I have a 1988 car and the temp. outside is -30. My car will not start but the radio and heater comes on. It sounds as if the car is about to start when i give it a little gas but it dies back out. What can I do other than waiting until it becomes warmer??? It is supposed to be this cold for another week or so and I have to go to work. Please Help!
2007-02-05 06:20:12 · 14 answers · asked by christina 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
If you can safely run an extension cord out to your car,try putting a space heater under the hood for a while,that has worked for me in the past...btw,in Houston it's +65.That's one of the reasons why I moved here.
2007-02-05 06:30:41 · answer #1 · answered by zskip62 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could buy a small battery charger from Sears, Kmart or Walmart. Ideally I would disconnect the negative (black) battery cable and hook up the battery charger as directed in the manual (red to red positive battery post and black to black negative battery post). Let it charge overnight on the 2 Amp charge level or for 3 hours at the 10 Amp charge level. If an older battery won't charge up to at least 12.5 Volts, you may need a new one. If it's so cold that the battery can only crank the engine slowly, there may not be enough cranking voltage to power the computer and electronics in the car to start the engine. Also buy a can of "quick start" for cold weather starting of an engine and spray some near the air cleaner intake while someone else is cranking the engine for you. Don't crank the engine for longer than 10 seconds at a time. Then let the starter rest for 30 seconds before cranking another 10 seconds. In the long term, an engine coolant heater element can be installed in your engine that you plug in to 115 VAC to heat the engine coolant before you try to start it in cold weather. Make sure your battery cable connections are clean and tight.
2007-02-05 14:33:32 · answer #2 · answered by bobweb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some of the things i read on here just have to make me laugh.
a few things are true like a dipstick heater or i have seen a magnitic heater you stick to your oil pan.
but to get to your problem 1988 most likley it is fuel injected. when starting fuel injected cars in the cold do this: trun the key to the "on" position wait for all the bells and chimes to stop (or just count to ten). next try starting the car as normal (no gas). most likley it dident take off or you would be there asking this question turn key off. wait 15 seconds, turn key back to on position as before and wait as you did before, but this time when you are cranking, hold the gas to the floor for 3-5 seconds then let off to 3/4 throttle. if it doesent start to spit and sputter try it again and if still nothing, it may be a fuel delivery issue. then you will need to add some type of gas line anti-freeze (isoprople) that you should be adding anyway when its that cold.
hope this answers your question
on a side note you will most likley need a friend with jumpper cables to do this, make sure they are at least 6 guage wire. I have seen some that only have 14 guage...think about it ...thats speaker wire!!!!
2007-02-05 15:32:10 · answer #3 · answered by goose7875 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have a block heater? Plug it in for a couple of hours. This will warm the engine block and oil. Make sure you have more than half tank of gas. Gas lines may be frozen add gas line anti freeze. Do not press the gas when you start the car or you will flood the engine. Do not crank to much or you will kill the battery.
2007-02-05 14:57:07 · answer #4 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
-30, thats cold, first thing get a new battery, second, pull the spark plugs, heat them in the oven at 200 for 1 hr. third, drain the oil out, and replace it with 5w10 , buy a can of spray ether,after you do all this ,open the air cleaner, spray the ether in the carb for 1 1/2 secs.when the car startes just keep it running , warm up slowly, donot gun the engine, go to the farm and fleet store and buy a dipstick heater,plug it in at night , don't park nose to the wind.
2007-02-05 14:42:15 · answer #5 · answered by greghemmert 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Extreme cold will exaggerate problems with a battery that is about to fail. Start by checking the battery, and if it's more than 5 years old it probably should be replaced. If the battery is good and you are still having problems, perhaps the automatic choke which helps it start in cold weather needs some attention. Talk to your mechanic for advice.
2007-02-05 14:28:32 · answer #6 · answered by oklatom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try some HEET in the fuel tank, get a set of jumper cables on it and see if you can coax it on.
Engine block heater at local parts store, a friends' garage, or start it and get it warm as often as you can and let it run long enough to get the battery recharged, or even replace it.
2007-02-05 14:23:57 · answer #7 · answered by wizjp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The problem is that the oil in your engine is frozen and won't circulate through your engine properly there isn't much that you can do. If you have garage get it in there. Some automobiles come with a engine block heater but that is usually on diesel trucks. You might be able to have one installed on you car to help prevent this problem in the future.
2007-02-05 14:32:59 · answer #8 · answered by johnblaz 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hey I'LL take a stab at this one.
1st if this sounds like the quintessential American car.. answer trash it and get and European or Japanese automobile.
or try a tune-up and if its really cold natured you can have some type of heater block installed which will warm up your car block by hooking it up to and outlet in your home.
2007-02-05 14:28:36 · answer #9 · answered by orange 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Try some HEET in the fuel tank, get a set of jumper cables
2007-02-05 17:15:53 · answer #10 · answered by timberrattler818 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