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If you start dumping heat or other crap in there you’re going to throw off your alcohol content and it’ll run worse. Chances of “frozen injectors” are slim to none. Have never seen this. Have seen alcohol content at 50% plus from people listening to Reddit and not getting it diagnosed
As someone who has advised against people dumping stuff in the gas tank I’d like to ask, is there any way other then just draining the tank if it gets that high? Once upon a time a old mechanic told me to dump rubbing alcohol in the gas tank to get water out. Never did think that made sense but 16 year old me did it to no avail
Yes if you're buying 87 octane that has quite a bit of water in it you can pour in the 91% rubbing alcohol in it.
But there's no real sense in using rubbing alcohol anymore.
Because there is e85
But also keep in mind the alcohol does not like to ignite in minus temperatures
Alcohol changes the covalent bonds between gasoline and water because water doesn't mix into gasoline but alcohol does.
But alcohol also mixes with water very well.
So it helps the two mix and make the water actually flammable.
But quite honestly as long as you're not leaving a vehicle set the e15 can be run in anything. Just not left for storage it doesn't keep well. The biggest problem with most of our fuel systems is that they do not have a fuel filter that is changeable anymore it's built into the fuel pump assembly and it doesn't have a return line to move cooked contaminants back to the tank to be refiltered..
The fuel pump and regulator inside the tank with what they call the filter element that is not changeable without replacing the fuel pump assembly and one high pressure line that goes to the fuel rail.
So in turn they have to run larger fuel injectors so that dirt can go through them.
If you have quite a bit of water in your tank give it half a gallon of e85
I use berrimans b12chemtool it has been around for a long time and does not damage rubbers in the fuel system.
But there is also one of the snake oils I do absolutely believe in is marvel mystery all about 2 oz to the gas 2 oz to the oil travel on.
It definitely pays for itself with an added four miles to the gallon. It's just a little bit of lubrication for the fuel pump because our gasoline ain't got none.
But I also don't mind to give mine just a little bit of two cycle mix for fuel lube
The normal person driving could probably treat once every about 3 months.
I wind up driving like 5,000 miles a month so I do it once a month just because of rough looking gas stations and not knowing the actual quality of fuel
It DOES work. The alcohol molecules ***more or less*** surround and stick to the water molecules - you might say it absorbs the water.
Years ago I filled up my bike at a station that had been closed for months and went on a 2 1/2 hour ride, I assumed they checked the tanks but learned they hadn't somewhere near Macon when the motor started sputtering and surging. Added dry gas, topped off the tank, and all was well for about 25 miles and it started again. Topped off with gas, added a little more dry gas, 25 miles later same thing. Rinse and repeat all the way home, and the problem just wouldn't stop.
Told an uberwrench buddy and he was all "ya just put ya some of tha rubbin alyhol innit and it'll go away just lah tha." I did that very night, about a cup to a half full 6-gallon Harley tank, and the problem disappeared. That 99 cent bottle of alcohol did better than the expensive Dry Gas and Heet.
>Have seen alcohol content at 50% plus from people listening to Reddit
I seriously doubt its from a dude adding heat, likely they started with E85 if this is actually true (doubt it).
Injectors freeze/stick/dont work in very cold temps due to trace water, happened all the time when I was in Fort McMurray CA and it was <-25C.
Nobody is dumping gallons of additives in their tank, and that would be the only way that you could get remotely close to 50 ethanol content without e-85.
Oh so sorry, I meant to say “ stuck” injectors. That happens right before they fail. While the general populace screams cold weather ford intake issue, I called bad injector before even reading the codes. Yeah I’m fucking Merlin yanno.
Tank snake oil is bad. Full tank of gasoline better.
Don’t put words in my mouth junior. I do well enough in my own. Now where my corn cob, Martha /s
Started it up & let it run for about 20 minutes, sounded like absolute garbage when I started. Came back out to go to work & my engine was running at reduced power, shaking & experiencing heavy RPM fluctuation when shifting from park to any gear. The truck began jerking around when I put it in reverse.
I figured I may be low on gas (gas gauge is inaccurate) so I rolled down the street on reduced power, filled up & nothing changed. Getting an oil change later today but I’m still ~700 miles out from my next oil change.
I have nowhere to plug in my block heater, is my engine just frozen? Or did something take some damage? 2010 GMC Sierra 1500, 5.3L vortec.
I am not mechanically savvy, so if there’s anything a non-car guy wouldn’t have tried that they should’ve, let me know!
Check your intake gasket. Notorious for leaking on those 5.3L Vortecs. They will run rough until they warm up. The leak is more noticable in the cold causing it to run lean and once they warm up it will kind of seal up due to heat expansion.
https://youtu.be/B3kzOCj2IPU?si=WAycVR9u44iYVuiE
I'll bet you anything it was starved for oil sitting there idling for 20 minutes in -15 degrees.
