When it's cold, the car won't start. How to easily start a car in cold weather: the best ways

Starting the engine correctly in cold weather is a problem that car owners face with the arrival of winter frosts, especially if the temperature is well below -15 degrees, and the car has been standing outside all night. In such a situation, you need to be guided by several rules that can help you quickly start the engine and not ask for outside help or take public transport.

There are several main reasons for starting an engine in cold weather:

1. Malfunctions in the lubrication system.
2. The ignition system is not working properly.
3. Faults in the fuel system.
4. Weak charging battery.

Another reason is poor quality fuel located in the tank of the vehicle. Most often, this is more relevant for diesel cars. It is not worth talking about the varieties of summer and winter diesel fuel here. Drivers of cars with a diesel engine are well aware that in winter they need to fill winter diesel fuel. Only the quality of this fuel is not the best, as a result, problems appear, paraffin is formed, which clogs the fuel filter.

The difficult supply of fuel to the engine creates malfunctions that prevent the engine from starting in winter. To remove paraffin and ensure the engine starts in winter, it is recommended:

• Apply special modern facilities to start motors.
• If the fuel tank is filled with summer fuel, and in the morning it froze, then the car needs to be hooked on tow rope and drag it to a warm garage.
• There is another method: take winter diesel fuel, pour it into a canister and heat it up to 40 degrees. Then pour it into the tank of the machine. It should be remembered that the fuel filter also requires heating.

Malfunctions in the electrical network

Frosty winter days make adjustments to the start of car engines, and affect the operation of the electrical network. The main element of the car's electrical network, which is subjected to a large load, is the battery. Due to lower temperatures, the rate of chemical reactions decreases in it. The battery starts to lose power quickly. In severe frosts, it is a good idea to remove the battery from the car and warm it up at home.

Before starting the engine, many drivers use the old-fashioned method: a frozen battery requires a small push - you need to turn it on for a few seconds high beam, which will allow the battery to quickly return to normal. If this method does not help, then the battery must be removed and charged.

In cars with a gasoline engine, difficult starting can be caused by bad spark plugs, which already have a lot of soot, or an insulator is broken. With such defects, they are not able to provide the quality spark needed to start power unit.

The presence of air in the power system

If air has entered the power system, the motor will function with great interruptions. Cold engine is the most vulnerable, and it will sneeze and stall on startup. The cause of this malfunction must be sought in the fuel lines and hoses, which may have cracks that violate the tightness of the system and allow air to pass through. This problem is completely fixable. To do this, you need to visual inspection the entire system. Should start with fuel tank, and go throughout the system, inspecting and disconnecting hoses. You can pour gasoline into a bottle or canister, only in this way you can identify the place of air penetration.

Start system malfunctions

Almost all cars have special functions that help to start the engine in cold weather:

• Fuel filter warm-up mode.
• Mode of increasing the percentage of fuel content in combustible mixture(enrichment).
• Ignition advance mode.

Modern vehicles are equipped with sensors and electronic blocks facilitating the launch of these modes. The driver only needs to control the operation of these devices.

Oil thickening

dense engine oil also makes it difficult to start the engine in winter. Most often, viscosity increases in cold weather due to driver negligence:

• For the winter, semi-synthetic or mineral oil is poured into the engine.
• An advance replacement of oil that has worked out its time has not been made.

To prevent these problems, you need to change the oil in advance, preventing the onset of severe frosts, know the climate of your area and choose the right required view engine oil.

• In areas with frosts in winter down to -10 degrees, mineral oil is also suitable.
• In regions where frosts reach -25 degrees, you need to fill in semi-synthetics or synthetics, depending on the wear of the engine.
• For more severe frosts, only high-quality synthetics should be poured.

How to start an engine in cold weather

Drivers with a long driving time have a wealth of knowledge that makes it possible to start the engine even in severe frost. Car owners who have a garage with electricity are the real lucky ones. The garage makes it possible to heat up the pallet in a timely manner, heat the interior of the car with a heater, you can use a device to start the engine.

Owners Vehicle who are accustomed to leaving cars outside at night should be able to apply different methods of starting the engine in winter frosts.

