Introduction
Many of our auto repair customers ask why it seems they have more Winter Car Troubles in Kansas City. There are several reasons during this time of year your car requires more service and repairs Winter Car Troubles in Kansas City.
Cold Weather and Motor Oil
With much colder weather your car’s motor oil is thicker and a bit slower to be picked up by the oil pump and pumped into your engine. That could cause more friction and wear.
Solution
Synthetic oils are less prone to issues down to about negative 40 degrees. Making for better start-ups and less friction issues.
Deflated Tires
As the air in your tires gets colder, it contracts and has less pressure. Tires correspondingly become underinflated
Solution
Check your tire pressure more often than you normally would.
Dreaded Dead Battery
Winter is especially hard on batteries. If your car won’t start in the extreme cold, one of the most likely problems is that the battery is dead.
Solution
Jumper cables or jump box. Cables can provide a way to pass electricity through your battery to get your car started. The jump box offers a single on-the-spot source of electrical current to start your car. So having either of these will help get you on the road if it is just the battery. Longer term if your battery does not recharge itself and will not start again the next time without assistance it is time to replace the battery.
Ice build-up in fuel lines
Gas will not freeze unless the temps are way down around 100 below, so it is the moisture in your system from water. Water can become icy and block the fuel from being picked up by the fuel pump.
Solution: Always in the winter try to keep your gas tank 1/2 full. There are also chemical fuel “dryers” that can be put directly into your fuel tank. (This of course must be done prior ) so advanced cold weather preparations are needed.
Windshield Frozen on the inside
This is very tricky to tell what is going on. Sometimes it’s the defrost settings not working properly or it could also be a blend door not allowing heat to be blended into the air mix or it might be a heater core issue if little or no heat is in the vehicle.
Solution: This can deem your car or truck unsafe to drive, so please bring your vehicle into A Auto Express and we can check out the problem and fix it for you.