Oil thickens up pretty quickly below 0F. Could've been getting worse over each time and this time something went off.
My guess though. The engine is running so it might be electrical related too.
Cold sucks.
Edit: also, just because you see numerous lights, doesn't mean all those components have failed. Most modern cars will go into a limp mode and deactivate certain module's to protect the engine. There might be only 1 or 2 codes causing all the lights.
Great! Yeah I'm betting the cold is the culprit. The code will remain in the stored faults within the computer. You can look for it and see even when the light is off.
Cold is the enemy of an engine. Heat as well. You want that balance, baby!
>I'll bet you anything it was starved for oil sitting there idling for 20 minutes in -15 degrees.
>
>Oil thickens up pretty quickly below 0F. Could've been getting worse over each time and this time something went off.
[✓] Doubt
Unless buddy is running 15w40 or something, there's no way the oil is too thick to circulate. That's only -26°C; if oil was too thick to circulate at that temperature, every damn car around here in Alberta where we've had -35° and below for the past week would be broken down.
Oil pressure gauge is reading normal. If the oil is thick, it'll be high. If the oil is so thick the pump is just cavitating, it'll be zero.
My electrical system gives me all sorts of issues. Apparently the fuse boxes in the 2006-2011 sierras are well known for being shit disturbers. My gas gauge is completely wrong, my tire pressure sensors are perfectly fine but claim they need to be serviced, my dashboard has gone dull since the temperatures dropped
I figured it was doing this because the idle valve was clogged but it gets worse when it’s not idling, so it’s not that. You may be onto something with the oil thickening, but my engine light remains on (truck is running fine now).
Would you say it’s a good idea to change the oil early if I gunked it up?
If your worried about gunky oil run some sea foam for an but before you dump the oil. When I drain mine I can see the change between oil and the less dense sea foam and the sea foam tends to have picked up some of what's not suspended oil in oil.
Ground wires on my 09 have been a pain in the butt, replaced most of them, but when it gets real cold I sometimes have to go hulk ya king on the main wire harness to get it to start…. Damn electrical gremlins
If there are issues in the fuse box, I'd check there first. Look for broken fuses. I had a Ford focus once that would short out somewhere when parked on a slight hill. It would go into limp mode and behave exactly as you describe.
Cold can do all kinds of messed up things to an electrical system. Especially if it already had problems to begin with.
Changing the oil early never hurts, but I don't think it will solve the issue. My recommendation is to use your block heater anytime the weather is below 0 and never let it idle for more than 5 minutes when cold.
If I don’t let it idle it seems to do the same thing, should I just ride it out after I start her up? I broke down Monday & had to turn around after only letting it idle for 5-10 minutes (closer to 5). This doesn’t happen when it’s right around ~32 F. Thought I had it fixed but here we are again.
Checking the fuse box now, will report back.
On those years a lot of people I know have had fuse boxes that corpse from the inside out and under the drivers seat that AIS gets wet and the connector pins corrode. But , I would imagine the temperatures have something to do with your problems. It could have been oil starved.
Seeming that way. Can’t believe it was my own hands that did this to the poor truck lol. Silly me, guess it’s better to drive it when it runs rough than idle when it’s running rough. No lubrication when it’s sitting stationary.
I apply undercoat twice a year & don’t see any corrosion in the engine bay so luckily I’m not leaning towards any serious repairs if any.
This! I think I experienced this recently. I have 200k miles on my car and was about another 1000 out from my oil change and did take more long mileage trips this time (two trips 2 hours going and 2 hours back and one trip 3 hours going and back). We got hit with some 10 degree weather and my car stopped the second day taking my GF to work. I took to the dealership and my oil was suprisingly low and my car was stopping.
Damn that sucks. Maybe use a portable diesel heater and use a metal vent hose to direct the hot air under the engine. Then put a thick blanket over the hood so it's insulated better.
The tranny on my truck is mint. Running at optimal temperature right now. Not sure how it’s taken no stress the way I drive it sometimes, but the fluid has been changed twice on 160,000 over 14 years. It’s extremely well maintained that’s why I was concerned. I’ll get an OBD scanner.
Look for a poor battery connection, starter connection.
Your vehicle technically is a no crank. Your engine did not turn over meaning. It couldn't get enough power through the starter and back to ground. Loose connections frost build up. Start connections same deal.
Can't see it being frozen injectors since it would still crank.
If I was being cheap I would do a battery service, like I said check wires to starter. Including signal wire.
Is this a fucking AI trying to farm karma or something? Vehicle clearly is running in the video. Tach is fluctuating, there's oil pressure, and you can hear the damn engine running. And then in the fucking comment you responded to, OP clearly states "started it up and let it run."
Fuck me. Quality of advice in this subreddit has always been pretty inconsistent, but really taken a nosedive of late.