1. The battery, which warmed up at home at night, is guaranteed to start your car engine.
2. It is not recommended to turn the starter for more than 15 seconds, then you need to rest the battery for at least 1 minute.
3. When "lighting" from another car, you need to follow some rules. First you need to connect the positive wire with the corresponding terminals of the batteries of both cars with a special "crocodile". The other wire must be connected to the negative pole of the car's battery, from which you will have to "light up". Connect the other end of the wire to the ground of your car. The car from which energy is taken must work.
4. When towing, it is also necessary to follow certain recommendations. The towing vehicle must accelerate to a speed corresponding to the third or second gear of the manual transmission. Then turn on the ignition, and gradually release the clutch. When the engine starts, you need to squeeze the clutch and signal to the assistant that everything is fine by turning on the headlights several times.

It should be remembered that when starting the engine in severe frosts, you expose the engine to excessive load, there is a strong wear of all mechanisms and components. If you can use public transport or walk, then this is the best way to go.

Starting a gasoline engine on a car with a manual gearbox

If your car gasoline engine, then before trying to start the car, you need to do some simple procedures:

• Warm up the battery by turning on the high beam or blinking the headlights for a few seconds.
• Next, you need to turn the ignition key, wait a few seconds until fuel pump pumps fuel into the system.
• Press the clutch, setting the gearbox control lever to the neutral position, and try to start the engine. If the car is injection, then you can not press the gas, if the car is carbureted, then you need to pull out the choke.

If the engine is serviceable, then after carrying out these procedures, it will start in a few seconds. Sometimes, if it is not possible to start the engine immediately, these procedures must be repeated, it is worth waiting a few minutes between attempts.

The engine started - good, so you need to gradually release the clutch. With a rapid loss of engine speed, you need to press the pedal again and hold for about half a minute. During this period, the oil in the box will heat up, and you can try to start the engine again.

Experts advise warming up the engine before driving. Warm-up time for injection motors equal to 4 minutes, and for carburetor - 10 minutes. During this time, you can prepare the car for movement, clean all windows and mirrors from frost and snow that have accumulated at night. After warming up the engine, you can start driving, trying not to drive too much until the temperature of the antifreeze reaches 60 degrees.

How to start a diesel engine in cold weather

As with other engines, a charged diesel engine is required to start a diesel power unit. good battery. But diesel engine has its own design features, and runs on more "heavy" fuel. Therefore, the important points are a serviceable fuel filter, and the quality of diesel fuel.

The best way would be to use winter fuel, while it is better to add special additives to it that prevent thickening of diesel fuel. To prevent freezing of diesel fuel, experienced drivers install special heating systems on the car. But you need to know that if the diesel fuel has thickened and froze, then in no case should it be heated with an open flame. In other cases, the procedure for starting diesel engine the same as for gasoline.

Starting the engine on a car with automatic transmission

If your car is not equipped with mechanics, but with an automatic machine, then if this box is not properly cared for, it may not be possible to start the engine in severe frost. Therefore, professionals recommend performing an early oil change in a car with automatic transmission, and also not buying the cheapest oil.

Despite the fact that in modern machines oil can be changed every 15 thousand km., experts advise replacing it in the fall, which guarantees the use fresh butter in winter, when the most difficult period for the engine. If you do not follow these recommendations, then in severe frosts, the old oil can turn into a thick substance, which will not allow you to quickly supply lubricant to the turbine shaft and crankshaft, which will resist when starting the engine.

If, after carrying out all the recommended procedures, the engine still does not start, and the battery is discharged so much that it cannot turn crankshaft, then you can try to start the engine by "lighting up", but it is advisable to use it on machines with carbureted engines. To do this, disconnect the terminals of the discharged battery and special starting wires connect to a working battery of another machine, observing the polarity of the terminals. Otherwise, there is a chance to burn the starter, or spoil electronic system machine, resulting in costly repairs.

Another way is towing. It can be used if other methods have not helped and the driver must definitely start the engine. Drivers with extensive driving experience should perform this procedure.

To do this, you need a cable of more than 4 meters. After fixing it, you need to get behind the wheel, turn on the ignition and press the clutch, turn on the box neutral speed, signal to move. To start, it is usually enough to drive about 70 meters along the road. After starting, the gearbox is put in a neutral position and stopped. This method is only suitable for machines with mechanical box, and for cars with automatic transmission, this method is prohibited.

