Starting the engine in winter at temperatures below 18 degrees can be fraught with certain difficulties. The most important of them is that after a long time the car is on the street, its engine completely cools down, the oil in the crankcase thickens to the consistency of sour cream. Only after the engine warms up, the vehicle starts up relatively easily, and just as easily will start after that. But again, such an effect is possible only on the condition that downtime during the day will not be particularly large. During winter operation, especially when the thermometer drops below 25-30 degrees, it is not recommended to leave the car in the cold for more than a couple of hours.
Serviceable vehicles with regulated electric equipment and power systems that are well prepared for the winter period, as a rule, do not create practically any difficulties with such a process as starting the engine in winter. If the owner of the car does everything right, then even frosts of forty degrees are not afraid of him.
Starting a gas engine in winter (and diesel) depends entirely on the motorist’s skills and experience. As a rule, having traveled for several cold periods, he knows very well what and in what sequence he needs to do in order to start the engine in winter. He knows and feels how much he needs to close the air damper when it is standing, on the contrary, open whether it is necessary to press the gas or wait, and so on. As a rule, novice motorists do not possess these skills, and in practice they simply follow advice or their own intuition.
There are no universal methods for how to start the engine in winter. For example, which is perfect for a carburetor device, it can harm the injector, and if you start the diesel engine in the winter in this way, the car may even become unusable. Also, what is acceptable for new engines is not at all suitable for worn out engines.
The best option will follow the instructions for use of the car. In it, the startup sequence of the car, as a rule, is painted step by step. If it is not there or the vehicle is still acting up and is not amenable to any manipulation, then you will have to gain experience by trial and error.
Despite the fact that you can not give some universal advice, there are a few general rules, adhering to which, you can greatly facilitate starting the engine at low temperature. The main thing is to turn on the headlights at the very beginning, for about 15 seconds. Such a small load can heat the electrolyte in the battery itself, give it strength. But here it is important to note that at the very start of the headlight it is worth turning off, as well as turning off the radio and heater (if they turned on), since at that moment no extra energy consumers are needed.
The next tip is that you can start the engine only with the fully depressed pedal responsible for the clutch, only after starting it can be lowered. It is also very important to pay attention to the fact that the launch attempt itself should not exceed 10 seconds, and the interval between failed attempts should be at least half a minute. And there is no point in repeating more than four attempts in a row, since for the most part this will not lead to anything, it is better to try to eliminate possible problems and start all over again.
If the problem with the start is not in the actions, but in the incorrect operation of the system, it is better to send the vehicle to a car service or leave it until warmer days. The driver himself can do little to fix in the cold, except to quickly replace the spark plugs responsible for the ignition, sometimes it helps. Starter fluid sold specifically for this purpose may also help. After several injections, the start is guaranteed, but only on condition that all the ignition and power systems are working properly.