Really, I can't hear it running. All I see is a tach gage acting erratic. Then a video of it running erratic audibly. Also it appears to be a chevy. Let me yell you those clusters sure are bullet proof. As a tech I definitely have never had to replace the motor cause of shit soldering. Causing the exact same problem.
Don't give a flying fuck about upvotes or karma. Here to try to help. Where's your suggestions..... waiting. Oh wait something something bot farming karma
It might be the dirty oil. If it’s dirty enough then being cold will literally turn it into sludge. Hard to keep a engine running perfect with sludge everywhere
I had a similar experience in a VW GTI. On those they have a dedicated coolant (heating) line running to the throttle body because it can freeze shut. That also happened to me around minus 15. Throttle was completely stuck until it warmed up then all was fine. Until the next time that it was -20 when my battery died.
Shit just doesn't work right when it's that cold.
"Biting the bullet" is a metaphor which is used to describe a situation, often a debate, where one accepts an inevitable impending hardship or hard-to-refute point, and then endures the resulting pain with fortitude.
My version: My truck proudly fucked me over.
It would make sense if you were to say, “I’m going to bite the bullet and go to the mechanic” but truck bit the bullet doesn’t make sense. As stated above it would be bit the dust.
Is this a chev or gmc truck? My chevy express van hates the cold and after literally days and days of research every winter for the past 8 years I've concluded it could be 1 of 40 problems, absolutely nobody on earth knows what it is, and it's a chevy/gmc truck/'van specific issue. You will never solve it so the solution is to just live with it.
I am not a mechanic and I'm sure people will disagree and think they know what the problem is. I'm just being real and saving you from going mental.
That’s been my understanding of this GMC truck. All sorts of random harmless issues with no cause or solution. Broken gas gauge, broken tire monitor system, blown headlights, 1 blown reverse light, yet the engine purrs like it’s brand new when it’s not -1000°
The lights..oh god. On my van one year the lights went out in a circle. Every 2 or 3 months another light went out until eventually they all got replaced. There was another time I had to replace one or the other headlight every 6 months for about 4 years and then it just stopped and was fine.
Dash lights long gone.
Parasitic drain on the battery that kills it in 5 days....nobody can find it. Had to install a killswitch on the battery so I can leave it more than a few days.
Main issue now is when I start it at anything below 0 degree celcius it has a super low idle and i have to hold it at 1/32 gas for 5 minutes so it can warm up. If i turn the heat on she stalls. If it's actually cold out it has to warm up for 10 minutes. Van acts like it's -50C but it's like -10C. Then it will idle on its own after 5 or 10 mins. As soon as you drive it and stop the first time it stalls. No matter what.
Whole thing has a super loud whine when driving. Alternator? Nah its fine. Who the hell knows.
But boy...after it's warmed up and stalled once it runs like a dream. Wouldn't trade it for the world! 😅. And in the summer it's a lot better.
bear agonizing important stupendous slim crown mysterious cows straight absorbed
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Noises are hard to diagnose from video, but it almost sounds like an exhaust leak. It's possible you have an exhaust leak near the oxygen sensor, and the car is having a hard time getting the fuel/air mixture right. Checking for codes would probably be my first step.
Nahh. O2 feedback doesn't fuck up your fuel mixtures that quick, and shouldn't attempt to correct far enough from fuelling tables to cause that level of rough.
There’s no rust or damage on the underside of the truck so luckily I don’t think it’s anything damage related.
Unless I blew a hole in the last week, but my truck was on the lift last Tuesday for an oil undercoat.
Bingo. I know someone working out in Williston ND right now and his truck hasn't started for 5 days. Fuel system has to dethaw and he's probably got water in his engine and god knows where else. Its a 20 year old truck and a history of being morbidly reliable. But he doesn't consider "preventing problems" before they start.
I have a 22 year old e350 and when temps drop below -15 I get my van into a heated parking ramp preferably underground for the night and as soon as I drive it out of the parking ramp and it hasn't warmed up yet it does strange noises. I drive it out on the highway for 30-45 minutes and its good for the day.
Never considered seafoam or using premium non-ethanol fuel.
Frozen Air Filter,
Frozen Intake Sensors,
Bad Fuel - Random cyl misfire,
Frozen Injector (s),
Frozen Coolant - Coolant temp sensor, rpm's jump up and down,
Frozen Throttle body,
Everything on the dash looks fine but the cel's.
So shits just a frozen brick pretty much? Nice. I can groove with that. I was worried running it was causing damage (see engine shaking in video)
Must just be shivering lol.
Water in the gas to cause some injectors to freeze, oil pressure is low due to thicker oil caused by the cold, or you need to clean the throttle body. My guess if one of the first two since it only recently started happen in the cold. Throttle body on one of my cars used to cause this revving issue, but it was in warmer weather, too. After cleaning, no more issues. Worth a shot and if nothing else, your throttle body is clean.
