Have you ever wondered why your car always gives you problems starting when it’s cold outside? Most people know that it is contributed to the cold weather outside, but what most people don’t know is what the cold weather actually does to their automobiles to cause these problems.The same things happen in all vehicles, but most people who own newer vehicles never see the symptoms due to advances in their ignition and fuel systems. People who choose to drive their old mustangs and camaros to work every morning feel the effects much more than new car owners. If your one of the select few that refuses to let a cold morning ruin a good day in your hot rod then this article will fill you in on cold weather starting and will hopefully contribute to getting you to work on time and reduce the number of excuses you have to come up with for the old boss man.
First off let’s talk about the fuel you have in your car. In order to get your car to fire right up on the first try you must get the fuel up to the engine, evaporated, and ready to burn. This is an easy task for your car in the summer months because liquids, like gasoline, evaporate much easier when it’s hot outside. When it’s cold outside, however, gas becomes harder to evaporate which contributes to your car being hard to start. If you have been around the shop long enough you have probably seen someone use ether to spray into their engines. They do this because ether evaporates much easier than gas and gives your engine enough fuel to get it started. This usually works pretty well but is not an alternative I care to do if I have other options. There are other ways to get the same effect.
Now lets talk about a second problem the cold weather tends to give engines. Think about what happens to most liquids when they get cold. They get thicker. Oil is no different and can get much thicker when it’s cold outside. If you don’t believe me, change the oil in you car with the engine hot and then do it with the engine cold and see which one is thicker. That’s why I have always changed my engine oil with the engine warm. It comes out better because it’s thinner. When the engine oil is thick, it puts a damper on your engine which makes your engine harder to spin. Believe it or not, this contributes to your engine not starting right off.
I would like to let you in on a little secret of how to prevent these problems from occuring. The best way and the most widely known, especially in the north, are block heaters. This is a feature almost any handyman mechanic can install on your vehicle, which will keep your engine warm and ready to start at all times. There are several different types of heaters on the market today, which all provide basically the same things. It’s easy to install and saves a tremendous amount of time trying to get your car started first thing in the morning. Another option a person might choose is to keep their cars garaged overnight. Park your significant others 07 Yukon outside, because they will not feel the effects of the cold like your hotrod will.