Cold weather woes - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

okyoureabeast · #1 01-31-2010, 04:10 PM

Extreme cold does interesting things to cars. Here are a couple of things I've noticed when the weather drops below 10 degrees for extended periods of time.

Last friday, I had the pleasure of starting my car and having it die immediately after starting

I did two full glow cycles and feathered the peddle a little bit.

When I turned the steering wheel I heard what sounded like ice crunching. So I turned the wheel a bunch of times to make sure something didn't break.

My brakes were acting kind of weird but started acting more normally after a bit of braking around the parking lot.

The power antenna doesn't like to go down all the way when it is this cold. I lubricated it with white lithium grease, but I have to help it go down all of the way sometimes.

The sun roof doesn't want to open

Not good when I want to air out odors in the car without opening the windows. But then again who cares since I don't want to use it in the winter!

I think my aux water pump is bad since I have weak heat at idle.

It might be my poorly rigged aspirator hose fix, but it's just not worth the time to check it.

The best part of all of this is after starting my car which was sitting for an entire week the engine now starts up quickly and happily after two glow cycles. I love it when I hear my car start up when it is so cold outside.

What are some of your cold weather stories?

pawoSD · #2 01-31-2010, 04:19 PM

My cold weather stories include quick starts at 0F....(no stalling).....and driving just like usual. The only thing on my car that really doesn't like the cold is the antenna. Otherwise there's really no difference. At 0F with no block heater it will start within 3 seconds of cranking with a 25 second glow cycle. If I have the lower-hose heater on it starts almost as fast as on a hot day.

I'll admit my car is over-maintained....but it needs to be since I drive it about 450 miles a week.

BodhiBenz1987 · #3 01-31-2010, 04:39 PM

Lots of stuff gets a little sticky on me on the 240D. I haven't driven the 300D this winter (

), but it was always really good to me ... it started at -7 one time with one glow cycle (a little violent afterward, but smoothed out). The 240 this year has surprised me with its starting capabilities, but some little stuff is dodgy ... the driver's door lock freezes up completely (I disassembled it and rebuilt it last year, and it works OK but it isn't perfect and it can't deal with the cold ) and I noticed the shifter was a little molasses-ish on Friday, when it was about 15 degrees out. And the engine really takes a long time to warm up ... I think it's pretty pooped in the compression department. But the fact that it started on one glow cycle (albeit with quite a bit of cranking) at 15-17 degrees suggests to me the compression can't be that bad. I do wish the heated seats worked.

For the most part I think I have a bigger problem with winter than my cars do. I managed to do the wheel bearings and brakes on my 124 but I just haven't been able to muster the strength to do the flex discs. I am so tired of the cold, the wind, the ice, the freezing puddles. Waaah wa wah.

I did do the manual transmission fluid on the 240D last week, and spilled a lot of ATF and blood in the process, and got stuck under the car.

Fulcrum525 · #4 01-31-2010, 04:48 PM

Come winter I don't touch the windows or the sunroof lest I break something. My last antenna wouldn't fully extend and i'm taking good care of this one with the associated lithium grease. If it doesn't want to move I won't force it. (Thankfully this doen't happen in the morning as I garage my car.) I generally plug in the block heater so one glow cycle is enough. However if the car sits for a while I do two cycles and even then she can be a bit rough starting. (Shacking, smoke and in time it evens out...I think I have a leaky injector somewhere.)

Also I want to clean the car but can't. Also I need to change the oil and I can't cause it's so fricken cold out

.

BodhiBenz1987 · #5 01-31-2010, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fulcrum525

Also I want to clean the car but can't. Also I need to change the oil and I can't cause it's so fricken cold out

.

I once did a 0-degree oil change, outside, and would not recommend it to anyone, ever.

I almost couldn't finish that because my hands got so frozen.
Yeah, all my cars look really dingy now, inside and out ... I spin by the DIY car wash and hose off the salt, but that's about it.

Sometimes I wish hibernation was an option.

300dOwner · #6 01-31-2010, 05:09 PM

Fortunately Ol Blue fired right up at 0* this morning with out his block heater keeing the chill away....my bad. Tthe non-original antenna complains as does the driver when his butt hits the seat

though...

Fulcrum525 · #7 01-31-2010, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BodhiBenz1987

I once did a 0-degree oil change, outside, and would not recommend it to anyone, ever.