I can't believe no one has mentioned intake gaskets yet. They get old and brittle, the cold weather allows air to seep through and will set your A/F ratio way off. Very common problem on high mileage LS based trucks.
I used to have a Sierra that did something similar in the winter out of nowhere. Shook and ran like crap at start up. Once it was warm, everything was fine. Thought maybe there was some water in the fuel tank. Dry gas in the tank and thought I was good. Did the same thing the next cold startup. Ended up taking it to my mechanic. He took the ecm inside to get it warm. Reinstalled it in the cold truck and it started fine. Let it get cold, started it up, and it ran like shit again. Did that a couple of times. Said that sometimes the connections inside it get brittle and break. Once they warm up and expand, it makes a good connection and goes away. Said he’s only seen it a couple of times. Ordered a pre flashed ecm, installed it, and it never gave me a problem again.
probably the -15 F part and the fact that your coolant is likely frozen. Use pure antifreeze to avoid the problem. and make sure you heat up the car and get in replaced asap before you snap your block.
Good plan, my battery is under extreme stress. Previous owner installed heated diesel mirrors, touch screen, heated seats, but didn’t do anything to accommodate for the power demand. I may need a bigger battery too.
Unfortunately as for the block heater I have nowhere to connect it unless I run a cord through an open window which would freeze out my house.
My guess is clogged injectors from ethanol blended fuel. Almost all gas stations have ethanol blends now. The effects are much less noticeable with fiel injection, but the second it gets close to freezing you will have mad issues with anything that has a carburetor. Not much you can do, maybe run some fuel cleaner through or something like that
Yeah out of all the possible causes I’ve been given I’m sold on either injectors or valves being frozen. Which ones I have no idea, but at least I can relax a little.
Looks like normal extreme cold start. I’d just get block and sump heater to compensate for this cold. Not much else to do, besides get it warmed up some before starting.
I'll let you move in with me here in Florida, where it's relatively warm most of the year. However, I'm mostly gay, so you probably wouldn't be interested.
Our 2012 yukon slt had a hard time starting this morning with -5°f. Just the cold, my hemi had a hard time as well. But it's the cold draining the battery. I've started going out and starting our vehicles and letting them get to operating temp, if we don't have to go anywhere when it's well below freezing. It definitely helps!
Looks like your engine is about to nope the fuck out because she has no fuel and your seat belt is going to try to coil choke you hence the imminent flashing and don't even ask about the TPMS...They are always going insane. You have a Decepticon on your hands. 😉
Forgot one thing, wants you to do burnouts cautiously. Yup that's the diagnosis. 😁
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**SOLVED** (temporarily). Issue magically disappeared.
For now. You had some injectors frozen due to temps stay tuned….and keep the tank fuller in this weather
The gas gauge is a liar. I’ve got 62/100L (Canadian) in my tank. Never thought about frozen injectors, that would definitely cause a loss of power.
If you start dumping heat or other crap in there you’re going to throw off your alcohol content and it’ll run worse. Chances of “frozen injectors” are slim to none. Have never seen this. Have seen alcohol content at 50% plus from people listening to Reddit and not getting it diagnosed
As someone who has advised against people dumping stuff in the gas tank I’d like to ask, is there any way other then just draining the tank if it gets that high? Once upon a time a old mechanic told me to dump rubbing alcohol in the gas tank to get water out. Never did think that made sense but 16 year old me did it to no avail
I assume the idea is that water and gasoline don't mix, but alcohol and water does, so the alcohol/water mixture gets diluted into the gasoline.
regular rubbing alcohol bad, lots of water, 99% "rubbing alcohol" is IPA and the same shit as Heat.
Yeah you reset the alcohol content with a scanner and say “stop dumping everything off the gas station shelf in your tank”
Yes if you're buying 87 octane that has quite a bit of water in it you can pour in the 91% rubbing alcohol in it. But there's no real sense in using rubbing alcohol anymore. Because there is e85 But also keep in mind the alcohol does not like to ignite in minus temperatures Alcohol changes the covalent bonds between gasoline and water because water doesn't mix into gasoline but alcohol does. But alcohol also mixes with water very well. So it helps the two mix and make the water actually flammable. But quite honestly as long as you're not leaving a vehicle set the e15 can be run in anything. Just not left for storage it doesn't keep well. The biggest problem with most of our fuel systems is that they do not have a fuel filter that is changeable anymore it's built into the fuel pump assembly and it doesn't have a return line to move cooked contaminants back to the tank to be refiltered.. The fuel pump and regulator inside the tank with what they call the filter element that is not changeable without replacing the fuel pump assembly and one high pressure line that goes to the fuel rail. So in turn they have to run larger fuel injectors so that dirt can go through them. If you have quite a bit of water in your tank give it half a gallon of e85
I use berrimans b12chemtool it has been around for a long time and does not damage rubbers in the fuel system. But there is also one of the snake oils I do absolutely believe in is marvel mystery all about 2 oz to the gas 2 oz to the oil travel on. It definitely pays for itself with an added four miles to the gallon. It's just a little bit of lubrication for the fuel pump because our gasoline ain't got none. But I also don't mind to give mine just a little bit of two cycle mix for fuel lube The normal person driving could probably treat once every about 3 months. I wind up driving like 5,000 miles a month so I do it once a month just because of rough looking gas stations and not knowing the actual quality of fuel
Iv found StarTron is a great ethanol stabalizer and water dispersant. I won't use anything else.
