Hi All,
A bit about me and my car. I live in Calgary, Canada. Traded in my old car with the current '06 Nissan Murano in Feb '18. Currently it has 251,000 KM on it.

Car has oil consumption problem and based on the advice of my mechanic, I use regular Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer (https://lucasoil.com/products/engine-oi ... stabilizer). I change oil in mid Oct with regular 5W-30. In mid Nov my oil dipstick showing half oil and I added 1 liter of Lucas. I added 1 lt of regular 5W-30 each in mid Dec and mid Jan. New battery and altenator installed in Aug of last year.

According to battery guideline, my car with intelligent key system required 700CCA minimum and those without intelligent key required 575CCA. I always park my car outside on the street.The following is what happened last week:


Feb 9: Park outside and it was extreme cold overnight. Temp was in -20s F feels like -30s F. My car has block heater but for some reason, I was believing that my car don't have block heater so I didn't plug it.

Feb 10: I tried to start my car with no success. I hold the key for up to 2 second only and tried 3 times. Car was cranking each time. After that, I tried to jumpstart with palm size jumper, 3 times up to 2 seconds each. Each time car cranking. After this attempt, my neighbour helped me jumped through their car's. We tried many up to 6 times. The last 3-4 times, we tried to crank it longer up to 5-6 seconds. Each time the car was cranking but was not able to run/start.

I brought the battery to CanadianTire (CT), they have battery testing machine and left the battery there because they were about to close. I also bought gasline antifreeze and put it to my car right away.

Feb 11: I went to CT and they told me they hook up the battery to the testing machine for 40 minutes and the machine said that my battery CCA is at 583 while the battery is rated 700 CCA. So, they suggest buying new battery which I did. Right after I installed the battery, I tried to run it with just 2 seconds cranking and then I stop. I then realized that my car has block heater so I plug it at 4pm. After 5.5 hours, I tried to run the engine again. I tried 3 times up to 3 seconds each and although it was cranking, it still won't start.

Feb 12: I tried 3 times and I crank the car up 7-8 seconds each and finally it starts up until today while I plug block heater every night since then.


Based on the people in Calgary, there are 3 most common reason why car has problem starting in extreme cold:
1. Weak battery. Per CT testing, my battery is no good, my car required 700CCA and my battery was measured at 583CCA but how come it was cranking even without it being jumped? I had bad battery before and it won't even has any sound or clicking sound at the most but far from a cranking sound.

2. Oil too thick. I use 5W-30 which everyone in Calgary also using. So, I don't think this is a problem. Could it be the Lucas that I use? But, in the past, I won '05 Acura MDX and I use Lucas with no problem at all during extreme cold.

3. Frozen pipeline. I added gasline antifreeze on Feb 10 and I still can't run the engine the following day.

Anyone can help me to point what exactly causing the problem?

Tuneup. How long since ignition system made new? You can crank until the end of the earth in super cold and a less than stellar ignition will NOT start car. Once you crank it long enough to wet the plugs they foul and you then NEVER start. The oil consumption issue will load the plugs up ahead of your cranking and oil soaked plugs absolutely are the worst to try to cold start on. Pull 'em, if black on the ends much of your trouble.

If they mix ethanol in your local fuel, gas antifreeze is a waste of money, you already have it in the fuel.

amc49 wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:09 pm

Tuneup. How long since ignition system made new? You can crank until the end of the earth in super cold and a less than stellar ignition will NOT start car. Once you crank it long enough to wet the plugs they foul and you then NEVER start. The oil consumption issue will load the plugs up ahead of your cranking and oil soaked plugs absolutely are the worst to try to cold start on. Pull 'em, if black on the ends much of your trouble.

If they mix ethanol in your local fuel, gas antifreeze is a waste of money, you already have it in the fuel.

My mechanic check the vehicle before he sold it to me but, I don't believe he is doing anything to the ignition system. I can double check with him. On the other hand, you said, the longer I crank it, it will make the plugs wet and I won't be able to start, but it my case, I was able to start when I crank longer. If you read my posting, on the third day, I was cranking longer than the previous days and it finally start.