• If the car is standing on the street at night, then you should not put it on hand brake, because brake pads may freeze to discs or drums. It is advisable to turn on the speed, and the thickened oil will prevent the car from rolling.
• In order not to have difficulty with door locks, experts advise to process them in advance special means. Door seals are also recommended to be lubricated silicone grease so they don't stick to the door.
• In winter, instead frame wipers it is better to use frameless wiper models. They will provide effective cleaning, and will not freeze to glass.
• If the garage is warm and the car is fuel injected, then it is better to fill the tank as full as possible so that there is less air in it, which means less condensation forms. Otherwise, water vapor freezes and settles at the bottom of the tank, which leads to the failure of the fuel pump and power system.

Nowadays Personal car has long ceased to be a luxury. Own car- fast and convenient transportation, which allows you to overcome any route, regardless of the time of year and weather conditions. However, sometimes it happens that iron Horse refuses to work. At this point, a car enthusiast often has many questions, and one of the most popular is the task of "how to start a car in cold weather." it does not play a role in it, because it is no secret that it is precisely because of low temperatures that machines most often refuse to work.

A set of preliminary measures

If the car stalls in the cold, then try not to despair and try to put into practice a few simple and understandable rules. Get ready for possible frosts a little in advance, especially if you know that they are very typical for your region of residence. To do this, in November it is necessary to carry out a number of preliminary procedures. If the battery has been working for a long time, it should be replaced, but if it is new, then try to clean it as much as possible, pour in some water, tighten the terminals tighter. A thorough check should also be subjected to candles, a generator, take care of the availability correct oil And antifreeze liquid for glasses.

The simplest rules

We start the car without problems if we pick up the battery on the coldest days. If this is not possible, then it is better to relocate the car to the garage, so it will start better, and it will not be exposed to precipitation. The air temperature indoors is usually a few degrees higher than outside, there is no snow and strong winds. It is advisable to start all procedures by turning on the stove and heating the cabin. To revive the car from sleep at night will help and such simple steps, How:

• headlights on;
• glass heating;
• turning on electronic devices (for example, radio).

We start the car correctly

How to start a car in cold weather? Depress the clutch if you are on a mechanic and start the process. If the first attempt was not successful, take a short break of 30-40 seconds and try again. The procedure should not be carried out more than 5 times, in which case it will be clear to you that more radical measures. If you are lucky, warm up the car for 5-10 minutes and continue on your way. For slightly increase the warm-up time.

What can not be done?

In frost? Automatic and mechanics categorically do not accept the following actions:

• Don't wash your car when it's cold.
• Do not use poor quality gasoline.
• Do not use too viscous oil.
• Do not leave the car on the handbrake for a long period time.

What progress has come to, or Special devices

Does it exist modern way how to start a car in cold weather? Automatic, that is, automatic, implies the possibility of installing a special device, so popular among residents of northern latitudes, where frost in winter is a common and constant phenomenon. A unique device with memory is programmed to start the engine after a certain number of minutes at a certain frequency throughout the night. The second programming option involves starting the device depending on the temperature outside the car. However, such a device is not at all cheap, so not every driver can afford it.

Automotive cosmetics

So, if you are unlucky, and the car still does not start, we will try to take a few resuscitation actions. You should purchase a special aerosol in advance, which is sprayed into the duct. In just 2-3 minutes after this action, you can try to start the car. This method is quite effective, but it is strongly not recommended to use it on an ongoing basis. Constant use aerosol can lead to engine failure in a couple of months.

List of possible problems

In fact, the easiest way to solve the problem "how to start a car in cold weather" (automatic and mechanics), knowing the cause of the breakdown, and there can be a great many of them. Here are the most popular ones:

• Poor quality gasoline.
• Dirty injectors.
• Cleaning filter dirty.
• The fuel pump does not work.
• Fuel pressure regulator not working.
• The air filter is dirty.
• Problem with spark plugs.
• The battery is empty.
• Low temperature when starting the engine.

As you can see, there are quite a few reasons, and it is difficult for a simple layman to deal with them. Very often, only a full diagnostics in the service allows you to identify possible problem. In order to get into such a situation, it is enough not to start the car for 3-4 days, even in moderate frost: from -10 to -15 degrees.