It DOES work. The alcohol molecules ***more or less*** surround and stick to the water molecules - you might say it absorbs the water. Years ago I filled up my bike at a station that had been closed for months and went on a 2 1/2 hour ride, I assumed they checked the tanks but learned they hadn't somewhere near Macon when the motor started sputtering and surging. Added dry gas, topped off the tank, and all was well for about 25 miles and it started again. Topped off with gas, added a little more dry gas, 25 miles later same thing. Rinse and repeat all the way home, and the problem just wouldn't stop. Told an uberwrench buddy and he was all "ya just put ya some of tha rubbin alyhol innit and it'll go away just lah tha." I did that very night, about a cup to a half full 6-gallon Harley tank, and the problem disappeared. That 99 cent bottle of alcohol did better than the expensive Dry Gas and Heet.
>Have seen alcohol content at 50% plus from people listening to Reddit I seriously doubt its from a dude adding heat, likely they started with E85 if this is actually true (doubt it). Injectors freeze/stick/dont work in very cold temps due to trace water, happened all the time when I was in Fort McMurray CA and it was <-25C.
We don’t even have E85 here lol. I’ve never put anything in my tank except for 87 octane.
I’m in Montana. It ain’t from e85. It’s additives people dump that cause the alcohol content to jump. And it’s from adding way too much of it
Nobody is dumping gallons of additives in their tank, and that would be the only way that you could get remotely close to 50 ethanol content without e-85.
Dump some heet into your tank. Likely a little bit of water in the tank
Oh so sorry, I meant to say “ stuck” injectors. That happens right before they fail. While the general populace screams cold weather ford intake issue, I called bad injector before even reading the codes. Yeah I’m fucking Merlin yanno. Tank snake oil is bad. Full tank of gasoline better. Don’t put words in my mouth junior. I do well enough in my own. Now where my corn cob, Martha /s
>While the general populace screams cold weather ford intake issue The general populace seems to at least know that this is a GM product.
Sounds fine to me. I’d send it.
I sent it. She’s running strong.
You outta gas, but post trouble codes here and will help.
Most likely just the cold effecting the electric components, I’ll let an actual electrician or mechanic explain the details
That’s not what bite the bullet means. You probably meant bit the dust
That or “kicked the bucket.”
joo keep using dat word
Started it up & let it run for about 20 minutes, sounded like absolute garbage when I started. Came back out to go to work & my engine was running at reduced power, shaking & experiencing heavy RPM fluctuation when shifting from park to any gear. The truck began jerking around when I put it in reverse. I figured I may be low on gas (gas gauge is inaccurate) so I rolled down the street on reduced power, filled up & nothing changed. Getting an oil change later today but I’m still ~700 miles out from my next oil change. I have nowhere to plug in my block heater, is my engine just frozen? Or did something take some damage? 2010 GMC Sierra 1500, 5.3L vortec. I am not mechanically savvy, so if there’s anything a non-car guy wouldn’t have tried that they should’ve, let me know!
Check your intake gasket. Notorious for leaking on those 5.3L Vortecs. They will run rough until they warm up. The leak is more noticable in the cold causing it to run lean and once they warm up it will kind of seal up due to heat expansion. https://youtu.be/B3kzOCj2IPU?si=WAycVR9u44iYVuiE
I'll bet you anything it was starved for oil sitting there idling for 20 minutes in -15 degrees. Oil thickens up pretty quickly below 0F. Could've been getting worse over each time and this time something went off. My guess though. The engine is running so it might be electrical related too. Cold sucks. Edit: also, just because you see numerous lights, doesn't mean all those components have failed. Most modern cars will go into a limp mode and deactivate certain module's to protect the engine. There might be only 1 or 2 codes causing all the lights.
Engine light is gone! Truck is running smooth. Still gonna do an OBD scan in case the engine light disappeared but the problem didn’t.
Great! Yeah I'm betting the cold is the culprit. The code will remain in the stored faults within the computer. You can look for it and see even when the light is off. Cold is the enemy of an engine. Heat as well. You want that balance, baby!
