1997 850 start in subzero temps?

[burnout8488]

Good point, maybe I should have said very modern cars do not really benefit much from it! But yes, cars with a pulley driven fan definitely would need the "cardboard mod" in super cold temps.

[instarx]

It should be ok but here is what I would do:

1. Don't start it several times a night. Cold starting is relatively hard on engines. On the other hand don't wait until it gets above freezing, that's silly - it could be spring before you start it. Let it sit until you need it, then start it.
2. Put in a synthetic 0w-40 or 5w-30 oil. The cranking ability will be greatly improved. Synthetic oil made the difference between starting and not starting on my diesel truck.
3. Don't let it warm up just sitting. Drive slowly for a few miles to warm everything up - engine, drivetrain, belts, etc. Wear gloves and a hat and don't breath on the windshield until it warms up. Back in the 80's when I lived in the mountains of Colorado I had to park my car facing out and in first gear so I could drive forward in the mornings to warm up the transmission enough to change gears.
4. Be very careful handling everything on the car - things are brittle at those temperatures (door handles, knobs, glass, etc).
5. You have the right idea about parking near buildings, but it isn't because of wind chill which, as someone else said, does not effect cars. Park it close to and downwind of a heated building because it will always be a few degrees warmer there. Its a minor thing but sometimes every little bit helps.
6. I cannot stress too much to always have emergency items (extra warm clothes, food) in the car at cold temperatures. If you get stuck you may not get rescued for hours and you'll need to stay warm. When I was stationed at the South Pole in Antarctica we had a hard rule that if a vehicle went more than a mile from the main station it had to have survival supplies for three days. This isn't the South Pole so three days would be a bit much, but you get the idea.

In the end though, -14 isn't really all that cold for a modern car.

As for blocking the radiator, Volvo actually sells an accessory grill block with strategically placed holes, but they're pretty rare below the Arctic circle. I do not know if it is to block cold, snow, or both.

[matthew1]

FWIW, a few weeks ago my 850 started without trouble on one very cold morning: -11F, 10w-30 synth, 1-year-old battery.

[rmmagow]

My 209K 98 V70 is having no issues starting at below zero temps. 5W30 synth oil, good batt and newish ignition system. It's not a happy camper, oil thing makes a racket, serp belt chirps a bit but after 5 mins running it settles right down. OTOH, my MB diesel is unable to start unless I plug in the heater for an hour or so. It is then OK the rest of the day. As for putting in iso for the gas, does that matter now that all gas has ethanol in it anyway?

[jblackburn]

serp belt chirps a bit but after 5 mins running it settles right down

I'd fix that dried-out serpentine tensioner before it seizes up. Mine destroyed bearings in 3 PS pumps because the belt kept moving around.

My Volvo never had any problem starting up in the winter (I've never seen below 0F), but it was grumpy for the first 30 seconds-1 minute after pulling off. Once the pistons stop slapping around, she's happy as can be.

[cn90]

As already mentioned by others, this is what I do:

1. If it is really cold (like 0F etc.), but otherwise clear day with no ice/snow:
- Start the engine, put on the seat belt, wait for the engine to settle down to 1000 rpm or so.
- This takes about 15 sec or so, then drive off conservatively for 1 mile or so.
- Don't rev the engine above 3000 rpm for the 1st mile.
- I may crack the driver window 1 inch until the car warms up, so the moisture from human breath can escape w/o fogging the windshield glass.


2. If it is really cold (0F etc.) with snow/ice. Now it is a different ball game b/c of safety issues (visibility!).
- Start the engine, clean the ice/snow really well from the glass/wipers arm.
- Then drive off slowly as mentioned above.
- Avoid using the washer fluid until the glass is warmed up by the heater core air. Using washer fluid when the glass is cold will frost it right up, potentially blinding you. Don't ask me how I learned it the hard way (I had to stick my head out of the window to pull the car off the road) lol.

[QuirkySwede]

Using washer fluid when the glass is cold will frost it right up, potentially blinding you. Don't ask me how I learned it the hard way (I had to stick my head out of the window to pull the car off the road) lol.

This wasn't you, was it?! Oh, wait, that's a V70... My bad.

Definitely has the look of a "drift" expert though!

Danny.JPG (23.18 KiB) Viewed 769 times

[davolvo]

I have done that myself. Do we ever learn?

Question though, why would my car blow out warm air and then cold and then warm etc?

[jblackburn]

I have done that myself. Do we ever learn?

Question though, why would my car blow out warm air and then cold and then warm etc?

Does it have electronic climate control (you set a temp and has "automatic" fan speed settings?)

The temp sensor may be going crazy. Blow out the fans in the grab handles with compressed air.

[burnout8488]

I have done that myself. Do we ever learn?

Question though, why would my car blow out warm air and then cold and then warm etc?

If it's not the electronic side of things causing the issue…. it's the thermostat opening and closing at the wrong times. Try jblackburn's suggestion first. Also, is the climate control flashing any error codes at you on startup?

If it opens too soon or too abruptly, the cold coolant in your radiator will be able to feed into the engine circuit, then the heater core.