How to open a car in the cold

Sometimes the question of how to start a car (an automatic machine in particular) in cold weather is secondary, because unlucky owners cannot even open the car door. For these cases, there is also a special instruction. So if you are used to using hot water to defrost the door, remember that it should only be warm, otherwise you will ruin the paint. If this method helped, and you were able to get into the car, do not forget to wipe off excess moisture, so you will avoid a repetition of this situation. The optimal solution for such a case is special automotive cosmetics. It should be applied to the edge of the door near the seal, in just a couple of minutes you can get inside the car. As a preventive measure against such situations, silicone spray can be used on a regular basis.

Probably every motorist faced the problem of starting the power unit in extreme cold, when you need to drive, and the car let you down and you had to get on foot in the cold. But maybe the fact is that you made a mistake during its launch?

For an easy start, the safety of some elements in good condition is important, but it's not just about them. We will tell right action and their order when starting in frost, as well as their differences in gasoline and diesel cars.

A few rules for starting a car in cold weather

A few tips on how to start a car in cold weather and not drain the battery, as cold start has several specific features:

1. In severe frosts, before starting the engine, you need to warm up the battery. This can be done by turning on the high beam for 10 seconds. After that, turn off and wait a minute, run the start.
2. If the engine does not start on the first try, you can try to put an additional load on the battery and turn on a few more current consumers, for example, heating or music.
3. After ignition, wait a few seconds, at this time the fuel pump will pump gasoline, then start the car engine.
4. It must be remembered that when starting all electronic devices machines must be turned off. This will help minimize battery consumption.

These tips will help not only to properly perform a cold start of the engine, but also to keep the battery in working condition.

Why is a good battery so important in cold weather?

The answer to the question “how to start a car in cold weather” is quite simple - a good and serviceable battery is the key to a successful launch.

A good battery is essential in sub-zero temperatures, as it is very cold weather significantly increases the load on the battery. Namely, if you do not delve into the ongoing electrochemical processes inside the battery, then the reason for the decrease in the level of charge and the increase in the discharge characteristics of the battery is an increase in the viscosity and resistance of the electrolyte.

In a very negative temperature in winter, the resistance to scrolling the engine shaft increases significantly and, in turn, the starter current consumption from the battery increases. In conditions of extremely low temperatures without the use additional funds, facilitating the engine start, the battery gives off a charge faster than it restores. Therefore, with a systematic consumption of energy in the cold season, the battery cannot accumulate it to the required extent, which ultimately leads to its complete discharge.

Thus, in an unambiguous way to assess the condition of the battery will help the level of its charge.

The battery voltage rate is 12.6 - 12.9 (V) in a charged state, if the value is less, your battery is discharged.

Starting the engine with a dead battery

How to start a car in cold weather if the battery is completely discharged? The car can be started using an external power source. It can be a starting device or a battery of another car connected to a discharged battery with a cable.

Important! If the battery is frozen, then external source power supply is strictly prohibited. This may cause an explosion.

Using the starting device, you can start the car without connecting the battery to a power source. Such recharging can guarantee 15-30 starts, which in the future directly depends on the air temperature and battery performance.

Starting Devices

The starting device is often used when replacing the battery in order to prevent the disconnection of current consumers and, as a result, the loss of saved data and settings.

If there is no charger at hand, but there is another battery, then you can use it to recharge the discharged one. This is of course long, but will allow you to start the engine.

There are a few things you need to know when charging a battery with another:

1. It is important to remember about correct connection polarity terminals, as mismatched polarity may result in electric shock.
2. A discharged battery must be properly installed and connected to onboard network car.
3. The battery voltage must be the same.
4. The nominal capacity indicators must correspond in such a way that the capacity of the battery from which the charge comes should be lower than the capacity of the discharged battery.
5. Before disconnecting the starter cable, it is worth turning on some electronic devices, with the possibility of eliminating current surges.

What else can help a frozen car?

Keeping in mind a couple of organizational points, you can be sure that the car will start in cold weather.

1. You need to warm up the engine! Experienced auto mechanics recommend periodically warming up the car engine in frosty weather. And after starting, the temperature of the coolant should reach 40-50 degrees. If the temperature on the car is not displayed in numbers, then you can see the warm-up in terms of speed, they should drop to 1000 rpm. After that, it is possible to start a smooth movement of the car without sharp accelerations and braking.
2. Bad oil. Due to the old and, as a result, contaminated oil, most often its primary characteristics no longer correspond to the operating mode, therefore, due to frost, such oil often “does not start” the moving parts of the car. Therefore, timely oil prevention will help to forget about this problem, especially since it is almost impossible to quickly change frozen oil, you will have to warm the car in a warm room.
3. The spark plugs are full. If you have been turning the starter for a long time while pressing the gas, you may have flooded the candles, you must immediately stop trying to start the engine and wait a while. When gasoline drains, you can try again by fully depressing the gas pedal and then turning the engine with a starter, the car should start.
4. If the car is equipped with a start-stop button, you must first press it to turn on the fuel pump and pump pressure into the system. You will hear the pump turn on. Then we already squeeze out the brake and press the button again.