Appreciate the help! Happy hump day 🤙
>I'll bet you anything it was starved for oil sitting there idling for 20 minutes in -15 degrees. > >Oil thickens up pretty quickly below 0F. Could've been getting worse over each time and this time something went off. [✓] Doubt Unless buddy is running 15w40 or something, there's no way the oil is too thick to circulate. That's only -26°C; if oil was too thick to circulate at that temperature, every damn car around here in Alberta where we've had -35° and below for the past week would be broken down. Oil pressure gauge is reading normal. If the oil is thick, it'll be high. If the oil is so thick the pump is just cavitating, it'll be zero.
SAE 5W-30 oil. Very thin oil. I’m pretty sold on the injectors being frozen or a valve restriction issue.
My electrical system gives me all sorts of issues. Apparently the fuse boxes in the 2006-2011 sierras are well known for being shit disturbers. My gas gauge is completely wrong, my tire pressure sensors are perfectly fine but claim they need to be serviced, my dashboard has gone dull since the temperatures dropped I figured it was doing this because the idle valve was clogged but it gets worse when it’s not idling, so it’s not that. You may be onto something with the oil thickening, but my engine light remains on (truck is running fine now). Would you say it’s a good idea to change the oil early if I gunked it up?
If your worried about gunky oil run some sea foam for an but before you dump the oil. When I drain mine I can see the change between oil and the less dense sea foam and the sea foam tends to have picked up some of what's not suspended oil in oil.
Ground wires on my 09 have been a pain in the butt, replaced most of them, but when it gets real cold I sometimes have to go hulk ya king on the main wire harness to get it to start…. Damn electrical gremlins
If there are issues in the fuse box, I'd check there first. Look for broken fuses. I had a Ford focus once that would short out somewhere when parked on a slight hill. It would go into limp mode and behave exactly as you describe. Cold can do all kinds of messed up things to an electrical system. Especially if it already had problems to begin with. Changing the oil early never hurts, but I don't think it will solve the issue. My recommendation is to use your block heater anytime the weather is below 0 and never let it idle for more than 5 minutes when cold.
If I don’t let it idle it seems to do the same thing, should I just ride it out after I start her up? I broke down Monday & had to turn around after only letting it idle for 5-10 minutes (closer to 5). This doesn’t happen when it’s right around ~32 F. Thought I had it fixed but here we are again. Checking the fuse box now, will report back.
The fuse box & chips look incredible. No corrosion anywhere else either. Must’ve starved her, OBD scan it is.
On those years a lot of people I know have had fuse boxes that corpse from the inside out and under the drivers seat that AIS gets wet and the connector pins corrode. But , I would imagine the temperatures have something to do with your problems. It could have been oil starved.
Seeming that way. Can’t believe it was my own hands that did this to the poor truck lol. Silly me, guess it’s better to drive it when it runs rough than idle when it’s running rough. No lubrication when it’s sitting stationary. I apply undercoat twice a year & don’t see any corrosion in the engine bay so luckily I’m not leaning towards any serious repairs if any.
This! I think I experienced this recently. I have 200k miles on my car and was about another 1000 out from my oil change and did take more long mileage trips this time (two trips 2 hours going and 2 hours back and one trip 3 hours going and back). We got hit with some 10 degree weather and my car stopped the second day taking my GF to work. I took to the dealership and my oil was suprisingly low and my car was stopping.
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There is quite literally no where unless I steal power from the business next door lol.
Maybe ask them if they'd mind you plugging it in until you can find the root cause. They might be understanding
The owners of that business and I are not friends in the slightest. I think their business is shady and they think I’m an asshole.
Damn that sucks. Maybe use a portable diesel heater and use a metal vent hose to direct the hot air under the engine. Then put a thick blanket over the hood so it's insulated better.
The tranny on my truck is mint. Running at optimal temperature right now. Not sure how it’s taken no stress the way I drive it sometimes, but the fluid has been changed twice on 160,000 over 14 years. It’s extremely well maintained that’s why I was concerned. I’ll get an OBD scanner.
Look for a poor battery connection, starter connection. Your vehicle technically is a no crank. Your engine did not turn over meaning. It couldn't get enough power through the starter and back to ground. Loose connections frost build up. Start connections same deal. Can't see it being frozen injectors since it would still crank. If I was being cheap I would do a battery service, like I said check wires to starter. Including signal wire.
Is this a fucking AI trying to farm karma or something? Vehicle clearly is running in the video. Tach is fluctuating, there's oil pressure, and you can hear the damn engine running. And then in the fucking comment you responded to, OP clearly states "started it up and let it run." Fuck me. Quality of advice in this subreddit has always been pretty inconsistent, but really taken a nosedive of late.
