How to Start a Car in the Winter
- 1). Have a block heater installed on your car if you do not have the luxury of a heated garage--starting a car in a controlled environment offers you the best chance of successful ignition. A block heater is an electrical box designed to warm the engine block. An electrical outlet plugs into an exterior grade extension cord and keeps the engine oil, coolant and battery warm. They cost a little bit of money, but the dividends they pay to ensure you can get to where you need to be is priceless.
- 2). Have the battery checked before the weather turns bad. Your battery requires more cold cranking amps--required to crack the starter against the flywheel and turn the engine over--in the winter than it does during any other time of year. Although only a couple hundred cold cranking amps are required to start almost any engine during warm or cool weather, a compromised battery at the low end of its output will be severely tested and can easily fail.
- 3). Have your alternator and electrical system tested by a local repair shop while you're having the battery checked. Many handheld battery testers at repair shops go beyond just checking the battery. They can determine if there is a problem in the electrical system, and although they might not be able to condemn the alternator, they can determine if something other than the battery is causing a deficiency on the starting or electrical system. An alternator is designed to restore amps to the battery but will not fully recharge the battery once it's operating.
- 4). Have the antifreeze checked for both pH balance and temperature. People who live in regions of severe winter weather often have the habit of adding straight antifreeze. This can lessen its effectiveness as much as too little concentrated antifreeze. An equal mix of water and antifreeze will properly assure the correct pH balance and temperature required for the car. Many cars call for a certain grade antifreeze, and it's important that the right type is being used. Refer to the fluid specifications chart in the owners manual.
- 5). Add isopropyl alcohol or use winter grade windshield washer fluid to the washer reservoir. You need windshield washer fluid most in the winter, and summer grade fluid will freeze solid and render the washer inoperable. Although this might not seem as important as starting your car, there's nothing more dangerous than driving when you cannot see properly. Have the wipers checked for cracks or rips while you're at it and replace them if necessary.
- 6). Use an alcohol grade dry gas product for your car. Most cars today are fuel-injected, and some might claim adding dry gas is unnecessary. But extreme cold and warming will still cause condensation in the fuel lines and fuel system. There are products to comply with fuel injected systems that can be used safely and effectively. Read the labels of the dry gas before purchasing to ensure it is correct for your car and will not harm the fuel injectors.
- 7). Start the car as usual by turning the ignition key. It might be sluggish if really cold, but a block heater or a car parked in a controlled environment will rarely give you problems. If neither are available and the engine will not turn over, applying a battery charger or battery booster might help assist the battery with the necessary cold cranking amps required to started the engine.
- 8). Allow time between unsuccessful starts for the starter to cool down. Repeatedly trying to crank an engine will rapidly heat up the starter and can easily compromise its function. In cold weather, it won't take long for the starter to cool down, but continuously cranking it can easily overheat and damage it.
- 9). Step on the gas pedal once or twice to inject fuel into the injectors if you're still unsuccessful. Although not required for fuel-injected vehicles, allowing some fuel into the injectors may help turn the car over. Do not continuously depress the accelerator, or you can easily flood the injectors and render a successful ignition difficult or impossible.