I will check the plug and thx for the ethanol in the fuel info. I think they do mix ethanol in the fuel here.

'...when I crank longer.'

You are trying to put a hard rule to that except that fouled plugs KNOW NO RULE AT ALL as far as long or short starting. Your logic there is not logical at all except to show you know nothing about the chaosian randomness of fouled plug starting. The closest you will ever get is a rough generalization that will NEVER be exact there.

Not trying to be mean at all, just the truth of the thing. In your case greatly complicated because the plug(s) if engine eating oil will be black and even if dry they may not start, the extra carbon shorts out spark just like wetting the plug does. Meaning you cannot apply a length of the start rule there at ALL because the plugs do not need time to wet out to foul, they already are.

for the hell of it - after 3 or 4 of those attempts , with key off put & hold pedal to floor ,then start/crank car (she may rev up fast if it works - ready & let up pedal) --- just for the hell of it , costs nothing,no mechanic hired/ troubleshooting , no experimenting with additives , I've seen it work , won't get into the how & why here for foolish arguments sake!

amc49 wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 12, 2019 7:13 pm

'...when I crank longer.'

You are trying to put a hard rule to that except that fouled plugs KNOW NO RULE AT ALL as far as long or short starting. Your logic there is not logical at all except to show you know nothing about the chaosian randomness of fouled plug starting. The closest you will ever get is a rough generalization that will NEVER be exact there.

Not trying to be mean at all, just the truth of the thing. In your case greatly complicated because the plug(s) if engine eating oil will be black and even if dry they may not start, the extra carbon shorts out spark just like wetting the plug does. Meaning you cannot apply a length of the start rule there at ALL because the plugs do not need time to wet out to foul, they already are.

I have to admit, my knowledge about car related issue is limited, so, I welcome you or anyone to lecture me on this issue.

I totally understand what you are saying although on the other hand, I don't experience any of that. My current car is the second car with oil consumption problem and I didn't have any problem at all to start the first car when I own it for 3 years. Plus, I have been plugging the block heater on my current car since last week and has no problem at all starting even though we still have extreme cold up until last night. However, my experience, or any experience for that matter, is subjective and I understand, I can't use a subjective experience as a source of truth.

That said, I will check my plug to see it its indeed black on the ends and I will report back.

macgiver wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 13, 2019 4:05 am

for the hell of it - after 3 or 4 of those attempts , with key off put & hold pedal to floor ,then start/crank car (she may rev up fast if it works - ready & let up pedal) --- just for the hell of it , costs nothing,no mechanic hired/ troubleshooting , no experimenting with additives , I've seen it work , won't get into the how & why here for foolish arguments sake!

I tried this too with no success.

Holding the pedal down all the way shuts the injectors off to unflood the engine hopefully.

As to oil consumption, there can be wildly differing amounts. All engines if kept IN TUNE (something nobody does any longer, they simply think it is this or that sensor) will burn through the oil consumption to a certain point and even the plugs will try to stay colored right too. Past a point though the oil begins to overpower the ignition and then things start to become marginal, starting in the cold is one of the first to show that.

A block heater helps almost ANY engine to start easier, even those in perfect condition.

amc49 wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 13, 2019 4:16 pm

Holding the pedal down all the way shuts the injectors off to unflood the engine hopefully.

As to oil consumption, there can be wildly differing amounts. All engines if kept IN TUNE (something nobody does any longer, they simply think it is this or that sensor) will burn through the oil consumption to a certain point and even the plugs will try to stay colored right too. Past a point though the oil begins to overpower the ignition and then things start to become marginal, starting in the cold is one of the first to show that.

A block heater helps almost ANY engine to start easier, even those in perfect condition.

Since I plug block heater, I don't have problem starting, but, if at the same time the plug foul, why or how block heater helps to make the starting easier if plug is foul in my case?

Read my last quoted sentence there again. Partially fouled plugs start easier using one. I won't go into the 5 pages of physics as to why.

In the OP you went thru 3 reasons why the cars don't start in the cold, you missed reason 4, or car condition. An engine using oil does NOT cold start as easy generally as one that does not. For several reasons.