[carbking]

Ambient 4 degrees this morning; wind chill approximately -10.

Started the 2014 and looked at the electronic touch screen to turn on defroster. Screen displays "Display is turned off to conserve energy".

Killed the engine, and started the 1998. Check engine light comes on. Trip to dealer, code is camshaft sensor. By now engine oil is warm. Dealer reset light. Restarted engine, no check engine light. Just had oil changed, so I guess new oil is too thick at 4 degrees (yes, I use the recommended oil).

At least my 1968 Ford pickup with the 390, and NO electronics doesn't care how cold is the temperature.

Oh, and this afternoon, ambient up to 17 degrees. 2014 display now is working, well at least it is displaying.

And people laugh at me for NOT installing electronic ignitions!

Maybe should send all of these electronic vehicles to the equator!

Jon.

[craigs69]

I concur. It was -23 here this morning and the wife used her remote start to fire up her Tahoe. It cranked over, started and shut itself off after about 45 seconds of run time. I hit the button to start it again, but I didn't see any exhaust from the tailpipe, so I stepped out the front door to listen. As I opened the door, the Tahoe started itself. I stepped back in, closed the door, looked out the window and saw nothing coming from the exhaust again. I stepped back out on the front porch and the Tahoe started itself up again. When I say started itself up again, I mean that nobody was pressing the start button. In fact, the key fob was sitting on the counter across the room. I stepped back inside, looked out the window and realized that it has once again shut itself off. Now I'm pissed, so I walked out to start it with the ignition key. I ran outside without my jacket figuring that it would be a quick trip out and in, but all the doors were locked. I tried to unlock with the key fob, but nothing happened when I pressed the button. I tried several times to unlock without success, so I tried the key in the lock, but they were so stiff that I was afraid that I would break the key. I tried the key fob one more time and SUCCESS! Once inside, I tried to crank it over and NOTHING. No click, no nothing. Totally dead. In an act of desperation, I tried one more time and this time it cranked over and started. I left it idle in the driveway and it stayed running. My wife drove it to work today and reported that it started fine at work when she left for lunch. I have no idea what the issue was, but I fear that I haven't seen the last of it.

[NBF823]

2 degrees this moring. 2011 kia did not start, but my 34 yr old datsun did thank god. Strange, since I drove the kia yesterday and hadnt started the datsun in a few days.

Left side headlight was appearntly froze in the down position, and the dash lights decides to start working after two blocks. All of this was working when i last started it. But hey, im at work, and thats what matters.

Dont you just love winter

[GT182]

Time to move to a warmer climate Craig and Jon. LOL

I always got nervous when I lived up on the Canadian border in NY during the winters up there. Unless the battery in the cars I had were only 2 to 4 years old there were a few times they had to be jump started... and that was when the temps were -20 and below. I had an inline heater installed in heater hose on the 79 Firebird that made all the difference in the world. I'd plug in in at night and the car would start every time. You could hear the coolant being pushed thru the system the whole time it sat there during the night when it was plugged in. The antifreeze would be hot enough and the engine warm enough to start the first try that he heater and defroster warmed up the interior in about 5 minutes.

[carbking]

Originally Posted by GT182

Time to move to a warmer climate Craig and Jon. LOL

Would you like to help me move approximately 150,000 carburetors?

Not to mention 10 John Deere tractors? Might be a book or two also.

Actually, my folks moved us to southern California in 1949. According to Dad, he spent two lifetimes there in 6 months. I was about 3 at the time, so don't really remember much. Dad moved us back to Missouri, and here we stay. I really like the seasons change; AND

My trusty old 68 Ford pickup with 390, carbs, points, and condenser starts just fine. Just need to remember to put synthetic oil in about the 15th of November. Otherwise hard on batteries. I think it is a sorry state of affairs when my oldest vehicle is the most reliable!

Jon.

[craigs69]

Originally Posted by carbking

Would you like to help me move approximately 150,000 carburetors?

Not to mention 10 John Deere tractors? Might be a book or two also.

Jon.

150,000 carbs? Holy ****!

I guess the Carbking alias is spot on!

[dataway]

It didn't get above ZERO at my house the entire sunny day here in upstate NY (on top of a mountain).
The 2011 GMC turns over a bit slower when it's this cold, but always starts, I've got the 5-30wt Mobil 1 in it.

Has a factory block heater in it .... but .. the wise folks at GM made it so it doesn't work unless it's below zero. Otherwise some kind of temp differential is too great and it throws a code.

Think I'll go start it right now ... cause I have to leave for work tonight when it will be minus 13.

