I got up this morning and went to start the car in -7 maybe colder weather and the starter just grinded didnt crank the motor i tried it again and the same thing happened then i tried a third time and it started grinded but began to crank and started right up idlded just fine and drove just fine any ideas why it may have done this, Just a note it has new 10w-30 in the pan as of 500 miles ago.

 

Bad starter. Time for a new one.

 

on this one...

 

hahahahahah

note to self. make dave go exchange my starter

 

Well this problem persisted for 3 days all below 2 Degree F today about 28 had no problems starting it today and late yesterday first click started right up, assuming that it is my starter going bad do u think that this problem will only persist if the temp is down below 5 or so.

 

nissan recommends 5W-30 oil for cold temperatures...helps in cold starts.

 

btw...i had 10W-30 until 2 weeks ago and i used to feel my engine didnt wanna turn in cold morning start-ups, and once it turned, it sounded like it turned realy slow...i changed to 5W-30 and its perfect every morning

 

I had a similar problem in the cold weather (-12 F) here, my starter would just spin with out engaging the flywheel... I figured it was a bad starter and pulled it into the garage to take the starter off and exchange it for the one on my parts car... after about an hour sitting in the warm garage it would start up everytime... so try puting the car some place warm and see if it starts better... still could be a bad starter.. how could you tell if the problem only happens in subzero temps?

 

Someone else posted this... www.motorvate.ca in response to my starter doing the same thing, only when cold. It's for a fourth gen, but I imagine it would work on our starters as well. Something to do with the grease getting old and dry...you really notice it in the cold.

Just as an aside, I installed an lower rad hose in line block heater ($30 at Canadian Tire) two nights ago, and I haven't had a problem with the starter since using the block heater. Good for overnight in the driveway, but I'd need a really long extension cord to use it at work.

 

Cars behave abnormally in the cold, especially as cold as it has been the past four days here in NY. I envy the people who live in areas that never see below 50 degrees!

 

damn weather

 

Yes, but they'll never know the joy of an empty parking lot, fresh snow, and a working parking brake.

 

Oh YEAAAAA!!!

 

The only thing I appreciate about winter driving is the cold air increases the torque output. My car just feels faster now than it does in the summer.

 

A semi-weak battery may also cause starting problems when cold.