Car owners are beginning to have a phobia to the cold weather. Every time winter came, they will always face the problem of a dying and frozen battery. It is a big hassle for any car owner to be dealing with a dead battery every time.
Many get into thinking that constantly revving up their engine during this season would help keep the cell alive. Will it do good, or will it be harmful to your battery?
How often should I start my car in cold weather? Contrary to what most people believe, always starting your vehicle on cold weather may not be suitable for your battery. Repeatedly starting up the car during winter is not just a good idea. It can harm your battery than keep it alive.
The best thing to do after starting up the engine is to drive the car around. Cranking the car without driving it along will only lower the lifespan of the battery.
The wrong notion of always starting the vehicle on cold weather should be corrected. Car experts will not advise you to make this habit over time as it would significantly create damage to your car and battery.
How Should I Start My Car during Zero Degrees Temperature?
A car that doesn’t start on cold weather is such a troublesome and stressful situation. It would be better to avoid the things that would freeze your battery. A case like this can be avoided if you will follow the simple routines of battery maintenance during the winter season.
Proper starting procedure should be made to prevent exhausting your car battery. Set the car or vehicle for Proper maintenance first.
Here is how you do it:
1. Ensure that you are using the right oil. Car experts are recommending the 5W-20 for your whole year use, or you can also try using Mobil One.
2. Checked your battery. Has your battery been tested in your trusted battery shops? Cells have a lifespan of three to four years. They will conduct a speed test that will quickly tell you if your battery is already weak and dying and already needs replacement. The alternator must also be checked if it is properly charging your battery.
3. Ask for assistance if required. The check engine will light up if your ignition system is encountering problems. You may not notice any changes, but ignition problems may worsen during the cold season. Expert mechanics can only solve electrical issues.
Ways to Start the Car on a Cold Weather
Here is the right way to start your engine on wintertime:
1. You must turn off all headlights and your heater blower.
2. Put the key on the “ON” position and wait until the dash lights stop flashing. This action allows the fuel pump to pump in more fuel to begin a cold start.
3. Turn your ignition and start cranking the engine for ten seconds. If your car failed to start, wait for another 30 seconds and then give it another try. Never attempt to retry thrice or four times. If it continues to fail until the third time, then you probably have a dead battery. The only way to do it is to jumpstart or find any other way to revive your battery.
Troubleshooting Your Car during the Cold Weather
1. Electrical accessories must be turned off. One way to troubleshoot a dead battery during the cold weather is to make sure that everything is turned off. Turning these off will give your engine more chances to rev up if the energy has not been used up.
2. The clutch must be dipped. Another way to do it is to dip the clutch slightly while you are turning on the ignition. It reduces the battery workload, gives the engine power to crank even when its near freezing point.
3. Battery leads should be cleaned and tightened. Check your battery cables and see if there are any signs of corrosion. Clean the battery and free it from rust and corrosion build-up. Wear protective clothing before doing the clean-up. After cleaning the battery from corrosion, check if the cables are tightened.
4. Engine oil should be full. One cause of a hard starting is when your car is low on engine oil. With a cold weather temperature, the little engine oil will inevitably have the engine struggle in the start-up. Check your oil level through its dipstick. Top up your engine oil if it’s low before you try to start it again.
Different Steps to Improve Your Cold-Weather Engine Starts
Here are some ways you can do to make a good engine start during the cold season:
● The use of battery blanket. Battery blankets is a sure way to protect your cells against severe starting problems. The cold weather creates a chemical reaction in your battery, which results to turn the starter from the electricity made. Your battery blanket has to be activated for nearly an hour to be a useful tool to warm up your battery.
● You can try the engine block heater. Engine Block Heater creates the heat and draws a current. It should be plugged to a 20amp breaker and should not have any other appliances attached to it.
There are three types of EBH:
● The magnets that are attached to the engine’s transmission pan.
● Block heaters installed in the car’s cooling system.
● The Frost plug heaters.
How to Protect Your Car When You Park Outside during the Winter Season
We have here some ways to protect your car when you park out on a cold season:
● Keep your tires inflated
● Do not park on wetlands
● Use tents to cover your cars
● Try removing the battery
● Car fluids should be top-off
Should I Idle My Car before I Drive on Cold Weather?
Idling the car during winter is only a myth. It doesn’t have any benefit to your vehicle at all. Most car experts would claim that it is relatively easy to warm up the car when you drive it around instead of just running it idle.
They even suggest that you’d instead turn off your engine when you are done, rather than to leave it running and idling. You would do your battery more favor than to idle your car.
Sources:
1. Tips to Protect Your Car When Parking Outside in Cold Winter – Lanmodo Official Website
2. Car Won’t Start in the Cold? Check Out these Troubleshooting Tips – Common Sense Home
