Cold starting - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

dodj · 02-01-2019, 01:30 PM

With the recent chilly temps I am having some difficulty with starting the BRZ on cold mornings. By cold I mean -30* or colder. The car is plugged in, but it does not seem to either spark, or deliver fuel. There is no encouraging sounds of attempting to fire. Once the ambient temps 'warm up' to about -25* or so, it starts normally. We get a few days like this every year and this is the first year this has happened. So something has changed. Any ideas?

Tcoat · 02-01-2019, 02:11 PM

Is it stock?
Cranking at normal speed?

Tokay444 · 02-01-2019, 02:57 PM

Plugged in? Plugged into what?

Tcoat · 02-01-2019, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokay444

Plugged in? Plugged into what?

I assumed

http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/oem-...l#.XFSepHmWy70

Breadman · 02-01-2019, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodj

With the recent chilly temps I am having some difficulty with starting the BRZ on cold mornings. By cold I mean -30* or colder. The car is plugged in, but it does not seem to either spark, or deliver fuel. There is no encouraging sounds of attempting to fire. Once the ambient temps 'warm up' to about -25* or so, it starts normally. We get a few days like this every year and this is the first year this has happened. So something has changed. Any ideas?

dumb question but is your fuel line frozen? ive heard fuel can start to freeze as high as -40f so if you have a bit of water in it you could be in trouble. i added 3oz of stabilizer and injector cleaner to my tank and started right up at -9f yesterday.

Tokay444 · 02-01-2019, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I assumed

http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/oem-...l#.XFSepHmWy70

Does nothing to keep the battery warm...

wparsons · 02-01-2019, 04:10 PM

If it's cranking at normalish speed, then it's probably not the battery. I'd add some gas line antifreeze and see if it helps.

If it's cranking really slow, then it's like the battery either dying or freezing.

LotsaMiles · 02-01-2019, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodj

With the recent chilly temps I am having some difficulty with starting the BRZ on cold mornings. By cold I mean -30* or colder. The car is plugged in, but it does not seem to either spark, or deliver fuel. There is no encouraging sounds of attempting to fire. Once the ambient temps 'warm up' to about -25* or so, it starts normally. We get a few days like this every year and this is the first year this has happened. So something has changed. Any ideas?

I have a 2006 xB that I bought new. I hit a deer a couple of years ago with it on my way home from a gig. Cosmetically pretty bad but nothing functional was damaged (except a headlight, which I replaced with a little six LED light bar). It has well over 200k on it now and runs like new. If there is a hint that salt or snow may be hitting the roads, that becomes my commuter.

It's so embarrassing my wife refuses to ride in it, but it saves my FR-S from the bad stuff.

humfrz · 02-01-2019, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LotsaMiles

I have a 2006 xB that I bought new. I hit a deer a couple of years ago with it on my way home from a gig. Cosmetically pretty bad but nothing functional was damaged (except a headlight, which I replaced with a little six LED light bar). It has well over 200k on it now and runs like new. If there is a hint that salt or snow may be hitting the roads, that becomes my commuter.

It's so embarrassing my wife refuses to ride in it, but it saves my FR-S from the bad stuff.

Hey, LotsaMiles - did your brain slip a cog? -

humfrz

humfrz · 02-01-2019, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodj

With the recent chilly temps I am having some difficulty with starting the BRZ on cold mornings. Any ideas?

You're up, there dodj -

humfrz

dodj · 02-03-2019, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humfrz

You're up, there dodj -

humfrz

Yes, sorry, left town for the weekend.
The car is completely stock. It turns over at normal speed.

Plugged into a 120vac outlet......
Battery has lotsa juice to continue cranking.
So it is spark or fuel, but I'm not sure which. At -25* it is fine. So I'm thinking it is not fuel freezing? But why would cold temps interfere with spark? Electricity likes it the colder it gets.

steve99 · 02-03-2019, 10:37 PM

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point

At -30 your getting close to the flashpoint of gasoline where its vapours wont ignight

Also the oil is very cold and thick and may restrict cranking rpm of motor

FRSBRZGT86FAN · 02-03-2019, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodj

Yes, sorry, left town for the weekend.
The car is completely stock. It turns over at normal speed.

Plugged into a 120vac outlet......
Battery has lotsa juice to continue cranking.
So it is spark or fuel, but I'm not sure which. At -25* it is fine. So I'm thinking it is not fuel freezing? But why would cold temps interfere with spark? Electricity likes it the colder it gets.

Electricity does like the cold but that's at liquid nitrogen temps and has more to do with conductivity and lowering resistance.

You have to be sure your battery is outputting enough CCAs. Also you might need more than just a block heater, maybe adding a oil pan heating pad would help. Also test the block heater as well to ensure it's actually properly heating the coolant.

If you weren't getting spark I'm pretty sure you'd throw a code. I'd check the fuel pressure at those temps.

dodj · 02-04-2019, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve99

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point

At -30 your getting close to the flashpoint of gasoline where its vapours wont ignight

Hmmm. Didn't know that. However, don't think that is the root cause of my failure to start. (Most vehicles around here started in the same temps)

02-01-2019, 01:30 PM	#1
dodj Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: Rallye Blue BRZ Location: Canada Posts: 130 Thanks: 72 Thanked 64 Times in 39 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Cold starting With the recent chilly temps I am having some difficulty with starting the BRZ on cold mornings. By cold I mean -30* or colder. The car is plugged in, but it does not seem to either spark, or deliver fuel. There is no encouraging sounds of attempting to fire. Once the ambient temps 'warm up' to about -25* or so, it starts normally. We get a few days like this every year and this is the first year this has happened. So something has changed. Any ideas?

02-01-2019, 02:11 PM	#2
Tcoat Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Drives: 2020 Hakone Location: London, Ont Posts: 69,841 Thanks: 61,656 Thanked 108,295 Times in 46,456 Posts Mentioned: 2499 Post(s) Tagged: 50 Thread(s)	Is it stock? Cranking at normal speed? __________________ Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar, because Racecar.

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02-01-2019, 02:57 PM	#3
Tokay444 Banned Join Date: Feb 2016 Drives: 17 White 860. RCE Tarmac 2. RE-71RS Location: Not Canada Posts: 1,752 Thanks: 938 Thanked 1,024 Times in 581 Posts Mentioned: 10 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Plugged in? Plugged into what?

02-03-2019, 10:37 PM	#12
steve99 Banned Join Date: Dec 2013 Drives: FT86 Location: Australia Posts: 7,996 Thanks: 1,035 Thanked 4,993 Times in 2,983 Posts Mentioned: 598 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point At -30 your getting close to the flashpoint of gasoline where its vapours wont ignight Also the oil is very cold and thick and may restrict cranking rpm of motor

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