How Cold Temps Affect Your Vehicle
The Science Behind Wintertime Vehicular Malfunction
It’s like this: cold temperatures affect mechanical operations for a variety of reasons. Moisture can condense into frost and ice which obscures windshields and plays havoc with seals. Expansion or contraction can cause leaks. The older your vehicle, the more problems it will have in the cold. In this writing we’ll briefly cover a few common issues to keep you safe.
Thicker Oil
The colder it is, the thicker your oil. If things get as cold as twenty below zero, Fahrenheit, the oil pump in the engine may not be able to properly circulate oil owing to expanded viscosity. Certain oils are calibrated for this situation. Switch to 5W-30 if there’s a possibility things may bet this cold.
Death Of A Battery
Batteries do freeze when it gets cold enough. But it’s got to get really cold. Even so, when things drop below the point of freezing on the Fahrenheit scale (32 degrees), that’s when changes come. Clean corrosion from the battery leads and change water using a screwdriver to pop up the top of reservoirs designed for distilled H20. Barring that, change the battery.
Loss Of Tire Pressure
Cold air causes tires to contract, and your wheels may suddenly appear flat. When things aren’t properly pressurized, you’ll slide around on the ice more. To get around this, have an apparatus available to pump in enough air for you to get to the gas station and fill up. A bike pump will do, but it’s a pain.
Transmission Slippage
Sluggish cold fluids in your transmission can cause it to slip; it’ll suddenly change gears on you and strange sounds come from the engine. Transmission slippage isn’t always something you can cost-effectively fix. Once your transmission starts slipping, either you’ve got to replace it or get a new vehicle; otherwise you can just ride it out till it won’t work anymore.
You can try changing the fluid, but usually that’s the beginning of the end with a transmission, and it’ll just get more and more worse from there. The good news is, for most vehicles, you don’t have to change the transmission but once every 100k miles.
Some models require a change every 25k to 50k miles, depending. Also, slippage from the cold may diminish or disappear when warm temperatures return, depending on the vehicle and the issue. The bottom line: it could be a big deal, but it might just be a consequence of the weather, and nothing to worry about.
Frozen Fuel Lines—Diesel Vehicles Are The Worst Offender
Hydrocarbons will solidify when things get to 40 below in the Fahrenheit scale—that’s as regards diesel fuel. At that point, the fuel is like jello, and your truck isn’t going to start right. The cold fuel can’t properly flow through filters. This is another reason to plug in your vehicle overnight.
Keeping Your Vehicle Safe And Prepared In Winter
A lot of things can impact your vehicle when temperatures drop below freezing. Generally, between zero and 32 degrees Fahrenheit, you’re not going to have as much trouble as below zero. But below freezing is when troubles begin; so be prepared. For more tips, tricks, hot takes, and even humor in the realm of cars, be sure to explore our blog at Anybody’s Autos!