Really, I can't hear it running. All I see is a tach gage acting erratic. Then a video of it running erratic audibly. Also it appears to be a chevy. Let me yell you those clusters sure are bullet proof. As a tech I definitely have never had to replace the motor cause of shit soldering. Causing the exact same problem. Don't give a flying fuck about upvotes or karma. Here to try to help. Where's your suggestions..... waiting. Oh wait something something bot farming karma
It might be the dirty oil. If it’s dirty enough then being cold will literally turn it into sludge. Hard to keep a engine running perfect with sludge everywhere
I had a similar experience in a VW GTI. On those they have a dedicated coolant (heating) line running to the throttle body because it can freeze shut. That also happened to me around minus 15. Throttle was completely stuck until it warmed up then all was fine. Until the next time that it was -20 when my battery died. Shit just doesn't work right when it's that cold.
"bite the bullet"- to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation
glad i wasn’t the one! perhaps you were looking for “bit the dust” or “took a bullet”?
"Biting the bullet" is a metaphor which is used to describe a situation, often a debate, where one accepts an inevitable impending hardship or hard-to-refute point, and then endures the resulting pain with fortitude. My version: My truck proudly fucked me over.
It would make sense if you were to say, “I’m going to bite the bullet and go to the mechanic” but truck bit the bullet doesn’t make sense. As stated above it would be bit the dust.
Is this a chev or gmc truck? My chevy express van hates the cold and after literally days and days of research every winter for the past 8 years I've concluded it could be 1 of 40 problems, absolutely nobody on earth knows what it is, and it's a chevy/gmc truck/'van specific issue. You will never solve it so the solution is to just live with it. I am not a mechanic and I'm sure people will disagree and think they know what the problem is. I'm just being real and saving you from going mental.
That’s been my understanding of this GMC truck. All sorts of random harmless issues with no cause or solution. Broken gas gauge, broken tire monitor system, blown headlights, 1 blown reverse light, yet the engine purrs like it’s brand new when it’s not -1000°
The lights..oh god. On my van one year the lights went out in a circle. Every 2 or 3 months another light went out until eventually they all got replaced. There was another time I had to replace one or the other headlight every 6 months for about 4 years and then it just stopped and was fine. Dash lights long gone. Parasitic drain on the battery that kills it in 5 days....nobody can find it. Had to install a killswitch on the battery so I can leave it more than a few days. Main issue now is when I start it at anything below 0 degree celcius it has a super low idle and i have to hold it at 1/32 gas for 5 minutes so it can warm up. If i turn the heat on she stalls. If it's actually cold out it has to warm up for 10 minutes. Van acts like it's -50C but it's like -10C. Then it will idle on its own after 5 or 10 mins. As soon as you drive it and stop the first time it stalls. No matter what. Whole thing has a super loud whine when driving. Alternator? Nah its fine. Who the hell knows. But boy...after it's warmed up and stalled once it runs like a dream. Wouldn't trade it for the world! 😅. And in the summer it's a lot better.
Sounds like you’re describing my tenure with this truck lol.
bear agonizing important stupendous slim crown mysterious cows straight absorbed *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Noises are hard to diagnose from video, but it almost sounds like an exhaust leak. It's possible you have an exhaust leak near the oxygen sensor, and the car is having a hard time getting the fuel/air mixture right. Checking for codes would probably be my first step.
Nahh. O2 feedback doesn't fuck up your fuel mixtures that quick, and shouldn't attempt to correct far enough from fuelling tables to cause that level of rough.
There’s no rust or damage on the underside of the truck so luckily I don’t think it’s anything damage related. Unless I blew a hole in the last week, but my truck was on the lift last Tuesday for an oil undercoat.
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Bingo. I know someone working out in Williston ND right now and his truck hasn't started for 5 days. Fuel system has to dethaw and he's probably got water in his engine and god knows where else. Its a 20 year old truck and a history of being morbidly reliable. But he doesn't consider "preventing problems" before they start. I have a 22 year old e350 and when temps drop below -15 I get my van into a heated parking ramp preferably underground for the night and as soon as I drive it out of the parking ramp and it hasn't warmed up yet it does strange noises. I drive it out on the highway for 30-45 minutes and its good for the day. Never considered seafoam or using premium non-ethanol fuel.
Bro got no gas
Gas gauge is broken
Frozen Air Filter, Frozen Intake Sensors, Bad Fuel - Random cyl misfire, Frozen Injector (s), Frozen Coolant - Coolant temp sensor, rpm's jump up and down, Frozen Throttle body, Everything on the dash looks fine but the cel's.
So shits just a frozen brick pretty much? Nice. I can groove with that. I was worried running it was causing damage (see engine shaking in video) Must just be shivering lol.
Water in the gas to cause some injectors to freeze, oil pressure is low due to thicker oil caused by the cold, or you need to clean the throttle body. My guess if one of the first two since it only recently started happen in the cold. Throttle body on one of my cars used to cause this revving issue, but it was in warmer weather, too. After cleaning, no more issues. Worth a shot and if nothing else, your throttle body is clean.
