I am looking for some advice. My 2008 Cooper S runs great in the bay area (400 feet above sea level) But when I take it to the snow I run into issues.

We go to a cabin at 7200 feet above sea level and the temperatures drop to single digits at night (like 5 degrees Fahrenheit). Unfortunately I have to park outside. The mini ran great all the way up there, I got the right chains for it and they work great. But if I let the car sit outside in the cold for a day or two, I have trouble getting it to start. When I push the button the starter runs for about 30 seconds then gives up. While the starter is running the engine sounds like it is dieseling. I also tried pushing down the gas while I start and it didnt seem to make a difference.

I can smell gas, so it almost seems like the engine is flooded, but I am not sure. I let it sit for 20 minutes and try it again. After 4 or 5 tries over a few hours it will eventually start. Not sure if letting it sit helps, or letting the temperature warm up outside. Once it does start it warms up it runs just fine.

My battery is about 3.5 years old. Could this be solved with a fresh battery? Or is there a setting where I can tell the car that I am at high altitude to help it start?

I would love to solve this before I go up to the mountains next. I am thinking about calling the dealer, but it seems like every time I talk to them is costs me money

thanks for any advice!

 

First put a few ounces of “gas dryer” in the tank to take out any water condensation that might be there. Might also check the fuel filter.

Here is a post I did several years back that solved my cold weather starting. Click on my gallery to see pics of the installation. It was very easy installation if you can get under your car. Of course your cabin has to have electricity! Posts in the thread made by others also have some good ideas.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...an-heater.html

 

Thanks for your post! for the gas dryer - should this be used on every tank where I plan to go to altitude, or is this just a one time thing to clear out any water that might have accumulated over the past 8 years of life? Looks like HEET is the popular brand.

For the heating pad, gld to see that a solution from 6 years ago is still going strong! how did you route the cord? Up through the engine compartment? Any pics would do me a world of help.

thanks again!

 

You should only have to use the gas dryer once. I posted some more pics in my gallery. If you click on them there is brief comment at the bottom. Basically the heat pad cord runs up to the passenger right front to near the headlight assembly. You could just stop there and open the hood to connect to power. Or you can continue and snake the cord between the radiator and grill and come out at the bottom grill slat if your pad cord is long enough. Then you can connect without opening the hood. And tell everyone you have a plug in hybrid ;-)

 

Is there a cold-climate intake available for your 07? I read something on here a while ago about some hard starting issues in cold climates that were solved with a different intake. IIRC.

 

That's definitely worth checking.

You should never crank your engine for 30 seconds. You're going to kill your starter. I would have the battery checked. How old are your plugs and coils? What's the gap on your plugs? Sounds like you're getting fuel, but not getting a spark.

 

It might be shorter than that, I just push the button and release - it trys to start for a little bit then stops by itself. I dont hold down the button.

I did put in some dry gas, and its funny - the engine does feel peppyer (might be my imagination). Plus this stuff is supposed to clean my injectors so that might be it.

I had my plugs replaced at my 60k maintenance and it now has 90k miles. Would a spark plug issue happen only at altitude? It runs great normally.

I can go and get my battery tested, but I am sure they will tell me I need a new one no matter what the result says. The battery does seem to turn the starter just fine, but a new one cant hurt I guess. It just hurts my wallet.