Yup, So the S130 struggles to turn over whenever the motor is ice cold. I wake up in the morning and am almost always late for work because of this **** it causes me. It seems to be an electrical problem because what happens is this; I turn the key to acc. all lights are strong, fuel pump hums like normal all is good but, when i turn to start everything dims down, no clicking or noise just a power loss. Sometimes the motor will turn over really slowly but, after a few attempts of starting it will finally start right up. Car will start up just fine once the motor is warmed up. The battery is brand new and holds charge, alternator isn't that old, brand new battery cables, uhm. It's been doing this for a few months now but more so since it's gotten cold. That's all the relevant information I can think of. All help appreciated.

 

Have the battery load tested. Even if it's brand new for you it couldve been sitting on that shelf for quite some time. Voltage is nice for running all your lights and stuff like that but when it comes to cranking that motor over its all about the amperage. And a lot of it. Some batteries just cant handle. Make sure the CC rating is even up to snuff for your car. Just cause it has 12-14V doesn't mean it's got enough amperage. Also, hows the starter. The motor could be having trouble with the cold weather. Though I always had this idea of FL not getting all that cold Shows how much I know Could just be a rough motor though. Hows she run once you get her started but before she warms up? As an experiment, if it's not automatic, try push starting it and see if it still has prolems. If not, then Id definitely suspect electrical problems in the starting circuit. Also make sure the starter mount is good cause thats where it grounds out.

 

Cold in Florida??? What did it drop all the way down to 75 degrees???

 

Florida isn't all like Miami you know...

At my place in Tallahassee, it has actually snowed a few times!!! It get's pretty cold in the Winter months. Hell, Even here in North San Diego County (Escondido) it dropped into the 20's the other night. It's not that rare to see night time temps in the 20's throughout the Winter months here. 30's are very common as well. People think San Diego and all they think is sunny and warm... not always. The actual City is right on the water so it never get's below the 40's, but you go inland a few miles and it's a differnt story. Pennsacola is way up North Like Tallahassee, but closer to the water. I'm sure if you go a few miles inland there, it's going to get pretty darn cold.

Rod.

 

i was going to suggest starter too....but i have a suspition that its not really it...check anyways..


GET A LITTLE THING CALLED A BLOCK HEATER

hahah yes you plug your car into the wall....not to charge it but to keep the coolant in the block nice and warm...

 

Thanks for the relevant reply JfairladyZ, The starter could be the problem but, I doubt it since I tried a Remanufactured starter from my '79 Z and it did the same. The motor hiccups a little bit before it warms up but, only if I try and go more than half throttle. Once it warms up everything is fine. I suspect that maybe the connect between the cables or something isn't oh so good. The wiring on the car is crap anyway, I have that infamous Z one bright headlight one dim headlight. I know it's definitely an electrical problem so the push start test would be a waste of time. I just can't place where the problem is.

 

You are using gear reduction starters, right? Not direct drive starters from a 240Z or 4-cyl L-series...

My truck is recently doing this although it did not do it the last two winters. Both of which were very cold. I'm suspecting that the battery is getting towards the end of its life. (my batt) ...yours may too. Leave your lights off untill after your engine is started. Keep your foot off the brake too. Leave all the power for the starter motor.

 

whatever the car came with is the kind of starter that's in it. I try to keep everything turned off until the car is started. I just don't see how a battery could be bad already. I never leave my lights on or anything like that, hell I don't even use the stereo unless the car is idling

 

Still sounds like a battery issue. Batteries are severely affected by extreme differences in temp. The begining of summer and the begining of winter are the two busiest times for battery sales because of this. Just because it is new/newer doesn't mean it's still good. Have it tested for CCA's like J said.

Rod.

 

Did you check the battery posts and connection. If there is any junk on them you wont be getting all the amps you need. Could be the starter relay wires to the posts on the starter. Anyways hope it goes well.

