Winter Bull Issues

[sousa632]

So with this frigid weather that's passed all this week so I figured I'd see what everyone else has been having problems with. It's been in the low 20's during the days here for the past week dropping in the single digits overnight(wind chills of ~0) so needless to say it's been 'interesting' lately.

My Sable has been NOT happy at all during this....... I have a new battery in it and it has a slow start every time. Mind you I dont drive the car but MAYBE once a week but I have had to turn it on and let it run just to keep the juices flowing. The drivers door didnt want to open cause ice froze in the hinges, none of the power locks wanted to open(very minor movement), the drivers window barely moves(was getting slow anyway), the power antenna is frozen down, and the power seat didn't want to move when my wife went to take the car out just now. I had to have her get out and push the seat forward while hitting the button.

The Windstar was slow starting and sounded like a diesel for about 5 seconds after a cold start but everything else worked.

On that note..... I hate this damn cold. We are FINALLY going to have a heat wave and break into the 30's today so it might just thaw some things out. So what issues have you been dealing with in this cold?

[The White Falcon]

I remember having to rip the cargo doors open on our Suburban years ago. Ripped some of the foam around the retainer bar off.

I didn't have my Bull the week we were in the mid teens in the mornings, but I felt like it was a miracle my brother's Accord started every morning. (238k miles, everythings a miracle.) Still, it took three or four minutes before it would even begin to warm up, and I'd drive to classes, park, and the temp gauge would still be pegged firmly at "C".

That being said, my Bull is starting a bit hard because the IAC is shot...so I guess I could blame the weather. Except it's been in the 60s-70s the last few weeks.

[04 SEL]

Poor gas mileage and having to jump start people lol. Mines been doing fine, starts right up. If it sits for a day in this cold then it will be a little bit slow to start but thats normal. My latch only got stuck once during this whole cold spell, very surprised!


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[TaurusDailyDriver]

Latches have yet to be stuck. Starts everytime. 7 year old battery that still tests good. All power functions work. I don't know what I am even doing to make this a breeze, so it must just be luck.

The 2005 is a different story. That starts hard... and the door latch froze open so my sister had to hold the door shut when driving home. Tire is flat since everything contracts. Power seat sounded awful.

[Breeves002]

Like Johns windstar, she sounds like a diesel for a few seconds after starting when it's cold enough. Brand new battery, slow turning over. Never fails to start on the first crank! However when the motor does finally turn over by itself, the entire car lurches! She hates warming up, stalled once, just wanted to stall several other times. Horrific gas milage as well... Doors stuck closed, and the drivers side power lock stopped working entirely one day.

We get lucky here. Last week we had a wind chill below zero, on Tuesday it's supposed to get up to the low 60's!!! What the heck Missouri!


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[unit731]

1997 3.0 OHV

Been below zero (F) here many past few mornings.
I go out every morning around 05:00 AM.
Car does start but a few straining noises at beginning.
Idles fine.
Heater/defroster fan makes a whining noise in beginning.
Takes a long time for interior to warm up.
Temperature gauge works fine. Just slow to warm up.

Put new spark plugs and new wires in last summer.
Fresh oil change.

[it'sthatcar]

The last few weeks its been -10* F or colder with windchill every day. At one point, all doors were frozen shut and in the locked position, all windows were stuck shut, cranks and turns over (slowly) on the first try every time, but the lights on my dash (E-brake, oil, battery, the little yellow foot in the circle, etc.) stay on. Then I have to shut the car off and then turn it back on. It doesn't accelerate as quickly as it should, and the first couple shifts are kinda hard. Other random little things. I'm glad I got a new battery in the fall though.


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[Automender12345]

My 2001 taurus OHV starts like a champ and runs good in the cold weather except when it gets in the low teens and single digits the transmission leaks out the input shaft. On the coldest days it will lose a three inch puddle worth of trans fluid. Once warmed iits fine. Its done it for the last three winters.

[sousa632]

Originally Posted by it'sthatcar

................ I'm glad I got a new battery in the fall though.


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Me too. My old battery wouldn't have made if through the first 20* day, and here we are 6 days later and it JUST got to 33*

[Nick3.0L]

I live in Jersey as well, and luckily haven't had any problems, it starts up like any other day. When i bought it in march 2012 it had a brand new Everstart Walmart battery. My dads 2000 F-150 cranked real slow though.