Not sure whats going on here but I started up my car this morning and it ran fine. Drove it less than 1/2 mile, where it sat for 2 1/2 hours. When I attempted to start it again it was running very rough and when I tried to give it a little gas it would jump up to about 3,000 rpms then die. If I let it idle it would eventually die but took longer. I tried turning on electrical and let it stay on before starting engine but that didn't help. Temps here are single digits. Any thoughts?
No help, I'm just surprised we haven't seen more of these type posts the past few days. Did it give any codes?
My sons R50 wouldn't start this morning either. Hoping it's just a weak battery from sitting in this cold for a couple days. I'll be jumping it tonight to see if that's all it is.
Similar thing happened to my R56, warmed it up for 20 minutes and all was fine. I didn't have the shutting off problem though.
It is going to sit till I can't stand it any longer and have to drive it. Mostl engine wear is on start up and shut down, same for all engines. Don't forget that poor starter either.
I wish I could do that but right now its sitting out side of a neighbors house because thats where it wouldn't start up for me.
Fortunately, the weather is supposed to break tomorrow and we'll be in the 40s by Fri., Sat., and Sun. ...maybe even Mon., too, before the next round starts.
The R50/53 would do all sorts of weird things when the battery voltage was low. How old is the battery? In the extreme heat of Texas, I had planned to replace my battery whenever it got to over 4 years old. I never got the chance... it always failed before getting to that point.
When it is this cold outside (10 degrees or less) it is a good idea to let you car warm up for 15 to 20 min so everything can get up to temp and not just by the water temp gauge since that only measures water temp not oil temp. It also depends on the weight of oil you have in your car. I took my car out today and I let it sit in the driveway running for a 1/2 hour before I went out on the road. When I started my car it sounded a little sluggish but after just 10 min it sounded a lot smoother. Remember the oil and fuel and can turn almost solid in the extreme low temps and the battery can loose up to 60% of it power just being below 40 degrees. The Windex and Prima Hydro in may garage are now frozen solid. Oh the little bit of condensation coming out of my tailpipes froze to the ground behind my car. Yeah its that effin cold out.
He's right. On short drives the exhaust does not get hot enough to clear all the condensation out of it. Most of the time this is not a problem(well it can shorten the life of your exhaust system). In extreme cold if you don't give it time to get fully hot it won't burn out the condensation and can even get more in it because the exhaust is only warm not hot. Then the car cools and you can have a small amount blockage.
Thankfully, the R50 started right up after some juice from the BRRrrrrrrrrZ. Hopefully you get it started today Brad and it's nothing major!
Be sure to drive your car...(once it is running...good luck). Just idling might get it ready to drive...but does not heat it up to get the built up moisture out of the motor....(this is even worse for folks with extra oil coolers...imo they should be covered for winter driving unless your oil temp guage indicates otherwise). Not sure what is up with your car...but an odb2 reader will help...for about $40 you can get one from harbor freight.....very useful to have around. I second that having a GOOD battery is a good start...I have a AGM BATTERY (OPTIMA red top)... simply does great in the cold...low voltage in these computers with a motor attached (mini calls them cars) can do odd things... My car spends 50%+ of nights in a 40°f garage.... But does sit out in low single, even minus temps regularly..I usually leave first in the am.... Seems to start up fine, shift fine and run fine in -10°f after about a 10 minute warm up. I have always thought that how well a car runs in extreme cold is a good test cause everything is tested to the max..... Might be worth looking at the motor more closely come spring.....
One thought.... Have not seen this on a car in years.... Does happen on piston airplanes... You can get moisture on a plug that freezes after a partial/failed start... Fix is to warm it up...or take the plugs out and clean them... Hate to bring this up...cause you can blow a motor up if you do it wrong.... But in extreme cold, a quick spray of starting fluid (highly explosive) can get the car running...if you do this...follow the directions closely...and it does have some risk...but it does work for some...best thing is let the car sit a day till the warmer weather comes.
^^^^ This and I also hook up the Battery-Charger-Maintainer to my Optima Red Top just to keep it fresh when it gets really cold. It has an AGM setting. Amazon.com: NOCO Genius G7200 12V/24V 7.2 Amp Smart Battery Charger and Maintainer: Automotive