I need a GM guy for help....

[Dman]

99 Chev Malibu.<br />Car won't start because it's -20 degrees right now. Bigger problem is the hood release cable is frozen/stuck so I can't get under the hood jump start the car.<br />How do I get the hood open without the using the cable?<br />Need help soon, gotta get to work!<br />Thanks<br />****

 

[ndemge]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

ever get yourself to work?

 

[Dman]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Not yet!<br />It's a balmy -15 now. <br />Got the car in the garage now with heat. Hopefully, it'll start soon.<br />Still gotta get the hood open....<br />D

 

[POINTER94]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Try using one of those portable jump starters through the cig lighter. May take a few hours, but it will back charge your battery.

 

[ndemge]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

good idea on the cig lighter....<br /><br />...may want to use an actual charger though instead of just letting 2 batteries equalize...<br /><br />just don't charge at over 15 amps, figure your cig fuse is a 15...

 

[Dman]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

I made it to work.<br />And there is a way to get the hood open without using the cable release. <br />Took a look at the latch from underneath the simply moved the lever that the cable is connected to and it popped the hood. <br />Granted it took about 1 hour to figure this out but I can be done in a matter of about 30 seconds.<br />D

 

[ndemge]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

yeah... well... you didn't really want to go to work anyway did ya?

 

[Dman]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

I didn't miss anything this morning. 2 phone messages, which I didn't care to listen to.<br />Supposed to be -25 tonight. I better stay home tomorrow!!!<br />D

 

[LubeDude]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Nothing like - temps to let you know your batery is week or your using too thick an oil! If I lived where you do Id sure use a 0W-30 oil! Maybe you allready are!

 

[JasonJ]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Good ol' Wisconsin. Lived in Madison a few years back in the late 70s. Cold and snowy, I'll say that. When we had our -22 bit a few weeks back, it seemed like a lot of smaller cars, regardless of year, had trouble starting, but vehicles with larger V8s didn't have the problems nearly as bad. I know my F150 started, but it was cranking pretty slow. Don't know why the smaller engines would have more problems with the cold, but thats what I saw....

 

[LubeDude]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Most of the "Little" cars have "little" batteries and "little" starters!<br /><br />I swear the batteries they put in them from the factory wouldnt start a lawn tractor!

 

[Dman]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Good point about the larger vehicles. My Explorer fired right up after being out all night. -22 I think right now, but it started fine.<br />D

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

You may want to consider using a synthetic oil in the winter.My Honda sounded like an almost dead battery.the battery was fine,the cold oil made the engine crank incredibly slow.Switched to synthetic and it acted as if i put a truck battery in it.Cranked with no problem.Charlie

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Don't laugh, get one of them dipstick oil warmers.<br />Stick it in and plug it up.<br />Keeps oil warmer.<br />At least the one I had did.

 

[BigDDL]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Here's a question for anyone...living in north dakota it gets pretty darn cold (-44 two nights ago) and sometimes my car won't start, not because of the battery, but because it seems to somehow flood itself a little....a few years ago a tow truck driver showed me a little trick...if the car turns over but won't start, stop, push the gas to the floor, turn the key, hold the gas down for a few seconds, then slowly let the pedal up....once you hear the car fire get off the gas FAST!! unless you want your engine in pieces...the guy said this only works on fuel injected engines...Not knowing much about engines, could anyone tell me why and how this works? BigDDL

 

[Hasbeen]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

If youre worried about flooding, thats a sure way to do it! Leave you foot off the gass with fuel injected engines unless the owners manual tells you to do this for COLD stating! Never seen this though!<br /><br />If I lived where it was -40, there would be no oil in any of my engines other than a 0W-30 Synthetic! Or 0W-20 if my owners manual recomended it! Synthetics are SOOO far superior to dinos at that tempuratire! Of course I have synthetics in all my cars anyway!

 

[BigDDL]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

Hasbeen...<br /> I myself also thought that holding the gas down then starting would flood the engine, but this method does work! Not only on my car but on several other cars that wouldn't start on cold mornings. Of course, this is only a last resort method. I've only had to do it once this year. I've found my car floods if i don't leave it run a few extra seconds after i put it in park. Give it those few extra seconds and my car has no problem in the morning, chugs twice and fires right up. (no block heater on the car either) Leave it warm up 15 minutes and i'm ready to go...i also use 5w30...have had no problems...car is a 96 taurus with 145 thousand on her...only major thing i had to fix on her was a cylinder coil that went bad.. BigDDL

 

[red10]

Re: I need a GM guy for help....

holding the pedal to the floor will "unflood" an injected vehicle but when you lift your foot off the pedal it will then flood it out. Synthetic oil is the only way to go in the winter, i have a 92 regal that fires up after sitting a weekend out in -20 temps.