-27F here last night so this morning while out checking things over I figured I would start my pickup and let it warm up so I could go to town and do some things there.

99 Ford F250 Super duty with the 6.8l V10. Stiff as frozen peanut butter at the -21F tempI went out into.
However, My 1950's well worn Massey Ferguson 202 Industrial tractor forklift with the very well worn I4 started up without difficulty and it's got E30 fuel in it too!

Behind that was my 1950's International W450 backhoe tractor that managed a cold start at -15F after 20 minutes of being plugged in.

The pickup, well, that came in dead last. 4+ hours of being plugged in and -6F when it finally started and its been converted over from the stock starter cables to 1/0 plus has a less than a year old commercial battery in it as well.

 

I remember when my 1956 Chevy Bel-Aire started before my mother's '66 Chevy Nova.
I told her it was because I installed a new piece of coat hanger in the carb linkage.

 

International W450. Are you kidding me! That was the next oldest model on the farm that I worked on as a teen...Is the third model a blue Ford tractor and the fourth a 1986-88 Massey ferguson?

 

International W450. Are you kidding me!

Yep I got one. I turned it into a backhoe and loader tractor.

 

It's not the fuel delivery system that is the culprit, but the age of the engine. In the newer engines, everything is tight, while in the older engines, there is plenty of slop to aid in turning over.

I have the same problem with my 2011 Toyota when it dips to 65° here. Dang thing won't start unless I let it warm itself up in the sun for an hour or two!

 

when it dips to 65° here. Dang thing won't start unless I let it warm itself up in the sun for an hour or two!

Your Toyota is a reptile?
I see. Coral Springs, Florida. I have the same problem, but it is I who needs to warm up in the sun for a few hours.

 

-27F here last night so this morning while out checking things over I figured I would start my pickup and let it warm up so I could go to town and do some things there.

99 Ford F250 Super duty with the 6.8l V10. Stiff as frozen peanut butter at the -21F tempI went out into.
However, My 1950's well worn Massey Ferguson 202 Industrial tractor forklift with the very well worn I4 started up without difficulty and it's got E30 fuel in it too!

Behind that was my 1950's International W450 backhoe tractor that managed a cold start at -15F after 20 minutes of being plugged in.

The pickup, well, that came in dead last. 4+ hours of being plugged in and -6F when it finally started and its been converted over from the stock starter cables to 1/0 plus has a less than a year old commercial battery in it as well.

What weight oil do you use in that 1999 F250?

 

What weight oil do you use in that 1999 F250?

Appears to be 90W-200.

 

One of the problems with modern vehicles is that their computers prevent starting if the battery voltage hits 9V or so while cranking. They'll allow cranking to continue, but the ignition will never fire. I'm not sure that's intentional or the computer just locks up to protect itself, or whatever. A warm battery will start even a new car.

 

Another thing about diesel trucks is the owners tend to put heavy weight oil in them that turns to Amber at -25.

5W30 is the stuff for rose temps.

 

Your Toyota is a reptile?
I see. Coral Springs, Florida. I have the same problem, but it is I who needs to warm up in the sun for a few hours.

65-degrees?!?
That sounds like a weak / dead battery

 

65-degrees?!?
That sounds like a weak / dead battery

Naw...just warming up while waiting for the coffee to kick in.

 

What weight oil do you use in that 1999 F250?

Standard 15w40 all purpose same as everything else gets here.

I hate having to stock multiple grades of oil being the one I need the most is always out. Our diesel equipment represents the bulk of the oil usage here so it dictates what's the standard for everything else.

Another thing about diesel trucks is the owners tend to put heavy weight oil in them that turns to Amber at -25.

5W30 is the stuff for rose temps.

I typically agree but over the years I have seen such minimal difference in changes to any other non synthetic grade that it just didn't justify carrying a lighter grade for anything any more.

 

Standard 15w40 all purpose same as everything else gets here.
.

Ha! 15W40 at -27! changing a toasted starter in those temps is not fun. So much easier to use a proper oil. Ford doesn't even recommended that asphalt for summer in that truck.

 

Seemed the other old machines had no issue with it.

The starter is the stock factory one adn never been changed out yet and going by what everyone I know who has a vehicle with the same engine says I should on my 2nd or 3rd one by now and I have been expecting it to go out for the last 3 or so years so when it does I wont be the least bit surprised.

If it doesn't fire off in the first 5 - 6 seconds I don't keep cranking on it because it obvious it isn't firing. Pretty hard to cook a starter that's good in that amount of time.

 

I've made the switch to 5W synthetic. I had hopes of a mileage increase and better cold starting. I didn't see any obvious increase in mileage (meaning it's less than 10%, maybe less than 5%). Cold starting should be better but I can't say for sure I've seen it yet. Maybe later this week.

Even though my van has 190K miles on it, I only go through a quart every 3,ooo miles or so. I feared consumption would go way up switching to the thin stuff but I don't think it's much different than it used to be. I also switched to a high-quality oil filter and I've resolved to never change it again. Whatever my van dies of, it isn't going to be engine lubrication.

 

I've made the switch to 5W synthetic. I had hopes of a mileage increase and better cold starting. I didn't see any obvious increase in mileage (meaning it's less than 10%, maybe less than 5%). Cold starting should be better but I can't say for sure I've seen it yet. Maybe later this week.

I have 5w30 full synthetic in my shop compressor and that gives me a bit of improvement in its winter time starting abilities. Not a huge gain but with that it's able to do a ~0 - 10F cold start Vs the before ~10 - 20 F cold starts.

Vehicle wise I have ran it in my pickup before back when it wasn't much more expensive than the cheap standard oils but I just didn't see any measurable gains in mileage and winter starting was like my air compressor. Marginally better but not all that great. So the difference between starting at -6F and -10 to -15F is not a huge gain for 3X the cost for oil. For that money I will put a pad heater on the oil pan and be money ahead.

To be honest that is something I have thought about this week. I have a spare 250 watt pad heater someplace around here that would be a good addition to the pickup being I have added dedicated oil heaters to our main diesel equipment that has to run in the winter and those made a huge difference with them that running 10W30 diesel oil never did.