The Top Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Resource

Join the best E39A 1991-1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 community and document your GVR4 journey.

  • Software Upgraded - Reset Your Password to Login
    In order to log in after the forum software change, you need to reset your password. If you don't have access to the email address you used to register your GVR4.org account, you won't be able to reset your password. In that case, follow the instructions here to regain access to the forum.

Cold Weather Behavior: Now more serious!

belize1334

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,316
Location
Bozeman, MT
So Bozeman, MT is colder than Portland, OR. Go figure right? The surprising thing is that my car doesn't seem to like the cold.

The first thing is that it is hard to turn over now that the temps are down below zero. But my question is this, is it the battery or the starter that's complaining about the temperature?

Secondly, the clutch is misbehaving. The colder it is, the more pronounced the effect. When I press the pedal down (disengage the clutch) everything feels normal, but when I release it to reengage the clutch, it feels like the fluid is too thick in the lines or something because it doesn't provide the right pedal pressure on the way up and if I just pop my foot off it slowly rises back up instead of quickly slamming back like it would in warm weather. Has anyone else experienced this?
 
Last edited:

14u2nV

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
9,398
Location
Agency/St. Joe, MO
First problem could be the battery, or you could just have too thick of oil, and when it's cold it has trouble turning over. Second, could be the fluid, but I would think after driving a bit, it would have warmed up from engine heat.
 

belize1334

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,316
Location
Bozeman, MT
The clutch problem does improve with driving. Still, it seems odd to me that it would happen that way.
 

G

Staff member
Joined
Feb 24, 2004
Messages
8,896
Location
zompton
What oil weight you running?
 

Do you have a stainless clutch hose or the original stock one? Could be part of the problem. How old is the fluid?

How old is your battery? I've had similar problems with batteries in cold whether when I lived in Ohio. See if you can borrow a load tester and test the battery when its cold before starting the car.
 

belize1334

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,316
Location
Bozeman, MT
The clutch line is a 2G SS unit from RRE. The battery is an Orbital unit that is comparable in specification to an Optima Redtop. It's about 2 years old now. It's NEVER given me any trouble except for cold weather. I am see after some research now that at -10F battery capacity drops to about 50%. Combining that with sludgy oil (Syntex 10W30) I can understand why it would be hard to turn over. The clutch issue is what's really got me confused. The fluid is only about 6 months old as I changed it when I put in my new transmission and SS line this summer.
 

curtis

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2003
Messages
11,892
Location
Clarksville TN
As for battery run an additional or larger wire from the alternator to the fuse box then run a larger wire from the battery to the starter. It does make a big difference.

As for the clutch did you remove the spring and restrictor from the slave cylinder.
 

belize1334

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,316
Location
Bozeman, MT
Well I was just out poking around and it appears that things have gotten more serious. It's currently -10F and while the coolant in the car is rated at -32F for a 50/50 mixture, that apparently isn't true because when I popped the radiator cap, guess what? It's not frozen solid, but it's not liquid either. I'd characterize it as a sludgy mix of ice and almost ice. It's green like it should be and it reads at safe to -30F on my little density plunger thing, but I can't argue with what I see.

This also explains why last night, while driving home, the heater didn't get warm even though the engine temp read warm. So the issue is, where do I go from here. It's currently 10 below on a Sunday and the forcast is looking for 20 below tonight. I'm concerned that if it gets colder it'll push all the way over to frozen solid and do some serious damage. I'm also concerned that, while I don't see any obvious signs of blown out freeze plugs, I may have damaged something last night while driving home (it was 10 below then too). So, I suppose that I COULD try to put this thing in the garage over night (I'd have to move my housemates' stuff to do it) and hopefully that'd keep the temps a little warmer, but I'd have to start it to move it and I'm afraid it might FUBAR the water pump or blow a plug or some other aweful thing might happen. It also occurs to me that maybe I shouldn't be worried about the freezing due to some (unknown to me) property of antifreeze that keeps it from expanding when it freezes.

Thoughts?

Edit: I decided that anything bad which might happen if I start it now would have happened last night when it was just slightly colder, and the prospect of letting it sit and freeze even worse over night was less than appealing, so I started it and pulled it into the garage. Now I wait for it to thaw and hope that the water pump/freezeplugs/hg/etc are still ok. Cross your fingers for me. Also let this be a lessen to you...it doesn't matter what the bottle says, if you're facing subzero temperature, run STRAIGHT antifreeze.
 
Last edited:

Increasing the antifreeze mix to 60% or 70% will lower the freezing point much more. According to PEAK's website, adding water is necessary to activate chemicals in the antifreeze and its not recommended to run more than 70% antifreeze. But a 70% mix drops the freezing point to -84.
 

G

Staff member
Joined
Feb 24, 2004
Messages
8,896
Location
zompton
Oh & do an oil change w/ some 5w/ 30.
 

belize1334

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,316
Location
Bozeman, MT
Well all is hopefully well. I thawed it out and replaced with 60/40 Peak Long Life antifreeze. I was a little concerned that I may have ruined the water pump cause the heater still didn't seem to be working but after taking it for a spin around the block it's blowing hot now. I just hope that there isn't some internal damage that I can't see. Thanks for the input everyone.
 

CP

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
8,938
Location
West Simsbury, CT
New Optima Redtop or Yellowtop battery, new coolant leaning towards more coolant in your mix, new thinner oil, and a warm(er than outside) place to park it at night. How's the tranny shifting? My thickish fluid didn't like the cold, so I drained a bit and added some Pennzoil Synchromesh. Need to do the same to the wife's 03 Jetta soon, as the synchros don't like the thick fluid in the cold.
 

curtis

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2003
Messages
11,892
Location
Clarksville TN
Man see if you can find a block heater like they use on diesals, just install it in the radiator hose in a aluminum t fitting piece, Then it plugs in to a normal 110. Its just a heater element like in a water heater or electric range but the heat will help out your problem for sure. You could plug it in an hour before you leave just to help things out.
 

RHDgalantVR4

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
193
Location
Calgary Alberta
So here in calgary it hit a temp of -46C.
I also had the same problems with my clutch!

I used a oil pan heater and changed the coolnt 50/50 mix long life.

And engine heat after idling for about 10 min fixed itself till I went onto the highway.

And I still har a stock motorcycle batterie!
 

belize1334

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,316
Location
Bozeman, MT
Yeah, I'm looking at adhesive oil pan heaters. The problem is that I have to park on the other side of the street so unless I can find a generous neighbor I can't plug anything in. I'm also planning on changing the oil to Castrol Syntec 0w30 unless I can't find it in which case I'll go with 5w30. I know that people worry about 0w having too many adatives and breaking down but considering that I change every 4k miles anyway I figure I'll go for the stuff that's as thin as possible on cold start.
 

Brianawd

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
2,117
Location
Portland OR,
0w30 is what you should be running with the cold temps you have. I run 5w30 in my montero in the winter because of how much time its spends at Mt Hood Meadows.
 

324vr4

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 28, 2006
Messages
1,240
Location
Bozeman, Montana
Belize1334...if you need help on anything man let me know...I live here too and got the damned GVR4 bug again so lemme' know if you're in need...phone number is 6002427

Ryan
 

iceman69510

Turn Right Racing
Staff member
Joined
Mar 5, 2001
Messages
10,964
Location
Michigan
Quoting RHDVR4GALANT:
I used a oil pan heater and changed the coolnt 50/50 mix long life.




You need a greater ethylene glycol concentration than 50 % for those temps. Read the back of the bottle. As mentioned above, you should be more like 70%.
 
Last edited:
Support Vendors who Support the GVR-4 Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Recent Forum Posts

Top