Last winter here in Wonder Lake, the temperature fell to close to 30-below zero. That’s cold. That’s really, really cold. That’s the kind of cold where you don’t want to go outside longer than you have to. But, unless you have a heated garage, it’s also the kind of cold your car, truck or SUV is stuck in. It can make it difficult to start your vehicle.

The cold has a peculiar effect on liquids. With water, the cold will make it solidify into ice at 32 degrees. Fortunately, your car, truck or SUV fluids are adjusted to withstand temperatures that fall below 32 degrees.

If it’s ‘healthy,’ the coolant/antifreeze in your vehicle should be able to withstand temperatures down to 35-degrees below zero. You may have noticed that’s only 5-degress beyond the temperatures that were experience in Wonder Lake last winter. And, when you consider the wind-chill factor, it’s possible there was a car, truck or SUV that experienced colder temperatures than that.

With a mix of either methanol, ethanol, or ethylene glycol mixed with water, windshield-washer solvent can range from 20-degrees to 50-degrees below zero before it freezes. You should check the particular solvent you’re using in your car, truck or SUV.

Motor oil contributes to difficulty starting your car, truck or SUV in McHenry winter

The fluid that really effects starting your vehicle, however, is the motor oil. Technically speaking, motor oil does not freeze. The crystallization process doesn’t work with motor oil the way it does with water, coolant/antifreeze or windshield-washer solvent. But it does thicken.

The colder the temperature outside, the thicker the oil will get. Oil comes in different viscosities.  Multi-viscosity motor oils allow oils to operate better at colder and warmer temperatures. A common multi-viscosity oil is 5W30. The ‘W’ refers to its winter viscosity (the ‘5’ in this case).

As oil thickens, it makes the starter work harder to turn the engine and start the car. This means that the starter is drawing more amps from the battery and challenging the wiring to conduct the amperage to the starter. The colder it gets, the harder it is to start your car, truck or SUV until, at some temperature, the cold may win the battle.

The solution for starting your car on bitter cold Wonder Lake days and nights

Obviously, based on what was mentioned above, it’s important to use a motor oil with a viscosity that is designed to withstand a Wonder Lake winter. It’s also important to change your oil on schedule (check your owner’s manual for the schedule when you should change your car, truck or SUV oil).

Another thing you can do to ensure that your vehicle will start when wanted this winter is to have your battery and starting system checked out. A weak link in this system is liable to show itself in the colder days and nights of winter.

Another thing you can do is to keep your fuel tank half-full or more. When there is too much open space in the fuel tank condensation forms. On those bitter cold days, the condensation can freeze in your fuel lines.