[72projectbird]

It cuts both ways. I love modern fuel injection and all it brings, including cold and hot starts. At the same time, I love the simplicity of a fully mechanical car/truck.

I will say, I really like trucks from the late 80's thru the mid 90's. My workhorse / plow truck is a 94 F350, and it has the luxury of fuel injection with the old school build quality from 70's trucks.

[Frank R]

4 degrees in CT. this morning. Both my wife and daughter had check engine lights on.

['ol Pinion head]

Made the trek south yesterday. Was -10 when I loaded the last bags in. Didn't get up to near 15 above till we went through KC. We have all been doing near 80, & the '06 4Runner is not a fan of the ethanol junk gas. Topping off in Emporia, wind is blowing, it's miserable. Paid the lady, my son comes in the C store & tells me the 4Runner is dead, no electric. Am like no way... I pop the hood & remember that my son had to install a new battery in the 4Runner (his vehicle) right before the trip. Sure enough, the positive cable is loose, this also was effecting the up shift into top gear. Next trip N, will be back in the Cummins Dodge.

[71GP76TA]

I hate electronics!

[Sirrotica]

I guess this is why hardly anyone on this board will retrofit a 4L80E into their cars, right?

I remember when I lived In Erie PA (yep, the same place that was all over news networks a few days ago for record snowfall) when the weather got cold enough to shrink the horn pads on a car in a buddies used car lot and the cops called him in the middle of the night. The neighbors called them about horns blaring, no electronics though, just physics. Cold stuff retracts from the original shape.

The same thing happens on a starter bendix when it gets real cold, they won't engage. Starter bendixs have been around for years, much the same as they are in new cars today. I have also had on -15 degree days upon trying to start a piece of equipment had the solenoid contacts weld together because of the high load on the starter motor (thick oil) and a diminished battery current and higher than normal resistance in the wiring and connections due to cold weather.

Extremely cold weather makes any mechanical device act weird, not just electronics. Lots of strange maladies rear their head when a piece of equipment is exposed to negative number temperatures.

[dataway]

Let me be the first to say ... F you guys. After bragging about my truck a few hours ago. I started it up at 9pm tonight, minus 5 degrees. ... Lights were as follows:

ABS
Traction Control
Stabilitrac
Low tire pressure
TPMS system

Hehehe the whole dash was lit up. Drove it 16 miles to work, got out of work started it up. All the lights went off.

I'm reasonably familiar with physics and electronics ... a 20 degree temp diff should not cause this.

Of course:
ABS fails due to some moisture in the lines freezing ... which leads to
Stabilitrac and Traction control failing because they use ABS to work.

Low tire pressure warning ... duh...reduction in temp means reduction in pressure.

TPMS failure .... cause I have snow tires on the rear with no TPMS sensors.

But still .... come on, I could program an ECU with work arounds for this stuff in a week or so.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Idiot lights.

Drove the 68 GTO yesterday, left the cooling fan off, manually turned the fuel pump on. Nice.

The 95 lincoln only revealed a blinking Airbag light that then stayed on.

[gtohunter]

What's this trouble code mean?

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by gtohunter

What's this trouble code mean?

That made me............. LOL...........................

Showed to my wife and got the same reaction........Too funny!!!!

[Old Goat 67]

That's just too funny!

[carbking]

You guys are going to have to post in English if I can continue in this thread:

Low tire pressure - I understand
Stabiltrac - Is this what replaced positraction?
TPMS - I understand PMS, is this two of them?
ECU - I remember CPU meant coffee perculating unit, is this an electric coffee unit?
4L80E - no clue, unless this is a quad 80 watt unit to replace a CD player. I still have an AM radio in my truck.
ABS - (A)lways (B)uy (S)tromberg??? I thought the ABC's of carburetion were (A)lways (B)uy (C)arter.

Now the picture posted a couple of posts above makes a lot more sense than the pictographs used on my touch-screen (when it is not saving energy).

Well, the weather is forecast to really get cold on New Year's. Will have to see what wonders are created by the electronics.

Jon.

[Ben M.]

I fired up my '73 455 wagon this morning at 19F after it not having been started in 2 weeks. Cranked it for 10s and then hit the choke and it fired right up. The power steering pump whined a bit until it warmed up, but it did everything else perfectly. Got multiple compliments from the gentlemen at breakfast when I got out of it for keeping an older car on the road and it being "a fine automobile." Can't go wrong with that!

I work on electronics for a living so the last thing I want to do is try and fix them when it's freezing outside...