It's -20F and my car won't start

"rotundapig" (rotundapig)
12/06/2013 at 10:09 • Filed to: None

I thought it was just because it's kind of an old POS, but none of the other cars in the driveway will start either. Anyone got any cold weather starting tips for a guy who grew up in a place where it never gets below freezing?

DISCUSSION (15)

Nibbles > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:09

Does it crank at all?

MooseKnuckles > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:09

block heater

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:11

Dry Gas.

rotundapig > Nibbles
12/06/2013 at 10:12

very slowly, even after using the battery charger/starter booster thing. It seems to me like heat is the only answer, but I don't know how to get heat to a car that's immobile.

bradledy > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:14

See the bright side- it's a GREAT excuse to not leave your house.

Nibbles > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:15

Without a block heater, that's going to be really tough. Without changing the oil, gonna be tough still. Do you have a space heater, or something you can place near the block that radiates heat? Can you attempt to push-start it?

THOMAS5 > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:20

if the snow isn't too think you could maybe find a neighbor with a heated garage. But the chance of a neighbor having one that they can led you and one being super close to your driveway is super slim

Stupidru > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:26

Get your multimeter out and check the voltage. Might be time for a new battery

davedave1111 > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:28

Find some empty soft drink bottles or similar. Fill with hot water from your tap. Place under bonnet, preferably touching the block, in as many places as you can find space, and leave for a while - maybe a good idea to insulate on top, too, with an empty cardboard box or an old blanket. You might need to refill the bottles a few times depending on how many you have and how cold it is. You'll want to have a look after a few minutes and see how fast they cool off.

It's a bit of a pain, but it should work as a way of raising the engine bay temperature to more accommodating levels.

Joe_Limon > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:37

Tips of varying usefulness

-Park inside a garage
-Plug block heater in
-Recommended winter oil (in your manual)
-Get a new new battery with higher cold crank amps
-Tiger torch on your oil pan

davedave1111 > davedave1111
12/06/2013 at 10:43

Just checked the data on Wikipedia, and the specific heat capacity of water is roughly ten times that of steel. That means for each degree of heat lost by the water, it'll raise the same weight of engine block by ten degrees - or the other way around, it'll raise ten times the weight of engine by one degree.

If you want to raise the temperature of the engine bay by, say, 30 degrees Kelvin, to just above freezing point, and the whole area has maybe a quarter of a tonne of metal to be warmed up - 250kg, ~550lbs - then you need 25 kilos/55lbs of water cooling by 30 degrees to do the job if the transfer is perfectly efficient. Of course the transfer is nothing like that efficient, but then your hot water is likely more than 30 degrees above zero - typically it's 50C, or 120F.

Oh, and Wolfram Alpha says the energy released by 25kg of water cooling from 50 C to 0 is equivalent to a third of a kilo of TNT...

OtherBarry > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 10:52

Go to a farm store or fleet supply and get an oil tank heater. They are magnetic and hopefully you have a steel oil pan. Plug in and give it an hour and try again. Block heater is good if your car is equipped and has a handy benifit of getting heat faster as well. Switching to lighter weight oil can help also, otherwise get warm boots and walk slow.

Astrella > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 11:07

Move closer to the equator.

3Pedals6Speeds > rotundapig
12/06/2013 at 11:45

What kind of car if you don't mind me asking?

It was -13F here in Denver yesterday morning (and -7 today) and my 92' Toyota pickup truck which is parked outside started right up.

It cranked a little slower than on warm days, and has 5w/30 in it, but it fired right up. No block heater.

Possible battery problem, or maybe that extra -7 degrees was the defining factor?

Tips: block heater, let the fuel injectors prime for a few seconds before cranking the motor, turn off all electronics and fans and then try to start the car. Possibly change to a zero weight oil for the cold months

rotundapig > davedave1111
12/06/2013 at 11:58

This is exactly the advise I was looking for. It's a '90 subaru loyale, so the block is AL, which is even better.

I was able to get it going with some starting fluid eventually, but I'll have some water bottles on standby for next time.