Good Energizer.

[firemachine69]

My Sunfire was sitting once again neglected for about two weeks without a start-up or heat from the block heater... Minus-twenty last night and she fired right up, thanks to the new Energizer cell I picked up about a month ago at China Mart at 9:50pm.


My Yaris, on the other hand, had only been sitting for a few hours from an hour-long drive, and unusual for me, I left the block-heater unplugged this time... And the stupid thing just barely turned over. Guess I'll be using the plug like I usually do!


Any other cars hit-or-miss for cold-weather starting for you folks?

 

[oilyriser]

Please don't tell me that -20 is happening yet.

What oils were in the two cars?

 

[addyguy]

I seriously doubt it was -20C. -10C, maybe. It was only like -2C in Ottawa last night, and you're not THAT far away....

Cavaliers and Sunfires seem to 'start well'. I've never had a problem or slow cold start with my '02 Cavalier, and I just run 5w30 conventional.

 

[firemachine69]

No really, minus twenty. Which was weird as all [censored] because it snowed like crazy the night before - and I drove back from Ottawa the night that we got blanketed with 25+ cm's of snow. Weather is still much nicer in Ottawa, I assure you.

Sunfire is on a one-year-old fill of Pennzoil Platinum 5w30. Yaris is on a 2 month fill of Motomaster Formula One 5w30 with "synthetic Wear-Guard" (guessing the add-pack from SOPUS is a bit better then their absolute cheapest Nugold stuff).

We've already hit -27C. Brutal I tell ya. Especially when the heat dies on the bus!

My 'fire has a block heater, but even when it was -32C last year I didn't have any troubles turning it over. Come to think of it, the block heater cord is still zip-tied to whatever underneath the hood.

 

[addyguy]

I knew you guys closer to TO/Great Lakes were getting lots of snow, but I didn't know it was also THAT cold! Ouch!

My 02 Cavalier has a one-month old fill of the same Motomaster Formula 1 dino in it....got in for $9.99/4.4 liter jug when it was on sale. My BIL has Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 in both of his cars, and they fire right up in the cold.

I don't use the block heater on my car, either. Just start, brush/scrape off, and go. Bit of piston slap for 5-10 mins., but overall, runs like a top. Do your Sunfire a favour - ditch the Yaris, and make it your DD...

 

[firemachine69]

We're about five hours north of Toronto, six hours east of Ottawa. Of course, this is assuming a full-on express trip.

addy:

I'm working on off-loading the Yaris for the least possible hit to my wallet, or getting it working perfectly. The way it's going, offloading sure seems like an easier solution at this point.