Unassisted cold start record

[jmiller]

This morning was -5F with sub zero all night. After sitting in at least 8F or less for 12 hours, turn the key, wait to start goes out, hit the starter and rattle ... rattle ... rattle ... rattle.

At least one cylinder was unhappy with the duration of unburnt fuel, but the truck turned over. This is the coldest unassisted start for this truck. The switch to synthetic, a fresh starter and relativity fresh batteries sure helped.

With dyno oil, I've had no starts at +5F in the past. It sure turns much easier on synthetic.


When your out and about, and the truck has sat for 6 or more hours, how cold have you had it start?
When you've had a cold weather no start when your out ( can't plug in), how hard did you work to get it started?

I've been in the parking lot at work after a long shift and had a no start. It took 20 minutes with an inverter and plugging in the block heater before it finally started. I had spent 3 hours with jumper cables before plugging it in. (toasting the batteries in the process)

 

[tanman_2006]

I cranked and fired my 95 in - 37F a yr ago. Didn't have a place to plug in and need to have both trucks goin to pull people out of snow banks.

Had fresh injectors, glows, and Batts. Normal smoke and one heck of a rattle!

 

[Jorge6.5]

Synthetic oil really does help. I just made the switch to 5w30 and it starts pretty easy but I only started it in the teens.

 

[ak diesel driver]

about -15f is about the best I've ever done on an extended cold soak (10-12+hours) 6-8 hrs Ive done as low as -25f

 

[mxracer14]

-30C sitting for almost a full day. Smoked pretty good for a few min with a bunch of racket, 5 min later she was purring like a kitten

 

[GM Guy]

I cranked and fired my 95 in - 37F a yr ago. Didn't have a place to plug in and need to have both trucks goin to pull people out of snow banks.

Had fresh injectors, glows, and Batts. Normal smoke and one heck of a rattle!

is that fahrenheit or celcius, and wind chill or actual?

we should allow Koots to tell his experience, I believe he was the one who popped off at 60 below zero, block heaters, oil and trans oil pan heaters, batt warmers and chargers, etc. IDK if it was fahrenheit or celcius.

 

[NVW]

-40 is the same in both measurements.

 

[GM Guy]

My personal low was this fall, the work 6.2L had marginal batteries, an air leak in the fuel, and someone fogot to plug it in.

it was 10 above fahrenheit, and my 91 6.2L with the twin 850 CCA AC Delco Professional Gold batteries had sat for 2.5 weeks since I got there, and I cycled the glows and cranked, and she was hitting pretty good, but didnt want to really take off, (would have if I kept at it, but luckily built oil PSI for the next cycle) so I shut key off, cycled again, and hit it and she fired up and sounded pretty good. 15w40 Mobil delvac. dino oil, original glows and injectors, will be replaced.

 

[btfarm]

...is that fahrenheit or celcius, and wind chill or actual?

The only effect wind chill has is rate of heat exchange. -10* ambient with a -20* wind chill is -10* as far as the truck is concerned. It will cool to that temperature faster with wind though.

 

[Jorge6.5]

Edit to my previous post. I meant 5w40 synthetic oil. Smoother starts now and oil psi comes on quicker.

 

[tanman_2006]

Mine was *F middle of a blizzard 2 yrs ago. Stillwater Ok was the lowest temp in the state and I didn't have block heater on the 95, the 93 was plugged in

 

[GM Guy]

-40 is the same in both measurements.

yep, had to re think that one, you are correct! brain fart on my part!

 

[guybb3]

-20 in Newfoundland about 10 years ago. Loud as a bastard but started right up. Synthetic oil does help

 

[Ranger]

No 6.5 stories, but here's the worst with both.

-48 w/ the CUCV. Not plugged in, no heaters. 2 cycles on the glow plugs, full throttle, crank, continue giving high throttle until the RPM's try to spike, then let off to keep it near idle.

-62 with the Duramax. Sounded like a powerstroke trying to Cummins for about a minute then leveled off to it's regular purr.

These were both in Delta Junction, AK... At work I could plug in, but once I found out it was -62 after starting the Duramax in the morning, that night I ended up going "DILLIGAF" and put my auto start into 15 minute run every 60 minutes. I picked up an extension cord to run out my bunkhouse window the next day when I could get someone to cover my position for a bit to run to town..

 

[dka99burb]

Wow. I am impressed. I was going to post how mine did this morning but it was only down to 12F. I cranked right up like any other day though and it was not plugged in. :thumbsup:

 

[orrum]

Started The Lil 6.2 at 19F after sitting all weekend at a camping trailride. The extension cord was too short to plug her in. Was running on my veggie oil blend, it was a miracle, she cranked a bit then hit! What a horrible racket, never trying that again! Below 50 plug her in for a hour, below 40 plug her in three hours, below 30 use the gas Ford pickup. Oops yall not supposed to.kmow about my new to me Ford!!!! Yokes I am going to be excamunicated!!!!!

 

[Big T]

Recently had a -4 F start without plugging in. This was up (6,750') at Big Bear Lake in SoCal, which is pretty darn cold for here.

The poster who started at -62F, you're crazy to be in that stuff. Where was that at? Tok, AK? Yellow Horse, Yukon?

 

[Big T]

Recently had a -4 F start without plugging in. This was up (6,750') at Big Bear Lake in SoCal, which is pretty darn cold for here.

The poster who started at -62F, you're crazy to be in that stuff. Delta Junction, AK? Where's that at? Is that near Tok?

 

[Ranger]

Recently had a -4 F start without plugging in. This was up (6,750') at Big Bear Lake in SoCal, which is pretty darn cold for here.

The poster who started at -62F, you're crazy to be in that stuff. Delta Junction, AK? Where's that at? Is that near Tok?

Sorta halfway between Tok and Fairbanks.

I love that cold. It's what keeps Alaskans harder and more polite than your average folk.

 

[btfarm]

Lowest ever for me with the DMax was -26. Didn't have a winter front cover and threw it into limp 30 mi from home and didn't have a means to reset it. 25 mph rest of the way on remote rural roads with the temp dropping. Not fun!