How To Deal With Cars That Do Not Start On Cold Mornings

With winters approaching thick and fast, it’s the natural tendency of the living beings to turn sluggish.

However, you would never wish your non-living devices, such as your vehicles to turn similarly sluggish and become resistant in operation. However most internal-combustion (fuel-burning) vehicles take the cold weather seriously and become extremely hard to start.

Do you too face these non-starting car troubles during the cold seasons?

This is one of the signs of danger during emergency conditions and when you need to leave immediately for work, trying to get there in time.

So here we have brought for you a detailed guide on how to mitigate these troubles with cars which are difficult or completely fail to start on cold mornings.

Also Read : What Is Covered Under California’s Used Car Lemon Laws?

But before we start, it is also important to know the reasons why your car turns sluggish in cold weather. Read along to know more:

Why Your Car Does Not Start On Cold Mornings

car-key

On a cold and frosty morning (possibly with snow around), your car would generally fail to get started and this is due to the following major reasons:

Due To Car Batteries:
On a cold day, the chemical reactions in the batteries would be a lot slower as compared to other days.

Due to this, they produce a lesser content of electric current and are not able to power the vehicle to start instantly. The result is the engine will turn much slower while the starter cranks the engine. Most of such vehicles would start after some time, but some may not.

Due To Engine Oils:
During cold and frosty weather, the engine oil of your vehicle may get thick around the cold metal and becomes extremely difficult to be pumped.

And if it even gets pumped, the oil’s thick consistency puts an extra strain on the vehicle’s battery. So if the battery has already less power, you can expect the vehicle to be very resistive to any attempts you make to start it.

Fuel Line Moisture:
Though this is not a common symptom, it always has a chance of occurrence.  If the fuel lines have the presence of moisture, it could freeze in the cold weather and cause blockage of the fuel.

Needless to mention, the engine would fail to start due to this and the trouble is mostly experienced by vehicles with thin (5/16” or smaller) fuel lines.

Carburetor Issues:
If you have a particularly old car that is equipped with a carburetor rather than fuel injection, these are especially susceptible to cold. They contain small nozzles and passages which get blocked which can prevent internal moisture from evaporating, causing an ice build-up in the device.

Though most of the modern cars do not use a carburetor, if you are driving an old vehicle built before 1988, your car could possibly face this trouble.

Also Read : Why Take A Used Car For Inspection Before Buying It?

So while your car faces non-starting issues, it could probably be any one of these troubles causing it.

And what could you do in the matter? Here are some of the methods to deal with the situation:

How To Start A Resistant Engine:

car-starting-problem

A non-starting car engine can be started using one or more the following methods:

Turn Battery-draining accessories Off:
Most of the standard electrical accessories including heaters, headlights, and radio etc. use the battery power and reduce the amount available to the electric starter-motor which is trying to crank and start the engine. Therefore, you need to turn all of these off before trying to start the engine.

Also, after the engine gets started, let it run for some time before switching the electrical equipment on again.

The Clutch and Ignition Method:
This is a tricky task but works wonderfully well in most cases. However, unless you have a small car or are parked on a hill, you will need at least one assistant to help you push the car. With someone in the driver’s seat, turn the ignition key to the “on” position shift the transmission into 1st gear and depress the clutch pedal all the way. Then have your assistant(s) to start pushing the car being careful not to run over anyone or lose control. Then when up to speed (about 5-10MPH), release the clutch. The  drivetrain will then rotate the engine fast enough for it to start.

Due to this, the amount of work that the battery has to do will get reduced and the engine gets a chance to fight and start, even when it is extremely cold outside.

Check The Battery Leads:
Take a look at the cables of your car’s battery. If they portray some corrosion signs such as deposition of a crusty, white substance, the battery terminals and cable connections need to be properly cleaned before it can work properly.

For this, wear the protective equipment such as gloves and goggles, detach the battery cables and clean them properly with a wire brush or use a stiff toothbrush dipped in a solution of baking soda and water.

And when you reconnect the cables, make sure to connect them to the CORRECT terminals and don’t mix them up and connect them backwards which can cause dangerous sparking and possible electrical damage to delicate computerized systems. Also,  ensure to connect the negative side last to avoid and prevent electric shocks.

Also, if there are no signs of corrosion, check that the cables are tight enough. Loose cables or cable clamps can also prevent the engine from getting started.

Get Engine Oil:
One of the reasons why the engine fails to start is due to the lack of engine oil. If the engine oil is less than the required content, it puts a lot of pressure on the battery for the start of the engine.

As a precaution, you can check the level of engine oil with the help of a dipstick and if it appears low, you can always fill it up before starting the engine.

Easy Start Solutions:
There are lots of solutions such as ‘Bradex Easy Start’ (also known as “Starting Fluid”) which work by turning the mixture of fuel and air more combustible. Due to this, the engine would find it easier to get started on a cold morning.

Get this solution, spray it into the air intake of the car’s engine and try to switch it on. It’s a simple and could work well in the emergency situations.

Jump Start:
This should probably be your last alternative, but can be helpful if all of the above processes fail.

This requires another car and the engine and charging system of the other vehicle should be in a good condition. You will need a set of “jumper cables” which connect from the good battery to the one with the low or dead battery. When using this method, it is EXTREMLY IMPORTANT to make sure that you connect from the positive terminal on the donor battery to the positive on the dead one. Negative is the same- negative to negative. DO NOT CONNECT positive to negative or negative to positive in any circumstance! Failure to do this can result in extreme sparking from the battery posts, damage to the electrical system and /or possibly an exploding battery  which is extremely dangerous and can cause serious injuries.

But if this method too fails to work, you need to call an expert vehicle repair servicemen and get the car diagnosed.

Also Read : How to choose used car inspection agency

Future Precautions:
Though you got the probable troubles inspected and temporarily fixed, chances of your car doing extremely well on the next turn are not very likely unless some repairs and maintenance are performed.

Therefore, you can take these important precautionary measures to ensure that your vehicle’s engine gets readily started on even a frosty morning:

Battery Replacement: It’s absolutely possible that the vehicle starting issues could be due to a worn out battery and you could consider its replacement. Also, make sure the battery is of the correct CCA (Cold Cranking Amp) rating recommended for your vehicle. And though this is an extra expense, it would prevent you from any future costly damages and undue breakdowns etc.

Keep The Petrol Tank Filled: Did you know that if you start a cold car in the morning, it would consume 40 percent more fuel than the regular start when it’s warmed up? Yes, so if you notice your car a bit low on petrol in the evening, get it topped up to avoid the morning car-starting troubles and running out of petrol.

Use Good-Quality Oil: There are various engine oils that work specifically well during the cold season. Consult a good mechanic and find out about these, so that you can use them in your vehicles and prevent any breakdowns. You usually want to use a thinner viscosity oil in cold weather which will flow better and allow cold engine components to turn easier. Some examples of these are 0W-20 and 5W-30. Avoid anything heavier than 10W-30 which are thicker oils and more difficult for the engine’s oiling system to pump in cold weather.

Your car not starting in the morning is not a new trouble and is almost never a grave one. Try out the above methods to get your vehicle working and if it does not work, consult a good vehicle serviceman to get onsite car inspection and repair.

For instance if you’re in Los Angeles, you can get a used car inspection, vehicle repair, and tune-up services at a single facility when you consult ‘Car Inspectors’ which offers ASE-Certified technicians to assist you in the process.