Hi all, first post here. We are having some problems with a 2002 manitou m26-4, 2002 non turbo model, in basic terms, during cold weather it turns over slowly and will not start unless it's connected to another vehicle with jump leads.

It's had a new starter motor, 2 actually, no change, it's had several batteries, and now has what I'd call a lorry sized one, ridiculously large in all honesty, the cca on it is around 1000 amps, yet it still turns over too slowly to start during cold weather conditions.

It has also had new cables that run from the battery to the starter and from the battery to the body, a new engine to body earth cable, and also an additional one fitted just in case, plus a cut off switch/isolator has been fitted (in case of a drain) and new wiring and connectors from the ignition barrel to the starter just to rule it out.

The alternator has also been checked and delivers a healthy 14.4 volts with the engine running so thats in tip top condition, and while it does turn over better than it ever has, it's still not fast enough to start when it's near or below freezing.

I have been thinking about another problem it has which I believed to be completely unrelated, in that the forks take forever to come down from full height, just over a minute, but it's got me wondering, could this be something as simple as drag from the hydraulic system when the oil is cold causing the engine to struggle when cranking? And if that could be the case, would there be a first port of call to be checking, as I would imagine there should be a bypass or something in the system so there's no load on the hydraulic system with the engine not running.

I would be very grateful for any ideas or advice.

Many thanks in advance.