The special science of the diesel engine

Due to the peculiarities of work and the principles of the structure, they have their own operating conditions during the period of low temperatures in winter. In practice, given these principles of operation, you can count on the successful launch of a diesel engine in cold weather.

All the nuances of this type engines lie inside him, in his design features devices.

First, this diesel fuel. At a temperature of about 0 degrees, the paraffins that make up the fuel become gel-like, which becomes an obstacle to its penetration into the engine itself.

Secondly, the method of ignition itself fuel mixture. Diesel fuel, unlike gasoline, where the ignition process occurs from a spark, ignites from high pressure. But at a negative temperature, diesel fuel is not able to warm up and flare up.

For a diesel engine, winter comes with a temperature of + 5 degrees, and as it decreases, all problematic moments make themselves felt at startup.

To prevent this, it is necessary to change the fuel to winter fuel in time, there are three types of diesel fuel in total:

• summer - freezes at -5 ° C;
• winter - used up to -35 ° C;
• arctic - freezes at -55°C.

Preparing for winter, if you will frequently start a diesel engine in cold weather, should include:

1. Compression pressure check. If the compression index is less than 25, and the air temperature is below 20 degrees, then the car should not be left on the street or it is necessary to warm it up.
2. Checking candles. Glow plugs must provide in the combustion chamber the temperature necessary for the process of self-ignition and mixture formation. In preparation for winter launches it is worth checking by connecting them to a power source, within 5 seconds they should glow, otherwise replacement is necessary.

Starting a diesel engine in winter

When starting a diesel engine in low temperatures in winter, first of all, it is necessary to check the condition of the battery and only then proceed with the start. If it so happened that the engine does not start the first time, you need to ignite the glow plugs several times.

This is what a glow plug looks like

The light bulb will serve as a reference dashboard or a characteristic sound - relay click. In the beginning, after warming up the glow plugs, you must wait until the relay turns them off. Then turn off the ignition and, after waiting for a while, about 15 seconds, repeat the same action. With this method, if your candles are in good condition and the fuel is flowing properly, the engine should start.

If there are no problems with your engine, then you can use a special flammable aerosol. The use of such mixtures will help to reduce the required temperature threshold for fuel ignition. They also contain additives that lubricate the parts and thereby eliminate dry cold friction at the time of start-up.

Errors when starting a diesel engine

And now, imagine, frosty winter morning you decide to start your car. Even if the car passed winter training in full, it is necessary to adhere to a certain algorithm.

It is important to remember about warming up the battery and candles. First of all, the biggest and most common mistake car owners make in this case is battery warming up high beam, but this technique is effective only on petrol engine. Diesel behaves differently and the best option the ignition will be switched on for a while, up to 15 seconds. This helps the battery and spark plugs to warm up before winding.

Modern diesel cars very often they have in their configuration a system with a start-stop button. They have a special mode designed to warm up the glow plugs. In order to use it, you need to press the button, while not pressing the brake, usually 6 seconds is enough. After that, when the glow plug icon on the instrument panel goes out, your engine will be ready to start.

The diesel must be started with the clutch pedal depressed. At the same time, the starter turns the engine for 15 seconds. If the engine does not start, you can wait a few seconds and try starting again.

Therefore, take precautions and do not try artisanal methods if the car is dear to you and the time you lose if it breaks down, not to mention finances. It is more important to be prepared for frosts in advance and then you will not know what “won’t start” means!

Care must be taken that the oil and other “liquid chemistry” of the car are non-freezing. Mineral or just old machine oil at minus 30 it will freeze for sure. Therefore, it is better to change it, preferably to "synthetics", experts say. In the washer reservoir, you also need to have an anti-freeze, moreover, high-quality and undiluted. Water, if suddenly someone has left, freezing, will break the parts of the washer. Most cars can't start after a freezing night because the battery loses power in the cold. He is not able to turn the starter at the right speed.