I almost couldn't finish that because my hands got so frozen.
Yeah, all my cars look really dingy now, inside and out ... I spin by the DIY car wash and hose off the salt, but that's about it.

Sometimes I wish hibernation was an option.

Yeah we had to replace the 2nd or 3rd glow plug in the winter once (you know the one....behind the injection pump that's a PITA to get at.) After that I learned to avoid winter repairs if they can wait.

Oddly enough a girl in my entrepreneurship class did a project involving a car wash...problem is it wasn't very innovative, just a car wash. During her presentation I kept saying to myself "She should have offered a car was that was indoors so people can use it in the winter." (Or better yet have a crew who would professionally clean the cars. Brush car washes are the worst and I will NEVER put my car through one. Even at the dealer I tell them NOT to clean it.

BodhiBenz1987 · #8 01-31-2010, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 300dOwner

Fortunately Ol Blue fired right up at 0* this morning with out his block heater keeing the chill away....my bad. Tthe non-original antenna complains as does the driver when his butt hits the seat

though...

I know this is very undiesely of me, but I've actually never even tried using a block heater before.

I think my dad used to use it on my 300D back in the day, but I'm not really sure. When I'd most need a block heater would be when I come out of work at 2 a.m. to go home, but I'd have to have one heck of an extension cord ...

okyoureabeast · #9 01-31-2010, 05:16 PM

300Downer you're not that far away from me

I'm still peeved my aux water pump is acting up.

I will however add that I will never have another problem with sticking door locks. I love my keyless entry!

I also don't have a block heater cord. I know it's in the block, but the cable was disconnected. I would eventually like to replace it, but I don't want to have to wrestle with removing all of that stuff.

Fulcrum525 · #10 01-31-2010, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BodhiBenz1987

I know this is very undiesely of me, but I've actually never even tried using a block heater before.

I think my dad used to use it on my 300D back in the day, but I'm not really sure. When I'd most need a block heater would be when I come out of work at 2 a.m. to go home, but I'd have to have one heck of an extension cord ...

Back in my dunkin donuts days (Oh so long ago) I used to run a cord from the back store room over the fenced dumpster are to the parking lot...it was pretty hard to miss

BodhiBenz1987 · #11 01-31-2010, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fulcrum525

She should have offered a car was that was indoors so people can use it in the winter." (Or better yet have a crew who would professionally clean the cars. Brush car washes are the worst and I will NEVER put my car through one. Even at the dealer I tell them NOT to clean it.

Yeah, I've always thought those do-it-yourself wash bays could easily be modified for more comfortable winter use. They'd probably have to charge more to maintain and monitor the facility, but I'd be willing to pay a little more for that, especially if I could do it myself. I guess most people prefer going through those automated brush washes though ... people don't like things that involve an effort.

Fulcrum525 · #12 01-31-2010, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BodhiBenz1987

Yeah, I've always thought those do-it-yourself wash bays could easily be modified for more comfortable winter use. They'd probably have to charge more to maintain and monitor the facility, but I'd be willing to pay a little more for that, especially if I could do it myself. I guess most people prefer going through those automated brush washes though ... people don't like things that involve an effort.

And also don't seem to realize that they might as well be using sand paper on their paint. My cousins VW is loaded with more swirl marks then i've ever seen in my life and I could tell instantly that the previous owners were regulars to the brush car wash.

pawoSD · #13 01-31-2010, 11:25 PM

Wimps, I did an oil change on my 300SD yesterday. Temp at the time was 4F, and there was a decent breeze, so the wind chill was like -5. I did it outside in the driveway and it wasn't that bad at all. We Michigan folks take off our coats when it hits 35F.

BodhiBenz1987 · #14 02-01-2010, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

Wimps, I did an oil change on my 300SD yesterday. Temp at the time was 4F, and there was a decent breeze, so the wind chill was like -5. I did it outside in the driveway and it wasn't that bad at all. We Michigan folks take off our coats when it hits 35F.

Hey I just said I did the trans fluid the other day, don't I get points for that?

It wasn't 4 though, probably about 20. It was pretty cold when I was doing the wheel bearings/brakes on my 124 earlier in the month ... I did a lot of work when I got home at 2 a.m, not real smart.

okyoureabeast · #15 02-01-2010, 12:47 AM

I'll take the whimp award. I spent $96 on a propane heater for the garage.