Extreme weather can be very difficult on a car. If there is any sort of problem it often make itself known when bad weather hits. When it’s warm it’ll be the cooling system that is put to the test. In the winter, the car won’t start when it is cold.
There are a few different reasons that can cause this, but it’s usually the battery that can’t handle turning the engine when it’s cold.
Reasons Why a Car Won’t Start When it’s Cold
Battery Capacity Diminished
Far and away the number one reason that a car won’t start in the cold is the battery. A battery has two different ratings, cranking amps and cold cranking amps. Cold cranking amps are the batteries ability to start turn the engine over when it is cold.
Battery capacity diminishes with time and use. So it may have enough cranking capacity to start the car when it is warm, but when it’s cold, it just isn’t enough to turn the engine over anymore.
Wrong Battery
If you happened to have purchased a battery when the weather was warm, and now less than a year later it’s not starting the vehicle, you may have purchased a battery that doesn’t have the cold cranking capacity that your car needs to get started.
This often happens when you have a six cylinder model, and you get the battery for a four cylinder. They don’t have quite enough capacity to turn over a heavier motor when it’s really cold.
Wrong Oil Viscosity
If you put a heavier oil in during the warmer months, it’s not as likely to keep the vehicle from starting. But, in the winter, it’ll make itself known. The heavier molecules in the thicker oil can keep the engine from turning over fast enough to start. For instance, maybe you bought 10W-30 when the manufacturer called for 5W-30.
Water in Fuel Line
Condensation can build up in the gas tank as temperatures change. If the condensation finds its way into your fuel line, it can freeze and leave the engine unable to turn over. If the engine is cranking fast, as though the battery is fine, this is a definite possibility.
How to Start Your Car in the Cold
Here are some tried and true ways to start your car in the cold. They are presented in a way that would help you troubleshoot a car that you may be sitting in right now in the order that makes most sense for getting you moving right away. Most of the time it’s going to be a battery related issue, so that’s what we are focusing on.
1. Turn on All of the Accessories and Lights
This may sound counterintuitive when the battery isn’t working very well to begin with. What you are trying to do is give the battery a little time to “wake up”. Once you do that go ahead and turn the key to the “on” position, but don’t start the car for at least 10 seconds. This gives the fuel pump plenty of time to prime the injectors. Now, go ahead and try turning the engine over and see if it’ll start.
2. Warm the Battery
If you are at home, and aren’t in a super hurry, you can unhook the battery and take it inside. This will allow it to heat up to a temperature that’ll get the electrons in it moving. Leave it inside for a few hours. This can really help it crank the car over.
3. Jump Start
Jumping the car will get it moving around again in no time. Jump starting utilizes the power from another vehicles battery and alternator to charge your battery and help the vehicle start right there on the spot.
4. Replace the Battery
You can take the battery into the local parts store to have it tested. That would be prudent before outright replacing it. You should look up the cold cranking requirement for your particular vehicle model, engine, and model year.
You want to get a battery that can handle at a minimum what the manufacturer recommends. Cold cranking amps are a standard. A battery must crank for 30 seconds at 0° with a minimum voltage in order to meet it.
Conclusion
If any of the battery related issues ended up being the reason why your car wouldn’t start, it’s time to replace the battery. If it warms back up outside, you may get a few good starts out of it, but its days are numbered.