You can help him survive the night by warming up the car well “before going to bed” - it is best to drive for at least half an hour without turning off the engine and without using powerful electrical appliances - heating rear window and seats, servos, fancy music. There is, of course, an option to take the battery home, into the heat. But this is an option for a weightlifter. Everyone else should, before starting the car in the morning, “blink” the high beam several times - this will warm up the battery. The main thing is not to get carried away and not miss the moment when it's time to start, otherwise you can drain the battery.

Often the car will not start due to bad or dirty candles ignition. They need to be checked, cleaned of soot and, if necessary, changed. In case of frost, it is sold in car dealerships a large number of special fuel additives such as "quick start", which are poured into the carburetor and fuel system for better engine starting. It is impossible, and it is pointless, to turn the starter for more than 20 seconds. If after three such attempts the machine did not come to life, you need to wait a few minutes, then repeat the series. When it was not possible to start the engine after ten attempts and it does not give any hope for this, it is worth leaving the car alone until it warms up or calling a specialist to find the cause of the equipment failure. But a malfunction may not exist - it's just that the temperature has dropped below the mark for which they are designed serving the engine systems. Then the easiest way is to tow the car to a warm garage and try to revive it there. There is another option to “revive” the car by “lighting up” from the battery of another car.

In the cold, it is better not to put the car on the handbrake so that the pads do not freeze. Better to just put the car in gear. Owners diesel vehicles it is generally not recommended to use the car in such cold weather if it spends the night on the street or in an unheated garage. There is little chance of starting a diesel engine at minus 30, experts assure.

In order not to dig with frozen door locks, auto experts advise having special “defrosters” in your pocket, and it is better to pour them into “larvae” in advance. Sometimes it is possible to open the lock by heating the key with a lighter. It is not advised to pour boiling water over the castle - the water will cool down, freeze, and the next time it will be possible to open the car only in the spring.

For cars with manual box you need to start the engine, be sure to squeeze the clutch: this will save the starter from having to turn the frozen oil in the gearbox (even in neutral, the gears in the box turn). After the car has started, it is better not to release the pedal for several minutes, then release it smoothly. After warming up the car, you can safely drive - it will not stall.

And you should not leave the car on the alarm unnecessarily: in the parking lot or in the garage, the alarm turned on for more than a week will completely discharge the battery. The experts also reminded that one cold start of the engine in hard frost according to the degree of damage caused to the car, it is equal to 300-500 km of run. And if the trip is not urgent, then it is better to use public transport.

One of the controversial issues is whether it is worth warming up the car if, for example, it is in perfect working order and can drive immediately after starting and not stall. Usually factory instructions advise "when sub-zero temperatures wait one or two minutes and move, not exceeding the average engine speed, until the engine is completely warmed up. But do manufacturers know what sub-zero temperatures their product got into? Therefore, it is really worth starting off only after the interior heater begins to produce air that is noticeably warm for the hands. And, of course, do not step on the gas, as the instructions advise.

Preparing your car for winter

Mild "European" winters recent years seriously spoiled motorists. Ten or fifteen years ago, car owners were divided into two categories at the beginning of October - "snowdrops" and those who dared to operate the car in winter. The first ones removed the batteries, drained the "water" and covered the car with a tarpaulin until spring. And the second was preparing for winter operation- poured "winter" oil, installed high-capacity batteries, changed candles, filters, made anti-corrosion treatment… The length of this list was limited only by the budget.

Now, almost no one is preparing for winter - motorists consider everything except tires to be “all-weather”. This approach is quite acceptable if the air temperature does not fall below -10 degrees Celsius.

In theory, almost any petrol car can start at -30. To do this, he must have serviceable systems ignition and fuel supply, as well as the corresponding climatic conditions lubricants, fuel and battery. That is, before winter, it is enough just to go through the next MOT - replace candles, oil and filters, check the battery and then refuel at proven gas stations.

operating fluids. As for gearbox oils, most of them are suitable for all-weather operation in central Russia, but with engine oil, everything is a little more complicated.

