So its about 14 degrees outside today, and i went out to start my car to head to class, and the car barely started, even after it started it was running horrible, i could hear engine knock, lots of tapping, etc etc. I was wondering if maybe it had somthing to do with the gas perhaps, ignition system, fuel system, etc?

 

when its really cold outside, it takes longer for the oil to thin out and flow through the motor....my car sounded really bad this morning too

 

last night it was -10 and My car started right up again and usually in weather like this my car will knock for about 1-2 minutes, the oil I threw in today that I had sitting in my trunk was like molasses when I put it in, and it was even the smooth 10w-30synthetic stuff Wal Mart sells for $1.63 a quartthat usually flows real nice.

 

i just thought it was odd, seeing as how everyone elses car in the house, including my dads 93 cavalier with 210,000 miles on it, started up just fine, and my well kept neon didnt :rofl:

 

First of all the Neon Engine is a SOHC and since it has the cam right on the rocker arm it will make the knock sound more noticeable whencold when oil hasn't had a chance to lube them upanddue tothe rocker armhaving roller tips.

my Moms Cavaliermy Brothers Cavalier and my Sisters cavalier all make a lifter noisewhen cold but not as loud as the Neon is right away. The Cavys have a more traditional in block cam with push rods and hydroliclifters that cushion the knocking noise and reduce it. The Neon Engine is a better design less drag and better performance with the roller rockers.

My Neon also starts faster than any of those 3 Cavys put together. Get a good battery and check for broken vaccum lines that may have snapped in the cold.

The coldest weather I've started my car in has been -26 with a wind chill of -40 Farenheight, had to use. Good ol' Wisconsin!

A good battery makes all the difference in the cold and starting power.

 

battery is brand new, had it replaced just over a month ago when my red top started going bad, vaccum hoses, for all intents and purposes, have appeared to be good the last 3 times i was under the hood.

 

Does the car run better once warm? Also check your Air Filter those get dirty fast or unexpectedon the Neon and can cause low idle, also check the plugwires if its running rough.

 

plug wires are reletively new, air filter is kinda dirty... i gotta change that anyway

 

I have the same problem. Its hard to start and runs very ruff but once it gets warm it runs fine.

 

once the car sits over night the oil slowly leaks out the hydraulic lifters creating lash in the valve train. Thiscan make the car run a bit harsh once started but once you get good oil pressure and the lifters fill it should go away. This is why it important to use the correct viscosity and a quatiy oil that will move thru the sysyem quikly and protect your engine at start.

anouther thing that will make that happen is your O2 sensor. when you sensor is cold it wont read as well, this is why they made heated sensors.

sometimes it can take a minute to warm up, then it will send correct info to the PCM.