2002 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Logo
Steve Topp
Steve Topp Posted on Nov 05, 2008
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Cold weather starting problems with battery

When its under 40(F)degrees the car will not start. I warm the glow plugs a few times, and then the battery dies when i crank the engine. Dashboard goes haywire, the clock resets to 1200. I end up jump starting the car. any ideas?

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  • 2 more comments 
  • tigerchicoo Dec 22, 2008

    i also have the same problem with a 1.8t, replaced the ignition switch, still have the problem...if i hit the base of the steering wheel colum it will connect and recieve electrical power...it is not a battery problem, possibly a wiring harness problem? any help would be nice...thanks

  • mfresen Dec 22, 2008

    I have the same issue - my dashboard goes nuts, etc. I haven't "checked the battery" yet, but it certainly seems to be electrically-related. From what I can gather, the thickened cold oil makes the engine much more difficult to turn over, and this puts a strain on the battery that it isn't accustomed to. Add to that the cold weather hurting a chemical battery in general, and you've got a car that won't start.

  • Anonymous Mar 25, 2014

    once the weather gets nicer(40 degrees or higher) my car will die and sometimes won't even restartas well as shifting very hard.

  • Anonymous Mar 29, 2014

    the car is swinging but is not starting and there is a red (battery) light on the dashboard

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1 Answer

butch welch

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  • Posted on Nov 05, 2008
butch welch
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Have you had the battery checked..Cold weather is the worst enemy on a battery. They work fine in summer but cold will get em.

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2002 Chevy 1500, 5.3. It turns over but no start below 40 degrees, above 40 fine. Put heater in cab for few minutes and starts?
One possible reason for this could be a faulty engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor. The ECT sensor tells the engine control module (ECM) the temperature of the engine coolant, which is used to adjust the air/fuel mixture for starting. If the ECT sensor is faulty, it may be sending incorrect temperature readings to the ECM, causing the engine to not start in cold weather.

Another possibility could be a weak fuel pump check valve. When the fuel pump check valve fails, it can cause the fuel pressure to drop when the engine is turned off, which can cause hard starting in cold weather .

It's also possible that the battery is weak and not providing enough power to start the engine in cold weather. Cold temperatures can reduce the battery's cranking power, which can make it difficult to start the engine.

I would recommend taking your vehicle to a certified mechanic to diagnose the issue.
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When was the last time you changed or cleaned the spark plugs. I had an older car and just would not fire up when it was real cold outside. We ran down two batteries so at zero degrees Fahrenheit I changed the spark plugs. No problem after that
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Won't start below 40 degrees, wait to start light does not even come on
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1992 F-350 Dsl - very hard to start when cool
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hard starting happens due to the cold temperature, air pressure is low during this season so compression inside the engine is low resulting to hard starting!

make sure that all your glow plugs are working.
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