Its been about 2-15 degrees here in the mornings and the mini stays out overnight. On those morning the mini will not start... At all. I got a brand new battery just to know that it has the push to turn and it made no difference. Does anyone else have the same problem? Is there anything I could do to help it besides getting an engine heater?

 

I have Not had that issue with my 04, are your injectors clean? what weight oil are you using?

 

Are you saying it does crank but does not start or it will not even crank?

 

Not an answer, but I've noticed that adding one of those "teflon" type oil treatments definitely makes cold weather starting easier and the engine run smoother on those extra cold mornings.

 

IMO do not even think about it. I'm sure there has been a million debates on additives uses here, but let's just say if you do some research, the chances of motor dammage far outweighs the advantages of their use. Also the fact the most producers of these products have settled in out of courts settlements with many states attourneys generals to refund their buyers funds should tell you something.

 

when it warms up, I would attatch a charger to the new battery....maybe it was not completely charged when you bought it. Also be sure to check the terminals for corrosion, and then ensue that the bolts are tight and the lead on the terminals was clean and pretty shiney from a brush...and not dull and gray. It does not take much corrosion to increase resistance a whole lot. As long as you are using the reccomended syenthic oil, it should be pleanty thin to allow a start down to it pour point, usually close to -45 degrees or so.
When my OEM battery died, I replaced my battery with an Optimuma 34r, a great battery, with a lot more capicity than the orgional, and a life expetancy that is 4 times longer.

 

Here is a Block Heater for the MINI in case you are interested.

Ken

 

I had one of those installed by the dealer when I still lived in Manitoba. It heats the coolant, not the engine oil. Worked great warmish air at start-up, even at -40. But the seals break down over time and coolant dumps, very bad.

I also have a battery tender installed under the bonnet, and that works great too.

Don't really need any of this stuff as I now live in MO.

Mark

 

im running 5w30 Syntec. And yeah it cranks but just wont start, it has no issues at 28 degrees like its been lately, just not when it hits about 10 or 15 or lower. And thanks on the heater, i think im just going to have to get one.

 

Is the car cranking pretty fast? Or is it slow and hesitant? I toss some drygas -the isopropyl varrity in, maybe that will help a bit. An old trick to help cars start in the cold, is to put a 100 watt lightbulb under the car...or if it is windy, and you don't have a carport/unheated garage, to carefuly put in the engine compartment.
I would suspect that there is somthing going on here....the temptures you describe are not very extreme in most of the US or Canada...if your car starts up with a jump start, then I would be thinking you need a new battery....have you checked the voltage or the cars charging system?

 

Sounds like you might have moisture in your fuel lines. Get some fuel line Anti-freeze. Put it in and use the rest of the fuel in the tank before filling up again. Don't bother adding more to the second tank unless you still have problems. Additives are like Tylenol it might cure something, but if taken daily some systems will get damaged. Always maintain a full fuel take in the winter, if you have airspace moisture will condense on the cold walls and end up in your fuel. Get yourself electric heating pads for the Engine oil pan, tranny, and battery blanket. They work way better then any block heater. And lastly make sure you have no moisture build up at either end of your spark plug wires. use to be a huge problem in the old days. But still possible.

Best of luck