Frozen car

[O&G]

Hoping for some advice

During winter i store my summer ride in a non heated detached garage. Usually i start it every couple weeks. I did not get around to it for a month plus and today it did not turn over. Lights and radio come and stay on/are fine - so i don't think its a battery issue.

I need it to be drivable by mid March. Should i get it towed to a warm garage? Buy a garage heater but any idea how long it would take a car to "defrost"?

[shakalaka]

I am pretty sure it's still a battery issue as the same happened to my car over the last few weeks when it was parked outside in this bitter cold. I gave it a boost and let it run/drove it and it was fine.

You can't boost it to turn it on? Once it's turned on - leave it running and do the same every few days.

Also, can it be plugged in? If not and since it is in a garage (if there's power), you can always stick a trickle charger to the battery? I feel like it has to be the battery. The power required for lights, radio etc., is minimal vs what the engine needs to crank.

[bjstare]

The car isn't frozen. It's likely the battery. Charge it and it'll be fine.

You shouldn't start it every couple weeks, unless you're driving it; even letting it idle til it's up to temp is not good. There's a ton of info out there as to why this is really bad for the car (yes, worse than just leaving it off all winter).

[ExtraSlow]

The car isn't frozen. It's likely the battery. Charge it and it'll be fine.

You shouldn't start it every couple weeks, unless you're driving it; even letting it idle til it's up to temp is not good. There's a ton of info out there as to why this is really bad for the car (yes, worse than just leaving it off all winter).
Yes 100%
1) There is no reason to start and idle a vehicle unless you are using it. During storage, just leave it alone the entire winter.
2) Bring that battery inside, let it thaw more than 24h, then hook it up to a smart charger, get it up to 100%, disconnect it, and leave it inside until spring. Charge it once more before you reinstall. If it's not damaged or excessively old, that's all you should do every year.

[Thaco]

big difference between being enough power to light up the radio and enough power to start an engine, as the others said the battery has discharged and is too weak to start the car, in future, unhook the battery when in storage.

[realazy]

Your car's fine. If you're worried, take out the battery and bring it inside and trickle charge it.

[killramos]

+1 on hook a good quality charger up to it (my reccomendation is a ctek). And leave the charger on it all winter.

And +1 also don’t start it unless you are going to drive it.

[bourge73]

Might need to put some gas line antifreeze in as well.

[shakalaka]

Damn. I always leave my cars running that are parked outside. Never knew that was an issue. Kinda similar to starting it early in winter before driving though no? What could possibly be the issue with idling?

[ExtraSlow]

Damn. I always leave my cars running that are parked outside. Never knew that was an issue. Kinda similar to starting it early in winter before driving though no? What could possibly be the issue with idling?

If you are storing it for the winter, don't idle it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'd be very surprised if it wasn't the battery.

Just starting it up is not a good idea either, if anything you want to drive it around gently for a little while.

If you need a new battery, get an AGM battery - they put up with storage / long periods of non-use much better than a traditional battery.

[mr2mike]

+1 on hook a good quality charger up to it (my reccomendation is a ctek). And leave the charger on it all winter.
And +1 also don’t start it unless you are going to drive it.

Also adding once your battery is dead and frozen, it will not take a charge until thawed.
I wouldn't even deal with it now until it warms up. Consider the battery done and get a new one in spring.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Also adding once your battery is dead and frozen, it will not take a charge until thawed.
I wouldn't even deal with it now until it warms up. Consider the battery done and get a new one in spring.

This. I would not be using that battery ever again. Batteries are cheap, just grab a quality new one in the spring.

[HiTempguy1]

Damn. I always leave my cars running that are parked outside. Never knew that was an issue. Kinda similar to starting it early in winter before driving though no? What could possibly be the issue with idling?

Coolant temperature is not indicative of the engine oil temperature. Moisture builds up in the oil, which then reacts with contaminants to make the engine oil more acidic, lowering the oil's lubricity and also possibly causing corrosion. When you get an engine (including the oil) up to proper operating temperature, the moisture buildup vaporizes, and is collected/burned off through the PCV system.

HOWEVER, it really is overblown. It's not something you should do, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't make a quantifiable, measurable difference in engine wear. It's just one of those things people like to jerk themselves off about because its "technically correct". As we all know, being technically correct is the best kind of correct.


Also adding once your battery is dead and frozen, it will not take a charge until thawed.
I wouldn't even deal with it now until it warms up. Consider the battery done and get a new one in spring.

Not only will it not charge until thawed, it also can explode if you try to charge it while frozen. Batteries make a big bang and can do a lot of damage. Usually when storing cars for long periods, its recommended to completely remove the battery if it is not on a trickle charger.

[shakalaka]

Haha makes sense. Plus I guess since I don't keep my cars for that long anyway, probably not a big deal. Either way I don't store these cars over winter. It's most a week or so at a given time but with these temperatures I've been trying to start the one that's outside every now and then to keep the battery alive. Has needed boost twice already cause I didn't start it for a few days.

[ExtraSlow]

Maintaining your battery is important, but idling the car is the worst way to do that. Buy the cheapest noco from Canadian tire and hook that up if the car is sitting.

[O&G]

Thanks all. Really appreciate the suggestions and advice.

[firebane]

Coolant temperature is not indicative of the engine oil temperature. Moisture builds up in the oil, which then reacts with contaminants to make the engine oil more acidic, lowering the oil's lubricity and also possibly causing corrosion. When you get an engine (including the oil) up to proper operating temperature, the moisture buildup vaporizes, and is collected/burned off through the PCV system.

HOWEVER, it really is overblown. It's not something you should do, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't make a quantifiable, measurable difference in engine wear. It's just one of those things people like to jerk themselves off about because its "technically correct". As we all know, being technically correct is the best kind of correct.



Not only will it not charge until thawed, it also can explode if you try to charge it while frozen. Batteries make a big bang and can do a lot of damage. Usually when storing cars for long periods, its recommended to completely remove the battery if it is not on a trickle charger.

Also.. batteries once frozen and then thawed may still not hold a charge and could be rendered dead.

[Misterman]

Damn. I always leave my cars running that are parked outside. Never knew that was an issue. Kinda similar to starting it early in winter before driving though no? What could possibly be the issue with idling?

It's not the idling that's the issue. But the worst thing you can do to an engine basically is to start the car. That's just adding running time to the bearings without proper oiling. Oil galleries don't prime instantaneously, it takes a few seconds for oil to reach everywhere.

Also, if you don't run the car long enough to build enough heat that can flash off all the moisture in the oil, it's not good for the car. Just leave it not running, and only put the car through that stress once in spring when you restart it. I don't think anybody here is driving a vintage 1930's car that needs to be started regularly to lubricate the seals so they don't dry out.