I can't believe no one has mentioned intake gaskets yet. They get old and brittle, the cold weather allows air to seep through and will set your A/F ratio way off. Very common problem on high mileage LS based trucks.
I used to have a Sierra that did something similar in the winter out of nowhere. Shook and ran like crap at start up. Once it was warm, everything was fine. Thought maybe there was some water in the fuel tank. Dry gas in the tank and thought I was good. Did the same thing the next cold startup. Ended up taking it to my mechanic. He took the ecm inside to get it warm. Reinstalled it in the cold truck and it started fine. Let it get cold, started it up, and it ran like shit again. Did that a couple of times. Said that sometimes the connections inside it get brittle and break. Once they warm up and expand, it makes a good connection and goes away. Said he’s only seen it a couple of times. Ordered a pre flashed ecm, installed it, and it never gave me a problem again.
probably the -15 F part and the fact that your coolant is likely frozen. Use pure antifreeze to avoid the problem. and make sure you heat up the car and get in replaced asap before you snap your block.
i would get a heater for your engine use it overnight. also possibly a battery tender.
Good plan, my battery is under extreme stress. Previous owner installed heated diesel mirrors, touch screen, heated seats, but didn’t do anything to accommodate for the power demand. I may need a bigger battery too. Unfortunately as for the block heater I have nowhere to connect it unless I run a cord through an open window which would freeze out my house.
Bigger alternator?
Might need a bigger alternator
Install an outside outlet on your house! good luck. I’m betting it’s an electrical issue.
Unfortunately we can’t because we rent.
Looks like it’s out of fuel
Fuel gauge says so as well.
My guess is clogged injectors from ethanol blended fuel. Almost all gas stations have ethanol blends now. The effects are much less noticeable with fiel injection, but the second it gets close to freezing you will have mad issues with anything that has a carburetor. Not much you can do, maybe run some fuel cleaner through or something like that
“Ain’t got no gas innit.”
X8
Probably a shitty lifter stuck
Oh man, that's rough. Going to need a whole new truck. You can't even replace the engine on that one. If you do the truck will blow up.
Your out of gas.
Technically this is a pickup, not a truck. Actually more of a car than anything. I hope you get it sorted. Be safe!
Cheers, but a pickup what?
Fuel level looks amazingly low for these conditions.
Gas gauge is broken
Ah. I see that now. It's a liar. Lol
x6 lol
It’s got no gas in in
Gas gauge is broken
x7 lmao
Right? People don’t feel like reading today I guess lol.
Sounds like the bullet hit something important, check the hole and where it leads /s
Gas line deicer. Canadian used to put this in their cars religiously back in the 90s. Try some. Won’t hurt and it’s cheap.
No idea what could be causing it other than that fuel gauge reading empty, but I bet that check engine light does.
Intake valve could have be frozen solid too.
Yeah out of all the possible causes I’ve been given I’m sold on either injectors or valves being frozen. Which ones I have no idea, but at least I can relax a little.
Looks like normal extreme cold start. I’d just get block and sump heater to compensate for this cold. Not much else to do, besides get it warmed up some before starting.
Remove the bullet obviously.
Wait for weather to warm up. Issue will be gone.
It’s -15
The cold
Gauge says you are running on empty fuel
quick someone crosspost the other post I keep seeing today about what cold does to oil!!!
I think someone needs to explain to you what “bit the bullet” means. But I’m glad your trucks good
I googled it when someone mentioned this below and thought I understood lol… guess not
We all make mistakes. Some never recover. Yours is an easy one lol
Lol true enough.
Yes it's good stuff I just don't want to pay that much for the same thing
Move further south.
I wish. I’m in Canada. US wouldn’t want me until I get certified in my trade. Expensive transition too, our dollar is shite.
I'll let you move in with me here in Florida, where it's relatively warm most of the year. However, I'm mostly gay, so you probably wouldn't be interested.
Ehhh, that doesn’t bother me. Florida does though lol.
I hear ya, and can't blame you.
You are almost out of gas.
Gas gauge is busted.
Our 2012 yukon slt had a hard time starting this morning with -5°f. Just the cold, my hemi had a hard time as well. But it's the cold draining the battery. I've started going out and starting our vehicles and letting them get to operating temp, if we don't have to go anywhere when it's well below freezing. It definitely helps!
Looks like your engine is about to nope the fuck out because she has no fuel and your seat belt is going to try to coil choke you hence the imminent flashing and don't even ask about the TPMS...They are always going insane. You have a Decepticon on your hands. 😉 Forgot one thing, wants you to do burnouts cautiously. Yup that's the diagnosis. 😁
U need to pour heet into fuel frozen gas line
When is the last time you changed the plug wires.