 

Like I've already stated, the battery is brand new so the posts are perfectly clean, i even sanded them to get that much better of a connection, the cables are new so the terminals are also new which again means no corrosion. the relay wires have been restripped to expose brand new wire. Tomorrow Im pulling everything apart so that I can resand all connections and check out the starter.

 

hope it all goes well

 

Dude, remember that everyone's just trying to HELP YOU.

I know it's frustrating to have a car problem you can't figure out, but don't take it out on the people responding to your request for advice

Rod.

 

I didn't intend to come off rude but, although I said it got cold it hasn't actually gone near freezing yet. I don't see how a little cold spell could kill this battery since there hasn't even been ice on the ground yet, at any given time I can still go outside in a tshirt and feel fine. I do in fact appreciate all the help you guys have provided and my lazy *** hasn't gone out yet to try and diagnose the problem. Sleepy time for me now, Peace and prosperity

 

i know i know...but i took this off a website..
"
Besides the engine, car batteries might experience problems while being in cold weathers as well and this could affect the engine. Batteries function through chemical reactions which loose agility while being cold and therefore, in such circumstances, batteries don't function properly. When this happens, the car energy becomes affected and this causes problems for the engine start. "


what kind of oil are you using when it gets coldeR?

also read all this...
http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_training/training_4.php

 

Im currently running Castrol GTX High Mileage 10W40. The spedometer on my car doesn't work so therefore nor does the odometer so I've made a habit to change the oil every two to two and a half months. Do you think I should move to a lighter oil? I was told not to being that it's an old car but, only has an estimated 90,000 original miles. Also one more thing do you find any harm in using a BG product engine flush? This too I was told not to do because it could break loose oil chips and cause a blockage but, I've seen the inside of the motor and it's clean as could be

 

Definately go to a thinner oil in the Winter months. I don't even run oil that thick in the very HOT summers we have down here. Unless you have known oil leaks, don't worry about running thinner oil. I've actually run mine with 5w20 in it (SUPER THIN) and had no problems even after passing 240,000 miles. You will notice a big difference in engine response with the thinner oil as well. Rememeber, it's a stout motor. It can handle almost anything. Running thinner oil is fine as long as you keep it fresh.

Rod.

 

It's always a good idea to drop the oil pan after a flush. Just to be safe. You don't want any sludge or anything blocking up your pickup. The odds of any of it getting into your engine are slim but the blockage can occur. If your engine is really clean like you say then it's probably not a worry. But if you're going to take the time to flush it then why not replace the oil pan gasket too? That way you can inspect the pan for sludge after you flush as well as metal particles and anything else thats not supposed to be in there. It's not neccessary, but I do strongly recommend it. One of the reasons engine flush gets a bad rap is because people flush their motors and dont clean the pan afterwards and get all that crap gunked up on the pickup, lose oil pressure and throw a rod and then blame it on the flush. Be smart. But if your car don't need a flush then don't flush it. A car with the oil changed regularly and allowed to properly warm up (before shutting it back down) on a regular basis will never need a flush.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, I suppose if I don't really need the flush then I should go through with it. The one thing that surprised me about this car is that it doesn't have any fluid leaks other than water coming inside of the car when it rains hahaha but, in all seriousness it doesn't leak oil, coolant, gear fluid, etc. From my experience with other car (ie 3.9LDakota, 5.0LCougar) trying to mess with the pan while still in the car is a pain so I'll leave that flush alone.

 

If the startup is still playing up, What type and model of battery are running. It might sound silly but Cold Crank Amps are very important. I run a 620CCA bosh battery. Some cheap batteries for 6cycl motors runn around the 270. but i used to have problems with these even on my old corona (old toyota aussie 4 banger).

The issue maybe a high resistance lead to the starter. You can correct this with a 4pin relay and so heavy cable. This should by pass a possible HR lead in the car. Take the solineod +ve lead from the starter motor connect it to pin 85 on the relay and run a new cable from the battery to 30 then a new cable from 87 to the solineod switch. remember to ground 86.

It may also be a loose connection on the battery lead to the starter.

Joe