The lion's share of motorists buys oil, paying attention only to its brand and type ("synthetics-semi-synthetics"), but forgetting about viscosity indicators. The viscosity characteristics of motor oils are indicated by an alphanumeric index (for example, 5w40). The number in front of the letter w characterizes just the viscosity at low temperatures. Only 5w and 0w oils remain liquid at -30. The rest (15w, 20w) thicken so that it becomes very difficult to crank the engine with a starter. Naturally, the cooling system must have quality antifreeze without water impurities. If it is flooded "anyhow", in best case snow slurry is formed, at worst - ice, which is guaranteed to damage the engine. Finally, you can not refuel at unverified gas stations. The fact is that winter and summer fuels differ markedly in composition. And only special grades of gasoline in frosts retain "volatility" and are able to ignite. Accordingly, refueling now summer fuel, you risk not starting until spring.

Ignition system

Everything is also very simple here - you need to use candles and high voltage wires designed for operation at low temperatures. Electrical equipment. Due to the fact that the oil in the engine thickens noticeably, to start the engine, the starter needs much more energy. Accordingly, the battery must be serviceable and of high quality.

Car enthusiasts were running around their cars today with hot kettles chargers, new batteries and wires for lighting. But despite all the tricks, many cars remained motionless, apparently - with discharged batteries and "drenched" candles. It is interesting that in addition to old cars that today did not start due to their numerous malfunctions, these lists included a huge number of new foreign cars. The fact is that modern engines made according to strict environmental standards Euro-4 and run on a lean mixture (less gasoline, more air). In a cold climate, such friendliness towards environment can play a cruel joke - the car simply will not start. The owners of new cars who refused to start have only one way out - to get to official dealer, where, perhaps, they will change the program to a less environmentally friendly one, or they will offer to install a starting preheater.

Winter is the time at which cars begin to "act up", not wanting to start when necessary. Freezing of the engine and solidification of the oil is a frequent occurrence at sub-zero temperatures. If we talk about a car with a manual transmission, which has suddenly run out of battery, you can take it in tow, but for cars with automatic transmission, everything is a little more complicated, since it is forbidden to tow them. We will describe several options for starting a car with automatic transmission in cold weather, and what to do to avoid such situations from happening again.

Ways to start a car at sub-zero temperatures

Starting the engine of a car with automatic equipment in winter frosts becomes a difficult task if preventive measures are not taken in a timely manner to prepare the car for the appropriate weather conditions. An automatic transmission (if it is not ready for operation in winter) complicates the engine plant. It also complicates the operation of the engine and thickened oil, which interferes with the normal rotation of the automation shafts. It is important to consider that the manual transmission can be turned off when the clutch is depressed, and the machine cannot be turned off like that. That is why timely preparatory measures are so important in the case of transferring a car for the winter period.

So, so that your car does not freeze, you need to prepare.

Prepare your car for winter

To prevent freezing of your automatic transmission vehicle, it is necessary to prepare for operation in winter.

• Change the engine oil to a better quality one suitable for winter operation. weather conditions (pure oil- easier to start the engine).
• Purchase and install special additive accelerators. Facilitate the launch of automation can fuel additives improving the ability to ignite frozen fuel.
• Check the condition of the battery, which should be replaced if it is unstable or has been used for three years or more.

• Take care of a garage (however simple and unheated) for your car. Its presence will help your car to winter without freezing.

They didn’t have time to prepare the car for winter, and the engine does not start, then you should reanimate the operation of the automatic transmission and increase the battery capacity. To do this, you will have to use some proven methods.

How to start a car in winter?

• Switch on the dipped headlights for a short time. This action will warm up the electrolyte located in the battery, increasing the capacity of the battery. This should increase the efficiency of cranking a frozen engine.
• Inject a few grams of ether into the intake manifold, which is designed to make it easier to start the engine in the cold season.
• Start the engine with starter charger. In its absence, you can "light up" at a nearby vehicle.

If all else fails, then you have to walk / drive on public transport and warm up the engine with a blowtorch. When your automatic car is warm, you need to charge the battery at home, replace the candles with dry ones and, if you have not already done so, prepare the car for winter operation (check/replace the battery and change the oil).

Take care of yourself and your car:

• timely monitor the condition of the automatic transmission, the quality of the oil and the operation of the battery,
• buy good fuel
• try to buy / rent a garage for the car,
• never put your automatic car in tow,
• when freezing, use proven methods for warming up.

Let your car always be on the go and never let you down in particular important points haste. Everything is in your hands - an easy factory in winter and good roads!