery state of charge. Far from being precise, but sometime can show a bad thing.

When the engine is running, do you get atleast 13V? 13V is low, but would indicate that the alternator is atleast partially working (a full battery would be max 12.7V, due to the small loads here and there would show up at about 12.5V)

Ideally you would see 14.4V, but 13.5 and up would indicate that it charge.