Starting the engine at -25C

[oragex]

Yellowknife, makes sense. As long as the oil gets a bit warm and the battery stays strong enough it will have no issues firing up. I wonder how low it would go, a -40C shouldn't be hard to find up there?

[mrbrian200]

No problems with either Volvo in our driveway the other morning @ -15F (-28C). It was breezy that night with the wind chill around -40F. I forgot to turn the cars around in the drive so they weren't facing into the wind. Both started right up in the morning practically like the middle of summer. Note both have premium synth oil.

Sis' Jetta she used to have -- not a chance until later in the day after it 'warmed up' to between -10 to -5F I could usually get it to go with some coaxing.

The only other cars I've ever owned that started as easy as the Volvos in such conditions were GMs with the 3800. Aside from large 4WD pickups, I noted a strong showing of those full size GM sedans (and Hondas) actually out and running that morning.

[abscate]

The wind chill doesn't matter, but that's impressive to get a good start at -28C

Right oil, good battery, good ignition parts.

[mrbrian200]

The wind chill doesn't matter, but that's impressive to get a good start at -28C

I know it shouldn't. I think facing it out of the wind the engine bay retains a degree or two of heat from the previous day. In the Jetta it would make a difference. The Volvos don't seem to care.
Edit: it might be because the batteries in the Volvos are in the trunk/enclosed rear cargo areas and stay a few degrees warmer through the night than the outside temp. Those GM full size sedans (from the 2000s) I mentioned have the battery inside a compartment under the rear passenger seat cushion.

The lamps on OPs cluster go dimmer while cranking than either of ours. The cluster lamps on the S60 dim a little, barely noticeable, starter turns just a little slower than summer. Sis XC90 I installed a giganto battery which was only a few months old that came out of the Jetta. I had put an oversize battery (H7 or H8) in the Jetta that normally would only go into the diesel variants with something around 900 or 1000 CCA. The cluster lamps don't dim on the XC90 whatsoever and if you weren't shivering and highly aware that it was -15F the car acted no different than starting it in the summer.

[brrrrr]

Yellowknife, makes sense. As long as the oil gets a bit warm and the battery stays strong enough it will have no issues firing up. I wonder how low it would go, a -40C shouldn't be hard to find up there?

I think it was about -35C the lowest I started the car, with the battery maintainer hooked up prior to starting and oil pan heater plugged in as well. With the oil pan heater installed and working I use 5W30 since it gets heated up anyways.

It hasn't been as cold as the previous years around here lately. Call us crazy but if the temps are around -30C (or as long as it doesn't hit -40C) we just say not too bad .

[abscate]

Happy to help. Youguys are crazy!

-35C f or kelvins.......it's insanely cold. I experienced that once working on a project somewhere a C130 had to fly me very very far and it was amazing. If you spit, it cracks and freezes before it hits ground

[vtl]

Friend reports his 05 starts at -54C routinely.

[mrbrian200]

-54C routinely... Is there a colony on Mars I don't know about?

[vtl]

-54C routinely... Is there a colony on Mars I don't know about?

Called North Siberia (as if Siberia alone is not north enough)

[abscate]

Vostok station , ANT

-89.2c

Anything else is a heat wave.