Engine Oil and Other Lubricants
Lubricants represent the single most critical problem encountered by vehicles in cold regions. Cold starting problems and poor lubrication result as engine oil is too viscous at low temperatures. Even low-temperature lubricants will thicken at sufficiently low temperatures.
You start ignition and starter cannot turn over the engine to start it because of freezing engine oil and ATF. In Siberia special services use propane gas heaters to warm up frozen engines.
A special service car
Fuel
Crap Russian gas ignite with greater difficulty at low temperatures so at first start of engine after prolonged idling spark plugs can become wet with gas because of engine flooding.
If it happened the only way is to unscrew and anneal spark plugs by heating them with a propane torch (or replace them with new ones if you have money for nothing;)). Install it back when they become dry and clean.
Battery
Lead–acid batteries become vulnerable to freezing when discharged, do not charge well when cold, and lose power at low temperatures. Cold-starting procedures especially when Engine Oil was too viscous and the battery has already lost power before will obviously drained the battery for some starts.
At least it’s worth checking and charging the battery before cold season.
A frozen car towing
Low Temperature Operation
While low temperatures make starting an engine very difficult, they also may have an adverse affect on operation, and heat retention measures should be used or engine won’t reach an optimal operating temperature range.
I use wind blocking inserts between radiator and its cover, then a special engine cover from dornit and a crankcase shield with penofol for thermal insulation.
Inflation Pressure
It’s difficult to maintain proper tire pressure at low temperature – tubeless tires may not maintain an airtight seal. Also, inflation pressure will decrease if the tire is initially inflated in warm conditions according to the ideal gas law: P1/P2 = T1/T2, although the pressure reduction is small it can be a total disaster with the previous factor.
One day I found that pressure in the tires fell to 1.2-1.6 kg/cm*cm (2.0 is a normal) while a car was standing idle for four days in my garage at -30 degrees centigrade.
Metals, Elastomers and Plastics
The materials become very brittle at low temperatures.
I broke the delivery tube of a washer pump at -30 degrees centigrade during spark plug reversing.
Electronics
Individual electronic components are generally susceptible to failure at high temperatures and usually perform better as ambient temperatures decrease. However, reliability problems do occur when electronics are exposed to below freezing temperatures: moisture condensation, cracked connections, brittle wire insulation.
Funny, but my car starts more easily in cold conditions than in summer as perhaps intake air temperature sensor partly degrade. The thermometer in my car has a scale up to -29 degrees centigrade, although it may be -40 degrees centigrade outdoor.
Two weeks without changes
Conclusions: If you don’t want to implement the cold-starting procedures it’s necessary to utilize car starter system. In Siberia it’s a vital necessity.
